West New Jersey Proprietors Office - Burlington, NJ - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

"The WEST NEW JERSEY PROPRIETORS OFFICE (not open to public), Broad St. between High and Wood Sts., is a tiny, one-room, red brick building with white trim and a peaked roof. A yard and carriage shed enclosed by a red brick wall adjoin the office. In the gable of the roof is the shield or coat of arms of the Proprietors, a set of balanced scales upheld by a tree. The office contains original documents signed by William Penn. The strange corporation known as the Proprietors of West New Jersey dates back to 1676, when William Penn and his associates divided the Province into two parts for colonization and governement (see HISTORY)."

--- New Jersey: A Guide to its Present and Past, 1939

When Burlington was Capital of West Jersey, The Council of West Jersey Proprietors maintained their records in this tiny office. Many rare and valuable documents are stored here, including The Concessions and Agreements, a frame of Government for the colony of West Jersey written and signed by William Penn and other major landholders in 1676. Many of this documents' principles, such as civil and religious liberties, separate executive and legislative powers, freedom of speech and no deprivation without due process of law, were incorporated into the U.S. Constitution in 1787.

The original council was responsible for disposition of all acreage within Western NJ. This position, established in 1688, continues to this day.