The Van Veghten House is a historic building in the
Finderne section of
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central Jersey, Central New Jersey (home to Bridgewater Comm ...
. It was built around 1725 and served as the headquarters of Quartermaster General
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...
during the
second Middlebrook encampment "Middlebrook encampment" may refer to one of two different seasonal stays of the Continental Army in central New Jersey near the Middlebrook in Bridgewater Township in Somerset County. They are usually differentiated by either the date of the encamp ...
(1778–79) in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
[ The Somerset County Historical Society owns the house and uses it as its headquarters, including a museum and library. The early 18th-century ]Old York Road
Old York Road (originally York Road, with reference to New York) is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City. Through New Jersey it was built along the Raritan (Unami tribe) "Naraticong Trail", ...
passed by here connecting Philadelphia to New York City. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
on October 10, 1979 and noted as representing "one of the few remaining Raritan River mansions".[
]
History
In 1697, Michael Van Veghten (also spelled Van Vechten) purchased 834 acres along the Raritan River
Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its Drainage basin, watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Geologists assert that the lower Rar ...
near Finderne. His first wife died and he married Jannetje Dumont on April 2, 1691.Catharine Littlefield Greene
Catharine Littlefield "Caty" Greene Miller (February 17, 1755 – September 2, 1814) was the wife of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. She was a mother of five, and noted for being a supporter of the inventor Eli Whitney. ...
the use of the house for his headquarters and the farm for an encampment of his troops, without asking for any compensation.[
On March 19, 1779, General Greene described an event attended by General ]George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
that was held at the Van Veghten House in a letter to Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth
Jeremiah Wadsworth (July 12, 1743 – April 30, 1804) was an American sea captain, merchant, and statesman from Hartford, Connecticut who profited from his position as a government official charged with supplying the Continental Army. He re ...
:
On August 30, 1781, the First Brigade of the French Army marched past his house, under the command of General Comte de Rochambeau
Marshal Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau, 1 July 1725 – 10 May 1807, was a French nobleman and general whose army played the decisive role in helping the United States defeat the British army at Yorktown in 1781 during the ...
, following the route
Route or routes may refer to:
* Route (gridiron football), a path run by a wide receiver
* route (command), a program used to configure the routing table
* Route, County Antrim, an area in Northern Ireland
* ''The Route'', a 2013 Ugandan film
* Ro ...
to Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Cou ...
. The day's march was from the campground at Bullion's Tavern in Liberty Corner to the campground at Somerset Courthouse, now Millstone, New Jersey
Millstone is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was originally known as Somerset Courthouse and was the county seat. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 418, . The Second Brigade followed on August 31. The American Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
marched nearby along different roads as part of this joint effort.[
]
Description
The house is two and a half stories plus a cellar. Brownstone is used for the foundation, and the first story features Flemish bond
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and Mortar (masonry), mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''Course (architecture), courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall.
Bricks ...
brickwork on the south and west walls; otherwise common bond brickwork is used.voussoir
A voussoir () is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, which is used in building an arch or vault.
Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The ...
s above the window heads. The house was renovated around 1837 in the style of Greek Revival
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...
and features four mantelpieces of that style.
Gallery
File:Van Veghten House, Finderne, NJ - looking west.jpg, Van Veghten House, looking west
File:Van Veghten House, Finderne, NJ - brickwork detail.jpg, South wall Flemish bond brickwork, brownstone foundation, and iron beam anchors
File:Derrick Van Veghten House, Finderne, NJ - information sign.jpg, Somerset County historical information
File:Van Veghten House, Finderne, NJ - Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.jpg, Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
File:Nathanael Greene by John Trumbull 1792.jpeg, ''Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...
'',
by John Trumbull
John Trumbull (June 6, 1756November 10, 1843) was an American artist of the early independence period, notable for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Rev ...
, 1792
See also
* Van Veghten's Bridge
:Other houses used as headquarters during the second Middlebrook encampment "Middlebrook encampment" may refer to one of two different seasonal stays of the Continental Army in central New Jersey near the Middlebrook in Bridgewater Township in Somerset County. They are usually differentiated by either the date of the encamp ...
(1778–79):
* Wallace House – General George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
* Van Horne House
The Van Horne House is a historic building at 941 East Main Street near Bound Brook in Bridgewater Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. The house was built and also known as Phil's Hill, after its owner, Philip Van Horne. It served as the ...
– General William Alexander, Lord Stirling
William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (1726 – 15 January 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He was considered male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish line ...
* Staats House – General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Louis von Steuben; September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794), also referred to as Baron von Steuben (), was a Prussian military officer who p ...
* Jacobus Vanderveer House
The Jacobus Vanderveer House, also known as Knox House, is a U.S. Federal style house located just north of the community of Pluckemin in Bedminster Township, Somerset County, New Jersey at the junction of US 202 and 206 north of River Road. ...
– General Henry Knox
Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...
References
External links
*
* Van Veghten House
*
*
*
*
{{NRHP in Somerset County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New Jersey
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Historic house museums in New Jersey
Greek Revival houses in New Jersey
1725 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies
Houses completed in 1725
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
American Revolutionary War museums in New Jersey
Historic places on the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
Brick buildings and structures
Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey
American Revolution on the National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey in the American Revolution