|
About The Van Horne
House
History has taken many forms at the Van
Horne House over the past 300 years, reflecting Somerset
County's history. The house and its site has seen the
tracks of Native Americans, the development of early
settlements, the struggles of the American Revolution
and the growth of commerce and industry.
Indians considered the hill on which the present house
sits sacred. It overlooked the Naraticong Trail which
later became the Old York Road. The Indians sold the
land in 1681 to Thomas Codrington.
In 1735, the site was the location of the Janeway and
Broughton Store. John Broughton was Bridgewater's first
Town Clerk. Philip Van Horne, the house's most famous
and colorful owner, purchased the property 19 years
later and built his home there. He was a generous and
hospitable man who freely entertained both sides of
the American Revolution, so much so that a concerned
George Washington considered throwing him in a New Brunswick
jail for treason. Van Horne's welcoming nature earned
his home various nicknames: "Phil's Hill,"
"Phil's Hall" or "Convivial Hall."
During the Revolution, the house served as headquarters
for Generals Benjamin Lincoln and William Alexander
(Lord Stirling). In April 1777 at thr Battle of Bound
Brook, Lord Cornwallis' troops marched to the house
and skirmished with Patriot troops in hopes of capturing
Patriot officers staying at the Van Hornes, but without
any luck. General Benjamin Lincoln, who had been at
the house escaped into the hills, "clad only in
his breeches," according to one account.
From the Van Hornes, the house and property subsequently
became part of a milling business, a residence for down-in-their-luck
union members, and eventually was sold to Calco Chemical
Company. The house is listed on the National and New
Jersey Register of Historic Houses as a fine example
of Corporate Colonial Revival, a tribute to the renovations
done by Calco.
In 2002, The Heritage Trail Assocation moved its headquarters
location into the newly renovated Van Horne House and
completed entry of the home into the New Jersey Register
of Historic places the same year. Today the first floor
of the house is exhibit space, a gift shop and meeting
rooms (available for rent). The second floor is office
space. It is a fine example of adaptive re-use of an
historic building.
|
Van
Horne
Restoration Photos
(Click to Enlarge)
BEFORE
AFTER
|
)
)
)
)
)