Samuel Coles House - Cherry Hill, NJ - Satellite Imagery Oddities on Waymarking.com

I had been looking for the Samuel Coles House for awhile and had no luck. Google Earth showed it .25 miles away and the Dept. of the Interior was no help either. I was talking with a friend who happened to be interested in waymarking and mentioned the house on Old Cuthbert Road. I snickered and said it ain't there no more. Turns out he is friends with the owner and he explained to me how to find it. I think the confusion can be found in the date of the house, the houses other name it is known by and the address. They are all known by the same number, 1743. The only thing I can possibly think of to explain this is the date of the house was accidentally made the address of the site. The actual address is 1881 so it looks like the NRHP listing is wrong.

The house is hidden behind a thick tangle of bamboo and overgrown landscaping. It is not as wild as it sounds, it is just controlled natural fencing I suppose. The house itself is somewhat obscured with trees and shrubs as well. It turns out the owner used to be a landscaper so this might explain the presence of so much foliage, and mosquitos! When you pull into the gravel driveway, you will notice a historical marker "buried with in the bamboo" and then another marker up the driveway which proclaims "1743 House". It turns out the locals (me?) know this as the 1743 House and not the Samuel Coles House.

This is the same Samuel Coles which the Colestown Cemetery (NRHP) is named after. Coles also had a middle name of Matlack from whom he is descended. Within Woodcrest, Cherry Hill, there is a small cemetery located between two modern homes. The Matlacks are buried there with their servants. These folks and the owners of the Coles house are all related. As it turns out, the present owner of the house is also descended from the Matlacks and her relatives are buried in the aforementioned cemetery.

When I pulled up in the driveway, the owner was actually there and invited me out of the car to tour the grounds. I snapped many pictures including the ubiquitous (of all the surviving homes of this era) initials and date brick "engraving" atop the side of the house. The initials are S, C & M. Note the house is constructed of brick in the Flemish brick bond style as many Colonial home of the middle 18th century.

The next thing which happened was I was invited inside for a tour of the house and a history lesson of not only the house but the area as well. The homeowners (Jerry & Shaula Wright) have been in this home for 50 years as of June 2008. They have been married for 53 years and have raised four children in this house. Sensing the changing times and the development of the area, they pursued the state listing and eventually the national listing which guaranteed them protection from developers. They originally had 10 acres but over the years they had to sell off piece after piece to pay the bills. They are very, very proud of their house and it is easy to see why when you look closely about you and listen to their story.

When they bought the house, it was in a state of severe dilapidation. No one had took care of it over the years, not even the original home owner who lived here for only a small period of time before renting it out. In the 50s. Cherry Hill/Delaware Twp. was in a state of change. It seems there was a movement to do away with the old and bring in the new. Untold numbers of homes and farms were razed to make way for developments and businesses. The Wrights had the presence of mind to go to these locations and remove anything salvageable for their home. They did this countless number of times which is why the interior and exterior of the house looks perfect. Although many of the repairs are Victorian in nature, the house is remarkably restored to a seemingly original state.

Mr. Wright is a remarkable handyman and effected all the repairs, additions and add-ons himself. The floor in the foyer and entrance are original wood removed from the attic as someone removed the floor at one time. The fireplaces (one in every room) have been repaired and restored. The furniture, appliances and every detail imaginable match up with the period of construction and architecture. "Nothing ever goes to waste they remarked". Additionally, there is no air conditioning (yet the house was remarkably cool), no washer, dryer or dish washer. I did not see a TV. They remarked they live an Amish life so I suppose this is the perfect home for them.

I also learned before the house was built a saw mill was built on site which worked all the wood used for the house, hewn from the grounds. There was also a forge constructed which made the tools, hinges (all still there and original), keys and anything else made of metal. When the home was completed, the mills were deconstructed and whatever was left was reused for another project. Mr Coles was insanely wealthy and this home was considered unbelievably massive back in his time. The house is still amazing. The kitchen was particularly amazing. Mrs. Wright has 92 copper pieces decorating the kitchen. The island, cabinets, shelves were all made by Mr. Wright. A nearby wall was made of an old tree which was struck by lightning in the late 50s. As they stated over and over, Nothing ever goes to waste in this house.