A Walking Tour — 1683 Society

WILLIAM H. McCORMICK HOUSE. 229 High Street. 1892-95.
"When built, reported to be a 'palatial residence' that surpassed any previously erected in Perth Amboy. House and grounds were said to cost a total of $15,000. Designed by Newark architect Henry J. King the house is Queen Anne in its basic asymmetry and use of contrasting materials, while showing evidence of the emerging Colonial Revival style and anticipation of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prarie style."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

GOVERNOR MORGAN F. LARSON HOUSE. 225 High Street. 1922 with earlier elements.
"A handsome neo-Georgian brick residence built by the only Perth Amboy native to be elected governor of New Jersey (1928). Remarkably, the present house was constructed around the existing skeleton of a much older brick house, begun c. 1760 by Andrew Johnston (1694-1762), son of Dr. John Johnstone (d. 1732), a druggist from Edinburgh, Scotland, who arrived here in 1685. Like his eminent father, he held numerous offices, including Mayor of Perth Amboy, member of the Governor's Council, Speaker of the Assembly, Treasurer and President of the East Jersey Board of Proprietors. The oak framing of the interior walls and floors may actually have been salvaged from an even earlier structure, the official residence of the proprietary governors (1684), sometimes referred to as 'Edinborough Castle,' a U-shaped stone building faced with brick which stood just behind the existing house."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

MERRITT-PECK HOUSE. 213 High Street. c. 1854.
"George Merritt, a wealthy businessman and editor-publisher of the Perth Amboy Journal, who resided at what is now 225 High Street, built this gable-fronted brick house in the Greek Revival tradition for his daughter. Later additions on either side have not diminished its simple dignity. The house was originally surrounded by a delicate latticed porch and landscaped gardens. When the Presbyterian congregation sold its first parsonage in 1869 to raise money for repairs to the church, the incoming minister, Aaron Peck, and his wife bought the house and made it their residence. Rev. Peck served as the first president of the Perth Amboy Board of Education (1870-1875)."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

CAPTAIN JOSEPH W. PALMER HOUSE. 49 Gordon Street. 1844 and c. 1870. (on left)
"Immensely popular in the years after the Civil War, the mansard or 'French' roof was frequently used to add a habitable extra story to earlier dwellings, in this case topping a former Greek Revival style house.”

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

PROVINCIAL RECORDS OFFICE. 53-55 Gordon Street. 1761. (on right)
"Originally one story high with a hip roof, this important colonial public building served as a general store and St. Peter's Sunday School before being enlarged and converted to a private residence in 1856. The modern cement stucco finish conceals original Flemish bond brickwork with quoins and pilaster strips. Moved back from High Street after 1901."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

SOUTH R. FARRINGTON HOUSE. 177 High Street. (on right, and its sister, 173 High St., on left) 1894.
"One of a pair of nearly identical Queen Anne houses featuring immense gable lunettes and domed towers."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

CHARLES D. SNEDEKER HOUSE. 151 High Street. 1904.
"Impeccably restored, this impressively sited Colonial Revival house, built by a prominent local banker and businessman, has a semi-circular entrance porch and side 'piazzas. For many years this was the residence of David T. Wilentz (1894-1988), Attorney General of New Jersey and chief prosecutor at the 1935 Lindbergh kidnapping trial."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

JOHN W. BEEKMAN HOUSE. 144 High Street. 1889.

"With its tight massing, textured shingle siding, tower-like bay, and strip windows, this sophisticated medium-sized house, built for a prominent attorney and district court judge, fully captures the spirit of the Shingle style, which vied with the more popular Queen Anne between 1880 and 1900. Note the handsome Jacobean brick chimney stack with deep inset panels."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

JAMES S. WIGHT HOUSE. 142 High Street. 1883.
"The best preserved Queen Anne house on a street which once showcased the style, this impressive example of Eastlake eclecticism features a square corner tower with an unusually early Colonial Revival entrance at its base, elaborate applied jigsaw decoration, and a lattice porch screen. Built by a prominent attorney who became City Clerk in 1891 and, later, City Attorney. He also owned a number of steam freighters and barges."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

FRANZ ROESSLER HOUSE. 89 High Street. 1890.
"With its many gables, varied surface treatment, turned corner posts and irregular fenestration, this sprawling frame house is typical of the late Victorian taste for eclectic forms and decoration. Built for a highly successful industrial chemist who emigrated to Perth Amboy from Germany in 1882."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

D. JOHNSON HOUSE. 72 High Street. 1840.
"Dwarfed by its outsized modern porch, this diminutive vernacular house is one of the few remaining examples of a type once common in Perth Amboy. It originally stood on the corner. Possibly built by Jeremiah Johnson, an oysterman."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

SMITH MARTIN HOUSE. 66 High Street. 1822 and later.
"The earliest known occupant of this house was Smith Martin (1795 1862), a ship's carpenter who went into the oyster business, pickling the shellfish for transport to the West in sealed stoneware jars. He later leased and operated the ferry to South Amboy and also ran the famous Long Ferry Tavern (1684), Perth Amboy's oldest hostelry, which stood across the street until it burned down in 1867. The picture window and side entrance are relatively recent modifications."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

WILLIAM GARRETSON HOUSE. 58 High Street. 1926.
"A charming Tudor style cottage built by a World War I flier who established Perth Amboy's first airfield in 1919."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

NOE HOUSE. 61-63 Water Street. 1872.
"Iron cresting and an unusual ogee roofline distinguish this immense mansard double house, built by a prosperous family of oystermen."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

THOMAS J. ENGLISH HOUSE. 1 Lewis Street. 1847 and later.
(PLEASE NOTE: This house has been substantially altered after a recent sale and the elements mentioned here have since been removed. The original framing does exist, however, under the modern stucco.)
"The earliest portion of this charming frame house faces Lewis Street, described in the original deed as 'a new street.' It still retains its original siding, sash, and green-painted louvered shutters. Between 1884 and 1928 this was the summer cottage of the Beekman family of New York."

SITE OF THE TRUXTON HOUSE. 129 Water Street.
"The site of an important early house, probably built around 1710 by John Hamilton, Deputy Postmaster General of America, and later occupied by Commodore Thomas Truxton, a naval hero in the undeclared war with France (1798-1800). Truxton, who called his home 'Pleasant View,' entertained Vice President Aaron Burr here in 1804, shortly after Burr's fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton. In 1807 the house was sold to Captain Jacob Lewis, who distinguished himself in the War of 1812, and later as a diplomat. His most famous guest was Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte, the exiled King of Naples and Spain, who stayed here briefly in 1815. Demolished in 1935 to make way for the present neocolonial."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

FRANCIS N. GOVE HOUSE. 141 Water Street. 1873.
"A picturesque Gothic Revival wood-frame villa featuring an unusual clipped gable or 'jerkin-head' roof, decorative vergeboards on all gables, prominent roof finials, and drip molds over the windows. The classical veranda replaces an original Gothic-style porch of more modest proportions. Otherwise, this fine Victorian house is in a near-perfect state of preservation."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

E. B. GREISON HOUSE. 168 Water Street. 1867.
"The near twin of its next-door neighbor, this pavilion-fronted Italianate dwelling was built by a local businessman who operated a large machine shop at Front and Commerce Streets which specialized in manufacturing steel safes and marine engines."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)
(Note: the "near twin" building mentioned here no longer exists)

JOHN LAWRENCE BOGGS HOUSE. 188 Water Street. 1859.
"A dignified brick Gothic Revival house in the style of architect A. J. Downing, built by the Collector of Customs in Perth Amboy during the Lincoln administration. It features a steep central gable with a pointed-arch window and 'carpenter's lace' vergeboards. As in many old Perth Amboy houses, the original kitchen is located in the basement. The porch, which dates from around 1910, replaces a small stoop framing the entrance."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

OLD ST. PETER'S RECTORY. 222 Water Street. 1815.

"A gambrel-roofed Federal house in an admirable state of preservation despite its aluminum cladding. The unusual polygonal bay on the south end is described in the specifications outlined in the vestry minutes. Note also the original leaded fanlight over the front door. The recent [sic] removal of the original six-over-six sash, with their hand-blown glass panes, is to be regretted. The fine bracketed porch is a Victorian addition. Moved here from 222 Rector Street in 1914 after housing eight rectors over the span of a century."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

GEORGE WILLOCKS HOUSE. 228 Water Street. c. 1720.
"Enlarged and altered beyond recognition, the original 11/2-story brick house still existing at the core of the present structure is Perth Amboy's oldest dwelling and of great historical significance. It was built about 1720, and possibly as early as 1715, by George Willocks, an East Jersey proprietor (he arrived here from Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1684) and a major - often controversial - figure in colonial affairs until his death in 1729.
A fire in 1999 provided the opportunity to examine most of the surviving original fabric, which proved to be far more extensive than previously thought. Hand-hewn chestnut beams, floor boards, even riven ceiling lath, remained intact beneath later surfaces. Original window and fireplace locations could all be traced in the brickwork. An inventory of the contents of the house made shortly after Willocks' death lists the furnishings in several rooms, including the basement kitchen. More than 700 books are listed individually, comprising what was certainly the largest library in New Jersey at the time. Willocks left the bulk of his estate, including 'my brick house,' to his nephew George Willocks Leslie, who emigrated from Scotland to New Jersey to take possession of his inheritance. Later owners during the colonial period included William Bryant (d. 1772), a sea captain who sailed merchant vessels between New York and London, and Alexander Watson, nephew and heir of John Watson, New Jersey's first known portrait painter, whose house and studio were located across the street."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

DAVID T. WOOD HOUSE. 272 Water Street. 1831.
"A vernacular Federal tradesman's cottage built by the Perth Amboy Manufacturing Company, an early land development corporation. The present roofline is the result of later remodeling, Occupied for many years by Abraham Slaight, a blacksmith who operated a forge on Front Street."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

DAVID CROWELL HOUSE. 271 Front Street. 1834 or earlier.

"This vernacular Federal house-shop remained in largely original condition until the early 1990s, when it fell victim to an ill-conceived modernization. The sole 'survivor' of a row of wooden houses originally occupied by oystermen and ship chandlers."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

(Note: No longer 'surviving', the structure was demolished after the publication of the walking guide. The original fieldstone foundations were revealed, but have since been removed.)

NEW JERSEY NAVAL MILITIA ARMORY. 200 Front Street. 1929; 1941.

"Dominating this stretch of the waterfront, this impressive brick structure of neo-Georgian design was built as the headquarters of the sea-going arm of the old state militia. Although most coastal states established naval militias prior to the formation of the U. S. Naval Reserve in 1914, New Jersey was one of the few to actually build a naval armory. Governor Morgan Larson, a Perth Amboy native, was instrumental in securing this facility for his hometown. It originally housed offices, classrooms, rifle range, and an immense drill hall. An extension containing officers' quarters was built in 1941, at which time the Naval Militia was consolidated with the Reserve. The Armory was rehabilitated as a restaurant and banquet facility in 1986 after many years of disuse."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

CAPTAIN CORNELIUS WHITE HOUSE. 39 Gordon Street. 1856.
"A Gothic Revival house of immense proportions, built for Cornelius White (1819-1903), owner and operator of the first steamboat to run regularly between Perth Amboy and New York and co-founder of the New Jersey Pilots' Association. In 1859, while sailing from Boston to Perth Amboy, his vessel went down in a sudden storm with the loss of all on board except for the Captain and a single member of the crew. The impressive veranda and porte-cochere, partly made of terra cotta, were added after 1903, when the house served briefly as a private school."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

ST. PETER'S RECTORY. 222 Rector Street. 1914.
"Although no longer used as such, this was the third building to serve as rectory since the 1720s. The so-called Tudor style is loosely based on a variety of late medieval English prototypes, ranging from rustic cottages to grand manor houses. An early example of the style, notable for its unusual tile roof, the building reflects the Anglican roots of the parish."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

OLD PRESBYTERIAN PARSONAGE. 235 Rector Street. 1809.
A significant Federal-era survival, despite extensive exterior remodeling. The 'catslide' roof at the rear covers the original kitchen. When first built, the house stood directly on the narrow street, formerly known as Cross Street or Skinner's Lane. Solomon Andrews, the inventor, lived here when his father served as pastor (1816-29).
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

HYMAN RIPPEN HOUSE. 36 Market Street. 1907.
"A house of rich effects, still perfectly painted with white trim highlighting every complexity of form as it was clearly intended to do. The house has some very fine stained glass windows. The Rippen or Rippenbein brothers manufactured tobacco products in Perth Amboy."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

THOMAS G. MARSH HOUSE. 265 Rector Street. 1841.
"Built by a wealthy merchant and ship owner involved in trade with southern ports, this impressive three-story Greek Revival residence was once considered the finest in the city. The square porch pillars replace original fluted Doric columns."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

GARRETSON FUNERAL PARLOR. 285 High Street. c. 1905.

"By the 1880s European craftsmen employed by the local terra cotta industry were turning out architectural ornament of the highest quality for use on churches, residences and commercial structures of all types. White glazed terra cotta of the type employed on this façade, because it had a tendency to chip, is seldom seen today."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

JENNIE AND JACOB MARTIN SHOP. 287 High Street. 1872.
"A delightful mansard-roofed brick shop, originally a confectioner's, with two floors of living space above. The building next door (c. 1865), a 3-story commercial-residential block with a hip roof and heavy modillioned cornice, originally had an elaborate cast-iron balcony extending around the second floor."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

SITE OF THE KING'S ARMS TAVERN. Corner Smith and High Streets. Before 1743.
"The site of Perth Amboy's foremost hostelry before and after the Revolution, when it was renamed the City Tavern.' Portions of the original 2 1/2-story building survived until 1969, when a fire destroyed its final incarnation, the Hotel Packer. During 'public times,' when the courts were in session, the tavern was the center of social, political and business activity."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

SOLOMON ANDREWS HOUSE. 369 High Street. c. 1832.
"A good candidate for restoration, this gambrel-roofed Federal house features original dormers and a front foundation wall of brownstone ashlar. Between 1842 and 1860 this was the home of Solomon Andrews (1806-1872), one of the most remarkable figures in the history of Perth Amboy. A trained physician and druggist, he was above all an inventor of genius, obtaining numerous patents, including one for a tamper-proof padlock, which he sold to the U.S. Post Office in 1842. He later set up a lock factory and 'Inventors Institute' in the old British barracks, a few blocks from his home. It was here that he built the world's first navigable airship, the unpowered dirigible Aereon,' which he first flew over Perth Amboy on June 1, 1863. Like a character out of Jules Verne, he proposed building a fleet of airships to observe enemy troop movements during the Civil War and establishing regular mail and passenger service between New York and Philadelphia, but government approval and adequate financing for these projects never materialized. In addition to his many other endeavors, Andrews was three times elected Mayor of Perth Amboy, constructed the city's first sewer system, and served as Public Health Officer in 1870."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. Corner Center and Mechanic Streets. 1903-05.

"Founded by Irish immigrants in 1842, St. Mary's was one of the earliest Catholic parishes in New Jersey. A 'neat brick church' was built on Center Street in 1844. The present granite and limestone neo-Gothic edifice is the work of Jeremiah O'Rourke, best known as the architect of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark. The main façade, with its huge rose window and immense corner tower, achieves an awesome effect, somewhat diminished by the recent loss of the tower's four massive stone pinnacles following a lightning strike that sent one crashing through the roof."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

ST. MARY'S [ELEMENTARY] SCHOOL. 103 Center Street. 1882.

"An ebullient example of Victorian Renaissance Revival, featuring fancy polychrome brickwork (a bit dulled by soot) and very fine terra cotta relief panels in several designs."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

ST. MARY'S RECTORY. 104 Center Street. 1899.
"With its massive stonework and simple, heavy detailing, this three-story, gable-fronted town house seems to have anticipated the robust design of the church."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

PUBLIC SCHOOL NO. 1 (now the Thomas Mundy Peterson Elementary School). 274 State Street. 1871; 1905.

"The Italianate Style was still in full swing after the Civil War when Perth Amboy built its first public school building. Arched windows and a low hip roof with wide overhanging eaves supported by heavy brackets are trademarks of the style. Thomas Mundy Peterson, the first African-American voter under the 15th Amendment, worked here as custodian from 1871 to 1877."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

PERTH AMBOY HIGH SCHOOL (now the William C. McGinnis Middle School). 271 State Street. 1899.

"This collegiate looking brick building of neo-Jacobean design features multiple coping gables and terra cotta detailing. Beautifully restored, it stands on the site of the town's first burial place (1684). The old Middlesex County Jail stood nearby, on the corner of State and Market Streets from 1767 until 1826. Richard Stockton of Princeton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, was confined here in December 1776 after being taken prisoner by he Loyalists."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

THOMAS BARTOW HOUSE. 83-85 Market Street. c. 1730 and later.
"The home of a prominent early citizen, now sadly altered. William Dunlap (1766-1839), the playwright and art historian, received informal instruction in art and literature from the elderly Bartow during boyhood visits here. Moved back from Market Square in 1922 to make way for the Second Baptist Church, at which time it was turned around, shorn of its original shingle siding, and converted to a two family residence."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

CHARLES KEEN HOUSE. 266 High Street. 1845.
"Formerly a fine, high-style Greek Revival brick house (with a later flat-roofed addition), now encased in cement stucco with 'zero maintenance' moldings and vinyl-clad entrance replacing original work in wood."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 1902.

"Built of West Jersey granite on the site of an 1802 frame church, this unusually expressive example of the later Gothic Revival, with its stepped crenellation and tall narrow lancets, is the work of A. F. Leicht, a prolific New York architect who designed churches for several New Jersey cities."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

FORMER PRESBYTERIAN MANSE. 236 High Street. 1887.
"A partially embedded mansard with a bull's-eye window forms part of the picturesque massing of this medium-sized Victorian home, sold by the church in 1901. The porch is not original."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

MARKET SQUARE. 1684.

"Writing from London in January 1684, the East Jersey Proprietors reminded Deputy Governor Gawen Lawrie 'that as soon as can be, weekly Markets and Faires at fit seasons be appointed at Perth Towne.' For this purpose, Lawrie laid out an ample square, 330 feet on a side, at the intersection of the town's two principal streets. Originally, vendors sold their produce in the open air. It was not until the early 1740s that the City erected a permanent structure in the center of the square. The Market House, a brick shed 100 feet long, stood in part until 1842, when it was razed to make way for the present oval park. Its south portal was reconstructed in 1989. The public stocks, used for the punishment of malefactors, stood a few feet south of the Market House until 1827. The commanding statue of General George Washington, the work of local sculptor Nels Alling, was the gift of the city's Danish community in 1896."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

SIMPSON METHODIST CHURCH. Corner High and Jefferson Streets. 1866.

"Monumental scale and simplicity of design make this one of Perth Amboy's most imposing religious edifices. When the town clock was installed in the flat-topped Italianate tower in 1869, it was the tallest structure in the city. An original drawing by New York architect Charles Graham, who supplied similar designs for a number of New Jersey churches, shows that he intended to cap the tower with a soaring spire. The worship room on the upper level is entirely sheathed in cedar and other woods. The Sunday School entrance on Jefferson Street is an outstanding Queen Anne design dating from 1885."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Follow this link for more information about this site:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvqhRmGRniY&t=155s

PERTH AMBOY-TOTTENVILLE FERRY SLIP. Foot of Smith Street.

"For exactly one hundred years (1863-1963) the site of regular ferry service between Perth Amboy and Staten Island. What you see today is essentially a 1990s reconstruction, using as much original material as possible, of the facility as it existed during its heyday in the early 1900s. The large wooden shed (1904) originally housed a drawbridge which could be raised and lowered with the tides. The bracketed ticket office, with vertical board-and-batten siding, was built by the Staten Island Railroad Company after it signed a 20-year lease for the slip with the City in 1867.

In the 1700s the ferry to Staten Island was located at the foot of South Dock Street, now Fayette Street. The current ferry slip was then the site of the Town or Public Wharf, the oldest and most important of several wharves which jutted out into the Arthur Kill in colonial times."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For more information on this site please visit us at:

https://www.1683society.org/ferry-slip

SURVEYOR GENERAL'S OFFICE, 1852-54.
"Romanesque corbel tables and a classic Greek Revival doorway are combined in this solid-looking, fireproof brick repository, built to house the records of the Board of Proprietors of East New Jersey. Francis W. Brinley, Registrar and Surveyor General, obtained a $1,000 grant for its erection from the state legislature, although the final cost ran to $1,301.75, including $200 for the lot. Nicholas Lipurger, 'master builder,' supervised the construction. The Board met here twice annually.
When the proprietors of East and West Jersey jointly surrendered the right of government to the Crown in 1702, they retained the right to dispose of all lands still in their hands under the original royal grant, or for which no clear title existed. This prerogative, which survived the Revolution unimpeded, actually kept the East Jersey Board in business until 1998, when it finally voted itself out of existence. Its extensive archives, including thousands of surveys, some dating as far back as the 17th century, were donated to the State Archives. The vacated office, little changed since the day it opened, was given to the City of Perth Amboy and has been restored for use as a historical museum."
(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For more information on this site please visit us at:
https://www.1683society.org/new-page-69

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CITY HALL. 1714-17; 1766-67; 1872 and later.

"Long painted white to conceal the scars of two fires and numerous rebuildings, Perth Amboy City Hall is the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States. It actually antedates the city's incorporation by several years, having been originally erected as the Middlesex County Courthouse, a function it continued to serve until the county seat was moved to New Brunswick in 1793. Prior to 1790, the City Hall or Court House also served as New Jersey's colonial and state capitol, the legislature meeting here and in Burlington, the West Jersey capital, in alternate years. It was here on November 20, 1789, that New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights. Another milestone event in the history of American freedom took place in City Hall on March 31, 1870, when Thomas Mundy Peterson cast his ballot in a municipal referendum, making him the first African-American voter under the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The spatial requirements of a burgeoning municipal bureaucracy long ago surpassed the needs of 18th-century government. Beginning with an extensive 1872 remodeling which replaced the colonial-era gable roof and cupola with the present mansard, additions to the north and east have greatly enlarged the original two-story, five-bay brick structure. The great elm tree in front of the building, planted about 1843, is the oldest elm in New Jersey and is listed as one of the noteworthy trees of the state."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For more information on this site please visit us at:

https://www.1683society.org/city-hall-1

ST. PETER'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH. Corner Rector and Gordon Streets. 1852 and later. Churchyard 1722.

"Organized in 1698, St. Peter's is the oldest Episcopal parish in New Jersey. The first church on this site, a 'well compacted Building of Stone and Brick,' was begun in 1719 on land donated by three prominent citizens. It was replaced in 1852 by the present edifice, which was designed by local brick manufacturer and architect Alfred Hall. An outstanding example of Gothic Revival architecture, its picturesque aspect is somewhat spoiled by an incongruous modern vestibule. The brickwork was originally whitewashed in keeping with contemporary taste.

Inserted in the east end of the 1905 chancel extension is a piece of cut brownstone, probably part of a broken lintel, bearing the date 1685. Long thought to have been brought from the old court house on lower High Street, where the first church services were held, it was more likely salvaged along with other materials from the ruins of David Mudie's 'Great Stone House,' which occupied this site from 1685 until its destruction, probably by fire, sometime before 1718.

The beautiful interior, remodeled several times, contains some mortuary monuments salvaged from the first church and a series of remarkable English-made stained glass windows (1918) unique in their combination of biblical and colonial themes. Outside, to the right of the tower, are displayed the bedstone from David Mudie's horse mill, which stood next to his house and which provided the infant settlement with flour, and the bell presented to the parish by Philip Lytheby, a Scottish-born sea captain from the Bahamas. It bears the inscription: 'In Perth Amboy My Sound Enjoy - 1789'.

The churchyard contains the tombstones of many early settlers and prominent citizens, including William Dunlap (1766-1839), painter, art historian, and playwright, known as the 'Father of American Drama,' and Thomas Mundy Peterson, the country's first African-American voter under the Fifteenth Amendment. The gravestone of Gertrude Hay (d. 1733) has a hole in it supposedly made by a projectile fired by a British brig of war in 1776 during an exchange with American artillerymen positioned in the churchyard. The top of Captain William Bryant's marker (1772) was broken off by a cannonball at the same time.

The first person interred in the churchyard was Thomas Gordon (1653-1722), an original settler from Scotland and one of the donors of the church land. He held many offices, including Assemblyman for Perth Amboy, High Sheriff of Middlesex County, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Next to his recumbent stone, with its lengthy Latin inscription, is the earlier brownstone tomb slab of his first wife, Helen, and four of their children. Dated 1687 and carved with a skull, crossbones, and an overset hourglass, it is the oldest dated gravestone in New Jersey and was brought here in 1875 from the Old Burying Ground (est. 1684) on State Street.

North of the chancel is the grave of Dr. Robert McKean, rector from 1761 until his death in 1767, and founder of the New Jersey Medical Society, the country's oldest medical association. The tomb slab, of grey Pennsylvania marble, was erected by his brother, Thomas McKean, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware. On the north side of the nave, next to the St. James Chapel, look for the two stones (the slate headstone and repositioned footstone) of Samuel Nevill (1697 1764), prominent jurist, Mayor of Perth Amboy, and editor of America's first successful magazine. Nearby is the large flat tombstone of John Watson (1685-1768), New Jersey's first known artist."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For more information on this site please visit us at:

https://www.1683society.org/st-peters-episcopal-church-1

KEARNY COTTAGE. 63 Catalpa Avenue. 1784 and later.

"Occupied by four generations of the Kearnys, for two centuries one of Perth Amboy's leading families. Michael Kearny, a Perth Amboy loyalist whose property was confiscated by the State, is thought to have built the original one room deep, 1 and 1/2-story house after his return from British-occupied New York in December 1783, although he may have converted it from an earlier structure. The long rear roof or 'catslide,' as it was known in New Jersey, and full second story to the front, are the result of early additions. The 'Cottage,' as it has always been known, was the beloved lifelong home of Captain (later Commodore) Lawrence Kearny (1789-1868), the sailor-diplomat responsible for initiating relations between the U.S. and China in the early 1840s while in command of the Navy's East India Squadron. His flagship was the frigate 'Constellation, a replica of which is now permanently berthed in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Moved from High Street in 1922 to save it from demolition, the Cottage is owned and maintained by the City of Perth Amboy and is open to the public. The site is interpreted by the Kearny Cottage Historical Association, which maintains a museum containing furnishings and other objects relating to the Kearny family and early Perth Amboy. The 1860s lamp post in front of the house, still lit by gas, originally stood on Smith Street. Of special interest is the large collection of carriage blocks brought here from various locations throughout the city. Mostly of terra cotta, they date from the late 1800s and bear the names of the original owners."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For more information on this site please visit us at:

https://www.1683society.org/kearny-cottage

PROPRIETARY HOUSE. 149 Kearny Avenue. 1762-64; c. 1795-1800, and 1809.

"Built by the Proprietors of East New Jersey to serve as the official residence of the royal governor of New Jersey. John Edward Pryor, an English builder who emigrated to New York in 1761, provided the design and supervised the mansion's construction. Built on four levels (basement, two stories and attic), with four chimneys and a hip roof pierced by dormers, it was at the time of its completion one of the largest and most elegant houses in the colonies. It stood on an 11-acre tract which fronted on High Street.

Although originally intended for Governor Josiah Hardy, the building's first occupant was Chief Justice Frederick Smyth, who was a tenant from 1766 to 1771. William Franklin, Hardy's successor and the last royal governor of New Jersey, moved here from Burlington in 1774. Franklin's decision to remain loyal to the Crown during the struggle with Great Britain led to his being placed under house arrest by the Provincial Congress in January 1776, followed by his removal, trial, and imprisonment the following June. Benjamin Franklin, the governor's father, visited the house on several occasions, once in an unsuccessful attempt to win him over to the Revolutionary cause.

The Proprietary House was severely damaged during the Revolution, when it saw use as a British military headquarters. In 1784 a fire swept through the empty building, destroying everything but the masonry walls and three of the four chimneys. A decade later, the proprietors sold the property to John Rattoone, a local merchant and Mayor of Perth Amboy, who repaired and refurbished what was left of the mansion for use as his residence. In 1808 he transferred ownership to a New York entrepreneur, Richard M. Woodhull, who added the third story and south wing, transforming the house into one of America's first resort hotels. He called it 'Brighton House,' after the fashionable English seaside resort. The hotel had several successful seasons, with guests being ferried from New York and New Brunswick aboard Robert Fulton's steamboat, the 'Raritan.' Construction of a matching north wing was being planned when the War of 1812 ruined the hotel's business. Thereafter, the building served as a private residence, hotel, a retirement home for Presbyterian ministers and, finally, a rooming house. After the subdivision of the property in 1906 the building slowly deteriorated. Acquired by the State of New Jersey in 1967, limited restoration work was carried out by the non-profit Proprietary House Association during the 1970s. The rehabilitation of the 20,000 square foot structure as a mixed-use office building/museum in the late 1980s was the result of a collaboration between the State and the Restoration Partnership, a private development company set up for the purpose.

From an architectural standpoint, Proprietary House is several buildings in one, combining in its present form elements of both the English Georgian and the American Federal styles. The monumental severity of the original structure is reflected in the high sandstone basement, belt and string courses, and heavy keystone lintels over the windows. The central pavilion originally featured a Palladian or 'Venetian' entrance with a matching window on the second story. These were replaced during the c. 1795-1800 rehabilitation with the present arched openings, noteworthy for their carved fan and pinwheel motifs. The elliptical leaded fanlights here are copies; those over the rear entries are originals dating from 1809. The second-floor doorway (c. 1795-1800) originally led to a balcony or porch roof for which no pictorial evidence survives. Later it provided access to a broad veranda running the full length of the façade. The 'Dutch' gambrel gable ends, with their decorative quadrant and demilune windows, are typical New Jersey Federal features. The brickwork was first whitewashed in the 1790's, presumably to mask scorch marks and evidence of reconstruction."

(Wm. Pavlovsky)

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

For more information on this site please visit us at:

https://www.1683society.org/proprietary-house