The Dr. Jabez Campfield House, also known as the Schuyler Hamilton House, is a historic, two-story, braced

timber-frame Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

colonial

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

-style house and museum located at 5 Olyphant Place,

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

. It is listed on 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 ...

With and owned by the Morristown Chapter,

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

(DAR).

History

The house was built c.

1760 Events January–March * January 9 – Battle of Barari Ghat: Afghan forces defeat the Marathas. * January 22 – Seven Years' War – Battle of Wandiwash, India: British general Sir Eyre Coote is victorious over the Fr ...

along King's Highway (now Morris Street) on the eastern edge of what was then the small village of Morristown. In

1765 Events January–March * January 23 – Prince Joseph of Austria marries Princess Maria Josepha of Bavaria in Vienna. * January 29 – One week before his death, Mir Jafar, who had been enthroned as the Nawab of Bengal and ru ...

, Dr. Jabez Campfield, a young doctor from Newark, bought the house when he moved to Morristown with his new wife, Sarah Ward, to establish his medical practice. The Campfields lived in the house for 56 years. Their only son, William, was born in the house in

1766 Events January–March * January 1 – Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") becomes the new Stuart claimant to the throne of Great Britain, as King Charles III, and figurehead for Jacobitism. * January 14 – Chr ...

and inherited the property upon Dr. Campfield's death in 1821. In addition to serving as the doctor in Morristown, Dr. Campfield served as a surgeon in the

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 ...

during 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 ...

. During the winter encampment of the

in Morristown in 1777, smallpox swept through the army and the town. As part of the army's medical team, Dr. Campfield served an important role inoculating soldiers against the disease, using his house as his base of operations. When the army returned to Morristown for the winter encampment in 1779–1780, Surgeon General of the Continental Army, Dr. John Cochran, was billeted to stay in Dr. Campfield's home. The home was used as a "flying hospital" (mobile hospital for the army) and a storehouse for medical supplies. That winter, Founding Father

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

courted his future wife,

Elizabeth Schuyler Elizabeth Hamilton (née Schuyler ; August 9, 1757 – November 9, 1854), also called Eliza or Betsey, was an American socialite and philanthropist. Married to American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, ...

in Dr. Campfield's house. Hamilton served as aide de camp to

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 ...

and was based with Washington at the nearby home of Theodosia Ford. Cochran's wife Gertrude joined him, and by January their niece Elizabeth Schuyler joined them. In a short time, Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler met and became engaged. A traditional story is that Dr. Cochran, tired and chilled after a long day in the field, was unable to stretch out on his favorite sofa because it was frequently occupied by the young couple. The union with Elizabeth Schuyler brought Alexander Hamilton into familiar contact with the most powerful families of the day, helping to secure Hamilton's place in society. After the war, Dr. Campfield trained many doctors in the area and was very active in civic pursuits. When Dr. Campfield died in 1821, his son William inherited the home and lived there until he died only three years later in 1824. William left the property to his six children, but none of them remained in Morristown. The house was advertised for rent for several years, and it remained in the Campfield family until 1831, when the locally influential Tuttle family bought it. The Tuttles owned the house for the next sixty years. Local builder James Clark and investor Robert Dalglish purchased the property in 1891, and soon after Dalglish transferred his interest to Clark. In 1895, Clark moved the house about 100 feet to the rear of the property, most likely to the site of the garden, and rotated it to face westward along Olyphant Place. For a few years, Clark rented the house as a two-family dwelling. Mr. Clark's widow, Millie, sold the house to the Morristown Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution in 1923. The Chapter restored the house to reflect the period of its greatest significance, its association with the American Revolution, and named it the Schuyler-Hamilton House to remember the courtship of Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler. Since 1924, the Chapter has used the house as its headquarters and opens it to the public for tours. The house contains furnishings and artifacts of the period, as well as items owned by Campfield and the Hamiltons. The house's "keeping room" exhibit features medical implements used during the 18th century and describes medical practices of that period. In 2020, a part of the garden was renovated and replanted with purple, yellow, and white flowers to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement. Docent-led tours are held regularly by DAR volunteers.

References

External links

NSDAR Schuyler-Hamilton House

Morris County Tourism Bureau, Schuyler-Hamilton House

Morristown Chapter DAR

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Campfield, Jabez, House National Register of Historic Places in Morris County, New Jersey Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Historic house museums in New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1760 Morristown, New Jersey 1760 establishments in New Jersey

History

See also

References

External links