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. The house is one of the best and most original examples of Georgian architecture in New Jersey.
Waymark Code: WM2MHB
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 11/20/2007
Views: 83
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
The Wallace House became a museum in 1898, and both the Wallace House and the Old Dutch Parsonage became state sites in 1948.
Street address:
38 Washington Place
Somerville, NJ Somerset
08873
County / Borough / Parish: Somerset
Year listed: 1970
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Person, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1750-1799
Historic function: Domestic
Current function: Recreation & Culture
Privately owned?: no
Hours of operation: From: 1:00 PM To: 4:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.