Ross Hall was a historic colonial farmhouse located on River Road in

Piscataway, New Jersey Piscataway () is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a suburb of the New York metropolitan area, in the Raritan Valley. At the 2010 United States Census, the population was 56,044, an increase of 5,562 (+11.0%) fr ...

. It was built by Edward Antill and is also known as the Edward Antill House. In 1768, it was purchased by its namesake, Dr. Alexander Ross. In early July 1778, it was the headquarters for General George Washington when he ordered a ''

feu de joie A feu de joie (French: "fire of joy") is a form of formal celebratory gunfire consisting of a celebratory rifle salute, described as a "running fire of guns." As soldiers fire into the air sequentially in rapid succession, the cascade of blank ro ...

'' for the second anniversary of the signing of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

History

1850 Map of Middlesex County, NJ - Ross Hall detail

In 1688, Edward Antill, Esq. acquired several hundred acres near

Raritan Landing Raritan Landing is a historical unincorporated community located within Piscataway Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, which was once an inland port, the farthest upstream point ocean-going ships could reach along the Raritan ...

. His son, Edward Antill (1701–1770), inherited the 370-acre property and built a house here for his family. On June 10, 1739, he married Anne Morris, daughter of

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

, Royal Governor of New Jersey. Their first child, Sarah, was born here on August 18, 1740. From these events, the house is dated as either late 1739 or early 1740. The other daughter of Morris married Anthony White, who built the nearby

Buccleuch Mansion Buccleuch Mansion is located in Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey, along the Raritan River. History The house was originally built in 1739 by Anthony White, ...

, across 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 ...

, . Antill extensively farmed his property. He had a large apple orchard of 500 trees. The apples were then used for making cider at his distillery. The property was sold in 1768 to Dr. Alexander Ross (1723–1775), after whom the house is now known. On February 11, 1775, he married Sarah Farmar. He died shortly after their marriage on November 30, 1775. She later married his assistant, Dr. Charles A. Howard, on August 5, 1778. The house was next purchased by Miles Smith in 1792. In 1880, George W. Metlar bought the property. He also owned the nearby

Ivy Hall Ivy Hall can refer to: * Edward C. Peters House, a historic Queen Anne style house in Atlanta, Georgia. * Ivy Hall, a historic building in Princeton, New Jersey that was once home to Princeton University Princeton University is a private rese ...

, now known as the Cornelius Low House. After 1897, Ross Hall was used as the clubhouse for the New Brunswick Golf Club until 1925. Metlar sold Ross Hall in the 1920s.

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

owned it in the 1950s. It was damaged by fire in 1954 and destroyed in 1957.

Architecture

Ross Hall was a two-story brick house with a stone foundation and a

gambrel roof A gambrel or gambrel roof is a usually symmetrical two-sided roof with two slopes on each side. (The usual architectural term in eighteenth-century England and North America was "Dutch roof".) The upper slope is positioned at a shallow angle, w ...

. It was a blend of

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 ...

and

Dutch colonial Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house. Modern versions built in the early 20th century are more accurately referred to as "Dutch Colonial Rev ...

farmhouse styles.

Washington headquarters

The

Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...

was fought on June 28, 1778 in extreme heat, with many deaths due to heat stroke. After the battle, 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 ...

and 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 ...

marched north to the Raritan River by

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

for cool, fresh water. The army camped on both sides of the river. Washington made his headquarters at Ross Hall, the home of the widow Ross.

Independence Day parade

River Road, Piscataway, NJ - 1778 parade marker

From his headquarters, Washington ordered a celebration with a ''

'' for the second anniversary of the signing of the

: The next day, Washington issued more detailed orders for the celebration: A gentleman at camp reported on this celebration:

Legacy

Ross Hall Boulevard in Piscataway is named after the property. An interior, parlor wall of Ross Hall has been preserved and will be displayed in an educational wing at the nearby Metlar-Bodine House Museum. On July 4, 1976, a memorial stone was dedicated at the intersection of River Road and Sutphen Road to mark the first Independence Day parade in 1778.

References

External links

* * *{{cite web, title=Descendants of John and Edward Antill, url=http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/antill/antillfamily.htm, publisher=Mary S. Van Deusen Piscataway, New Jersey Houses completed in 1739 New Jersey in the American Revolution Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey 1739 establishments in New Jersey