Wallace House - Somerville, NJ
N 40° 34.141 W 074° 37.282
18T E 532050 N 4490984
The Wallace House was completed in 1776 as Hope Farm for John Wallace, a successful Philadelphia merchant. General Washington leased the house for use as his headquarters during the Middlebrook Winter Encampment, December 11, 1778, to June 3, 1779.
Waymark Code: WM6YVW
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 08/07/2009
Views: 14
The Wallace House became a museum in 1898, and both the Wallace House and the Old Dutch Parsonage became state sites in 1948. Because of dramatic cuts to our State parks and Recreation budget, the park is not always manned and consequently, you MUST call in advance to tour the park and the house. Check out the New Jersey Parks and Forestry website for detailed information on this historical place. If you are interested in keeping this state park open you can visit this SOURCE
SITE and there is a form letter you can print out, sign your name and mail to the governor. That site is run by the The Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage Association.
The Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage are historic sites dating from the 18th century. They are owned and administered by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry/ DEP. The Friends of the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage are a non-profit support group for these sites. Located on Washington Place in Somerville, both sites are open to the public. For Visitors' Information or to schedule your visit, please call (908) 725-1015. To subscribe to the site newsletter, email hjmcs@optonline.net
The Wallace House was built about 1776 and served as the headquarters of General Washington during the Middlebrook encampment of 1778-79 in Somerset County. Other sites associated with the encampment are located in neighboring towns.
The Wallace House is restored and interpreted as the home of an upper-middle class family returning to normal life after the departure of Washington and his entourage.
The Old Dutch Parsonage was the home of the first ministers of the first Dutch Reformed congregation in the Somerville/ Raritan area. It is also the ancestral home of the Frelinghuysens, a New Jersey family that has contributed ministers, patriots, and statesmen to New Jersey history. The Parsonage is also associated with he founding of Old Queens College and Seminary (currently Rutgers University and The New Brunswick Theological Seminary). Jacob Hardenburgh, second minister to occupy the Parsonage, was one of the founders of Queens, and later served as its president.
Several yearly events are co-sponsored by the Friends of the Wallace House and Old Dutch parsonage and the Park Service. These include:
- George Washington's Birthday Celebration
- Spring and Fall events
- An Eighteenth Century Holiday Diversion
I thought the American Guide Series was noteworthy, so I have included it below.
"Opposite is the Wallace House (open weekdays 9-5, summer 9-6; contributions), occupied as a headquarters by General and Mrs. Washington in 1778 and 1779. A fieldstone foundation supports a large main building and a smaller kitchen wing. The intense whiteness of the clapboards is accentuated by the solid, dark green shutters. The house has typical “witches’ doors”, with panels in the form of a double cross to keep witches out. The H-L wrought-iron hinges are variously supposed to stand for “Home and Love”, “Heavenly Love”, and “Holy Land”, but were probably functional in design. The larger wing contains all of the original woodwork and hardware; a fireplace in an upstairs room is framed by pictorial blue and white Dutch tiles. The kitchen wing has the original crane in the huge fireplace, and numerous utensils. What is said to be Washington’s campaign trunk lies in the upper hall. Built of wood, it is about 10 feet long with curved, sheet-iron top banded with iron straps and studded with rough-headed rivets." --- New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past, 1939, p. 551
Address
38 Washington Pl
Somerville, NJ 08876-2808
(908) 725-1015