The Revolutionary Witness House Tour Was a Tremendous Success!
President’s Summary:
The 250th Anniversary of The Revolutionary War is almost upon us. To kick off the nationwide celebration, Saving Historic Moorestown, in partnership with The Historical Society of Moorestown, co-hosted a historic house tour of “Witness Houses” on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. A “Witness House” is a home that was standing during the Revolutionary War, and therefore witnessed it.
500 attendees purchased tickets online and then checked in on a damp day at a recreated Moore’s Tavern. Michael Gabriele; author of The Colonial Taverns of New Jersey, was on hand to sell his book and explain the important role that early taverns had in the creation of our nation. In September 1777 in a nearby tavern – the Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield, NJ – the legislature unanimously resolved that New Jersey was now a state – no longer just a colony; that thereafter, the word “state" should be substituted for “colony” in all public writs and commissions. Moore’s Tavern must have been an important place for our town to have taken its name (it was the town’s first tavern; built by Thomas Moore in 1734). Sadly, it was demolished long ago (in 1878).
I re-envisioned the tavern, and had it constructed from reclaimed wood. It was assembled at its original site – now the porch of The Bank of Princeton at Main and Union Streets. We sincerely thank Evelyn Stevenson, bank manager, for accommodating us on a regular banking day and for joining in the fun! Gary Ell, historian and Board of Trustees member of The Historical Society, dressed as Thomas Moore, tavern owner and namesake of Moorestown. He had the daunting task of checking everyone in!
At the tavern, tour-goers received a printed copy of a map showing the twelve participating historic “Witness House” sites which could be visited in any order. Eight sites allowed entry, and three were exterior grounds only.
This tour utilized the latest available technology! Volunteer Patricia Lyons collaborated with Hunter Betz, our webmaster, and Stephanie Herz, of the Historical Society archives, to craft the histories, spin the tales, and show the historic photos of each location. The completed stories were viewed by scanning QR codes that were engraved on metal arboretum tags and posted at the reception tables at each location.
Participating homeowners have the option of permanently installing these tags near the sidewalk so that passersby can scan the codes with their cell phone cameras. Linking to the stories at SavingHistoricMoorestown.org facilitates knowledge and appreciation of Moorestown’s historic homes and their Revolutionary Era significance.
The oldest standing home in town is The French-Hollinshead House (c. 1695) on Camden Avenue. Here visitors walked the grounds and were treated to a large oak case of metal detector finds discovered on site by Kevin Kramarski (the newest, and youngest-ever member, of the Historical Society Board of Trustees!). Kevin’s brawn was also greatly appreciated in the setting up and taking down of Moore’s Tavern! Thanks Kevin!
All of Moorestown’s Revolutionary sites are significant and we are extremely grateful to the homeowners who allowed us access to their homes. We also are tremendously grateful that they understand and appreciate the historic and cultural significance of their homes and are such wonderful custodians.
Of special note is the circa 1732 Cowperthwaite House. This home, said by the last local owner, a Cowperthwaite descendant, to have been constructed of ballast brick, sits at 85 Kings Highway and is currently owned by Goodman Properties of Jenkintown, PA. We were delighted that they allowed us access, and were even more delighted to see that the home, while unoccupied, is in satisfactory condition with many original features still intact.
The Hessian, Bispham, Richard Edwards, and Samuel Haines houses clustered on Main Street near Friends Meeting were all a joy to see. Being inside allowed each visitor to be magically transported back to the earliest days of our nation.
We are beyond fortunate that the Richard Edwards House (c.1783), is owned by the talented and knowledgeable home-building Canton Family! Pat and Paul Canton rescued this gem from generations of deferred maintenance, and have authentically restored and decorated it with period art, antiques and collections. One could spend days admiring and learning about them. Thanks also to Midge Ingersoll, former president of The Historical Society, for assisting Pat in decorating for the day and fall season.
Directly next to the Friends Meeting sits the Samuel Haines House (c.1756) that was recently rescued from a disastrous and incorrect house flipping situation. Some, but not all, original doors and windows were pulled from a dumpster by this home’s rescuers. Sadly many others had already been taken to the landfill. Rabia and Mohammed Khan thankfully knew that America’s oldest homes were built to last generations, and they purchased this nearly destroyed home and put her back together in a lovely way! Although many wrote this home off as lost; the proof is in the pudding as the saying goes!
There were many oohs and ahhs as curious visitors who had been so apprehensive about this home’s condition in the recent past; were delighted to see the spectacularly reimagined interior and beautiful rear garden.
Also included was The Commodore Truxtun/ Bispham/ Walton House (c. 1730). This house on The Marne Highway, across from Lockheed Martin, is where Commodore Thomas Truxtun (1755-1822) – perhaps Moorestown’s most notable resident – lived from 1812-1816. Commodore Truxtun was appointed to the then new Navy by George Washington! After performing bravely during The Revolutionary War and capturing 10 enemy ships Washington chose Captain Truxtun to supervise the construction of the Navy’s ships.
Truxtun also brought Benjamin Franklin home from Paris for the final time on a ship named The London Packet. When the ship arrived in Philadelphia, Franklin remarked that at just 38 days the journey was remarkably fast! Truxtun was a beloved and famous hero. He also mapped the Gulf Stream on that trip and is renowned for creating a standardized signal flag manual for the Navy that is still used today.
While we may have neglected the memory of our famous resident, the Navy has not. There have been six vessels named after Truxton and the current USS Truxtun is a destroyer that carries the AEGIS Combat System (created by the Lockheed Martin Corporation in Moorestown). The Navy still presents replicas of The Truxtun Bowl as important awards. This blue and white Chinese porcelain bowl features Truxtun’s 44-gun frigate the Constellation. Captain Thomas Truxtun commissioned this bowl in 1794 and gave one copy to President George Washington – that bowl is at Mount Vernon. The second he kept for himself; it now resides in the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, D.C.
We would love for this commercial property currently owned by Virtua, to be restored and preserved so that future generations can learn about Commodore Thomas Truxton and his importance to our nation. By good fortune, Midge Walton Holmes, the last resident of the home, has lent a large dollhouse that is a faithful reproduction of its appearance in the 1950s when it was still part of a large farm. From Midge we also have many photos of the house, farm and outbuildings. These could all be used to guide restoration efforts. Thanks Midge!
We were fortunate to have Jeff Macechak (Education Director at the Burlington County Historical Society) dress as an authentic Hessian Grenadier and walk from location to location throughout the day. Later in The Revolutionary War, Hessian soldiers would raid Moorestown to steal supplies. They briefly occupied many of the participating homes in June of 1778 including the Smith-Cadbury Mansion (c.1738) and The Hessian House (c.1735).
Friends Meeting offered authentic Colonial desserts from 5-7 PM and Colonial music was played by harpist Laura Dishong lending even more authenticity to the day! Of note, local Quakers boycotted sugar during Revolutionary times as a protest against slave labor. These desserts were crafted following this rule.
Please refer to the house histories to learn all about the twelve sites that participated. There are less than twenty Revolutionary Witness Houses left standing in Moorestown and each and every one is vital to the story of the birth of our town, state, and nation.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Gina Zegel who designed and coordinated all advertising and print media, our incredible business partners, the research and planning teams, the homeowners and many, many volunteer docents who made the tour seamless!
Thanks to everyone on the Saving Historic Moorestown and Historical Society of Moorestown Boards of Trustees. Your commitment enriches our community by highlighting and celebrating our cultural heritage and historic landmarks!
Julie Maravich
