The Clinton Historic District is a
historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...
encompassing much of the town of
Clinton
Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...
in
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. At the 2020 census, the county was the state's 4th-least populous county,[National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...]
on September 28, 1995, for its significance in architecture, commerce, engineering, industry and exploration/settlement. The district includes 270
contributing buildings
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...
, one contributing structure, and three contributing sites. Five were previously listed on the NRHP individually:
Dunham's Mill
Dunham's Mill, also known as Parry's Mill, is a historic building located at 7 Lower Center Street in Clinton, New Jersey, United States. The gristmill was in operation from 1837 to 1952. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places ...
,
M. C. Mulligan & Sons Quarry,
Music Hall
Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
,
Old Grandin Library, and
Red Mill.
[ With ]
History
The oldest buildings in the district are the two mills on opposite sides of the Clinton Dam on the
South Branch Raritan River
The South Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in New Jersey.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002.
Description
The source of the South Branch is the outflow from Budd Lake, a glacial remnant locat ...
. The
Red Mill, on the west, was built and
Dunham's Mill
Dunham's Mill, also known as Parry's Mill, is a historic building located at 7 Lower Center Street in Clinton, New Jersey, United States. The gristmill was in operation from 1837 to 1952. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places ...
, on the east, was built in 1837.
The Clinton House is likely located at the site of an earlier 18th-century tavern.
The district has three churches. The
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
congregation formed in 1829 and built the current church in 1864. The
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
congregation formed in 1832 and built the current church in 1863.
Baptists
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
built a church in 1872, but it was sold after membership declined and is now owned by Evangel Chapel.
The
Main Street Bridge, a
Pratt truss
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
bridge crossing the South Branch Raritan River, was designed by Francis C. Lowthorp and built in 1870 by William Cowin of
Lambertville replacing an earlier bridge. On October 30, 1891, a major fire destroyed 23 buildings and 17 businesses on Main Street. This is known in Clinton as the Great Fire of 1891. The Duckworth Building and the Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street were built using brick after this fire.
Dunham's Mill
Dunham's Mill, also known as Parry's Mill, is a historic building located at 7 Lower Center Street in Clinton, New Jersey, United States. The gristmill was in operation from 1837 to 1952. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places ...
File:2-6 West Main Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Clinton House
File:Presbyterian Church, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Presbyterian Church
File:United Methodist Church, Clinton, NJ.jpg, United Methodist Church
File:55 Leigh Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Former Baptist Church
File:Main Street Bridge, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Main Street Bridge crossing the South Branch Raritan River
The South Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in New Jersey.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002.
Description
The source of the South Branch is the outflow from Budd Lake, a glacial remnant locat ...
Description
The house at 42-46 West Main Street features ornate gables. The house at 68 West Main Street shows
Italianate style
The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Ita ...
and features a spoke-filled circular window in the attic. The John Taylor Leigh Mansion, now the town municipal building, was built in 1861 with bricks made on the property. It features a full porch with Italianate columns. The Duckworth Building and the Odd Fellows Hall show
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe that was predominant in the 11th and 12th centuries. The style eventually developed into the Gothic style with the shape of the arches providing a simple distinction: the Ro ...
features.
Gallery
File:42-46 West Main Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, 42-46 West Main Street
File:68 West Main Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, 68 West Main Street
File:43 Leigh Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, John Taylor Leigh Mansion, now the Municipal Building
File:42-46 Main Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Duckworth Building and Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street
File:27-37 Center Street, Clinton, NJ.jpg, Center Street buildings
See also
*
References
External links
*
{{NRHP in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Clinton, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Italianate architecture in New Jersey