NJ Historic Preservation Plan Historic Context 7

Initial Colonial Settlement

1630-1775

By Michael Swanda

Office of New Jersey Heritage

May 1991

eBook layout by the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office

(formerly ONJH)

Republished 2024

NJ Historic Preservation Office

Community Investment & Economic Revitalization, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

dep.nj.gov/hpo

Mail Code 501-04B, NJ Historic Preservation Office, P.O. Box 420, Trenton, New Jersey 08625-0420

The activity that is the subject of this project has been financed in part with funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior. This program receives Federal financial assistance for identification and protection of historic properties. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or disability in its federally assisted programs. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to: Office of Equal Opportunity, National Park Service, 1849 C Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240.

Table of Contents

Overview 1

European Settlers 1

East and West New Jersey 1

East Jersey

West Jersey

Agriculture 2

Villages 2

Industry 2

Cultural Identity 4

Selected Bibliography 5

Goals and Priorities 6

Selected Properties 7

Figures and Maps

Map 1 iv

Initial European Settlements (Credit: NJHPO)

Map 2 3

New Jersey Settlement 1665-1765 (Credit: E.W. Roberts 1969)

Map 1

Initial European Settlements (Credit: NJHPO)

Overview

European Settlers

New Jersey was settled in the 17th and 18th centuries by a diverse group of Europeans and colonial Americans. Dutch settlement, beginning as early as the 1630s, was initially shaped by West India Company’s desire to augment the commercial fur trade centered in New Amsterdam (Manhattan). Sporadic occupation west of the Hudson River was hindered by often violent Lenape Indian resistance and delayed the establishment of the first permanent European settlement in New Jersey at Bergen (Jersey City) until 1660. In the 1640s, Sweden made its first and only attempt at American settlement in the southern Delaware River Valley with the establishment of primary settlements in Delaware and Pennsylvania. In New Jersey, a handful of Swedish soldiers garrisoned Fort Elfsborg in 1641 and were soon followed by a few Swedish and Finnish settlers dispersed along the eastern bank of the Delaware River and Bay.

East and West New Jersey

The provinces of East and West New Jersey were established under English rule in 1664. Provincial proprietors encouraged immigration into the State by offering an unusually high degree of social and religious freedoms secured in the documents of Concessions and Agreements. Different patterns of settlement soon developed, with each province establishing a separate government with its own governor and legislature.

East Jersey

In East Jersey, a relatively large number of New Englanders rapidly settled areas south of Bergen, including Essex, Union, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties; while regions in Bergen, Passaic and Hudson Counties continued to attract people of Dutch, Flemish, German and Scandinavian decent. In the 1680s, Dutch farmers from Long Island inhabited northern Monmouth County, Somerset County and the Raritan Valley.

Scottish immigrants settled the provincial port capital of Perth Amboy in 1683 and rapidly occupied portions of Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset counties. By the early 1700s, Pennsylvanians of German and Scotch-Irish descent were beginning to move into the northwestern counties of New Jersey. A substantial number of Africans, transported primarily from the Caribbean, were purchased by many New Jersey settlers as slaves.

The settlement of East Jersey resulted in religious and ethnic clustering of communities. Early communities were frequently designed similar to older New England street patterns and were often dominated by a single religious group. Examples include

The Puritan communities of Newark and Elizabethtown;

The Baptist settlements of Middletown and Piscataway;

The Quaker community of Shrewsbury; and

The early Dutch Reformed town of Bergen.

West Jersey

Contrary to the cultural and religious diversification exhibited by new settlements in East Jersey, the province of West Jersey was populated primarily by Quakers of English and Irish origins. Although small numbers of Dutch, Swedes, Finns, New Englanders and others were also present, the province would exhibit essentially Quaker social, cultural and religious values well into the 18th century.

The earliest permanent settlements in West Jersey were established in the 1670s at Salem (Salem County) and on the Cohansey River at Greenwich (Cumberland County).

Although these villages were initially linear in plan, a general pattern of dispersed settlement prevailed in the province. The Delaware River port of Burlington was organized in 1677 as the administrative center of government, while a considerable amount of individual farmsteads were established along a relatively narrow corridor adjacent to the Delaware River from Trenton south to the Delaware Bay.

Agriculture

The intensity of settlement did not substantially subside until the middle of the 18th century and eventually spread throughout all but the most marginal agricultural areas of the state by the end of this historic period.

Although early settlers eventually included merchants, craftsman, fisherman, tavern keepers, millers, iron miners, lumberman and others, the vast majority of people moving into New Jersey at this time were farmers. Dispersed farmsteads, surrounded by dense woodlands, were initially situated in prime agricultural areas adjacent to navigable waterways and were often connected by a network of preexisting Indian trails.

Increased demand for over-land routes resulted in the development of colonial roadways, such as

The Upper Road, an important cross-state road linking the fall lines of the Raritan and Delaware Rivers; and

The Old York Road,

King’s Highway, and

Lawrie’s Road.

Settlers used local resources and quickly adapted to their new surroundings. Homes, barns and agricultural out-buildings were constructed according to traditional plans and values which are recognized today as “vernacular” or “folk.” Regional availability of building material, such as native stone, timber and clay for fired brick, is exhibited within a variety of recognizable vernacular styles primarily associated with Dutch, English and German designs.

Farmers produced a variety of crops, including oats and barley; and grains were often supplemented by vegetables, fruit and livestock. Oriented to a market economy from the outset, farmers initially grew wheat as a major cash crop for export to markets in the growing communities of New York and Philadelphia.

Villages

The establishment of small villages furnished needed services and local markets for agricultural produce while often becoming the centers for social, religious and local government activities.

Scotch and Scotch-Irish Presbyterians; German and Swedish Lutherans; and other religious groups previously mentioned all formed and maintained successful congregations. Urban residential, commercial and religious buildings were constructed along village main streets in the popular architectural styles of the period, including formal Georgian styles and the more common vernacular forms. The Philadelphia region significantly influenced the introduction of formal architectural styles into New Jersey north along the Delaware Valley through the Trenton to New Brunswick corridor.

Industry

Traditional crafts and rural industry, such as saw, grist and fulling mills, blacksmith/wheelwright shops, rural potteries, and iron production had a dramatic impact in the development of settlement in New Jersey during this historic period and is discussed in Historic Context #8: Early Industrialization, Urbanization, and Agricultural Development, 1670-1850.

Map 2

New Jersey Settlement 1665-1765 (Credit: E.W. Roberts 1969)

Cultural Identity

An important hallmark of this historic period was the ability of most ethnic groups to successfully retain their cultural identity. Distinctive cultural traits such as religious beliefs, social organization, arts and crafts, architectural traditions and possibly native languages were often maintained. A number of residential, commercial, agricultural and religious properties representing these diverse cultural traditions still survive in the form of buildings, structures, landscapes and archaeological sites.

Properties from this period will seldom retain all their original physical features or characteristics. Throughout the state, properties associated with this period are relatively rare and, consequently, justify acceptance of some alterations and changes provided enough of the property survives to visually convey its historical association. In addition, it must be remembered that the existence of potentially significant archaeological deposits associated with each Context #7 property type is considerable.

Selected Bibliography

Acrelius, Israel. A History of New Sweden. Philadelphia: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1874.

Board of General Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey. The Minutes of the Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey. 1685-1764. 3 vols. Perth Amboy: The Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey, 1949-1960.

Briggs, Charles A. American Presbyterianism: Its Origin and Early History. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1885.

Cooley, Henry S. A Study of Slavery in New Jersey. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1896.

Craven, Wesley Frank. New Jersey and the English Colonization of North America. Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964.

Cross, Dorothy et al. Archaeology of New Jersey. 2 vols. Trenton: The Archaeological Society of New Jersey and The New Jersey State Museum, 1941 and 1956.

Danckaerts, Jasper. Journal of a Voyage to New York. and a Tour in Several of the American Colonies in 1679-80. Brooklyn: The Long Island Historical Society, 1867.

Fenwick’s Colony. Salem: Salem County Tercentenary Committee, 1964.

Halsey, Francis W. (ed.). A Tour of Four Great Rivers, the Hudson, Mohawk, Susquehanna and Delaware in 1769; Being the Journal of Richard Smith of Burlington, New Jersey. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1906.

Jamison, Wallace N. Religion in New Jersey: A Brief History. Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964.

Lane, Wheaton J. From Indian Trail to Iron Horse: Travel and Transportation in New Jersey. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1939.

Leiby, Adrian C. The Early Dutch and Swedish Settlers of New Jersey. Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964.

McCormick, Richard P. New Jersey from Colony to State. 1609-1789. Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Company, 1964.

Pomfret, John E. The New Jersey Proprietors and Their Lands. Princeton: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964.

Snyder, John P. The Mapping of New Jersey. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1973.

Wacker, Peter O. Land & People, a Cultural Geography of Preindustrial New Jersey: Origins and Settlement Patterns. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1975.

Weslager, Clinton A. and A. R. Dunlap. Dutch Explorers, Traders, and Settlers in the Delaware Valley, 1609-1664. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1961.

Wright, Giles R. Afro-Americans in New Jersey: A Short History. Trenton: New Jersey Historical Commission, Department of State, 1988.

Goals and Priorities

Associated with Context #7

All property types associated with this context are relatively rare and face serious long-term threats to their preservation. Therefore, ONJH places high priority on the identification, evaluation, registration and protection of all Initial Colonial Settlement Context properties.

Efforts to complete the comprehensive county-wide surveys, especially in rural areas of the State, are continuing through the ONJH Subgrant program and certified Local Governments (CLGs) are encouraged to address the management of Context #7 properties within their own communities. Documentation projects concerning specific Context #7 property types have been identified and hope to be initiated in the near future. They include the following:

1.Document and register a representative selection of all traditional vernacular and formal building types of this historic period through a multiple property nomination format. At minimum, future nominations should include the following:

A.Patterned-brick houses: paying close attention to Salem, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer and Burlington County examples. The current list for Salem County suggests that only seven out of 27 or more patterned brick houses identified in 1976 are on the Register today.

B.Pre-1750 frame buildings: such as the New England influenced dwellings in Cape May County and examples of the “East Jersey Cottage.”

C.Dutch Barns: 40 surviving statewide is the estimate. Few are listed on the Register and most are probably eligible.

D.Log Buildings: An unknown number survive, probably fewer than 60. Log buildings were built during this historic context by Swedish/Finnish settlers before 1750, by German settlers after 1720, and by frontier settlers of other groups, especially in northwestern New Jersey.

2.Document Religious Properties. Encourage the registration of 18th century religious facilities located across the entire State.

3.Identify and register Context #7 properties listed in the Historic American Buildings Survey of New Jersey Catalog.

4.Identify and register archaeological sites associated with Context #7.

Selected Properties

Associated with Context #7 and Categorized by Property Type

1.Residential

Includes English, Dutch and German vernacular, as well as high style Georgian examples. Residential examples are uncommon but do represent the largest existing property category from this historic period.

A.Dr. Robinson House — 1680s, Clark, Union County (English vernacular frame house)

B.Banta-Coe House — c.1706, Teaneck, Bergen County (Dutch vernacular stone house)

C.Isaac Watson House — 1708, Hamilton, Mercer County (English vernacular stone house w/cruck roof).

D.Trent House — c.1719, Trenton, Mercer County (Georgian style brick house).

E.Symen Van Wickle House — early 18th century, Franklin Township, Somerset County (Dutch frame house).

F.Boxwood Hall — c.1750, Elizabeth, Union County (Central hall frame house).

2.Agricultural

Property types in this category are associated with agriculture and include vernacular and Georgian houses, outbuildings and rural landscapes. Agricultural outbuildings from this time period, such as barns, smokehouses, and hay barracks are extremely rare and documentation is critical.

A.Abel Nicholson House — 1722, Elsinboro Township, Salem County. (English brick farmhouse exhibiting patterned design)

B.John Reading House & Barn — c.1760, Raritan Township, Hunterdon County.

3.Commercial

Includes taverns, stagecoach houses, general stores, etc. These property types are considered extremely rare.

A.Hillman Hospital House/Gabriel Davis Tavern — c.1756, Gloucester Township, Camden County.

B.Van Campen Inn — c.1750, Old Mine Road Historic District, Walpack Township, Sussex County.

C.Benjamin Cooper Ferry & Tavern — c.1734, Camden, Camden County.

4.Religious

Churches and cemeteries are the primary examples in this category and are considered rare property types for this time period.

A.Old Tennent Church — Monmouth Battlefield, Manalapan Township, Monmouth County.

B.Woodbury Friends Meetinghouse — 1715, Woodbury, Gloucester County.

5.Institutional/Government

Includes extremely rare examples, such as courthouses and schoolhouses.

A.Sussex County Courthouse — 1761 (remodeled 1847), Newton, Sussex County.

B.Perth Amboy City Hall — 18th century, Perth Amboy, Middlesex County.

C.Mount Holly Schoolhouse — 1759, Mount Holly, Burlington County.

6.Military

A relatively few number of buildings, structures and sites have been identified for this category. These include examples such as barracks, fortifications, encampments, shipwrecks, and lighthouses and are considered extremely rare property types.

A.The Old Barracks — c.1758, Trenton, Mercer County.

7.Transportation

This category includes examples such as stone bridges, original & intact roadways, shipwrecks, ferry sites, and piers. Property types related to transportation during this historic period are considered rare.

A.Old Mine Road — Sussex & Warren Counties.

8.Villages, Streetscapes or Agricultural Areas

Property types associated with this category are relatively large and extensive and include residential, commercial, and rural historic districts. Examples with good integrity are rare.

A.Hope Historic District — Hope Township, Warren County.

B.Van Syckel Corner Historic District — Union Township, Hunterdon County.

C.Greenwich Historic District — Greenwich Township, Cumberland County.