Part Ten of the County House Series. — The early 1800s in Flemington were dynamic and surprisingly busy for a town that had about 16 houses in it. What made the difference was the courthouse and the energy of tavern owner Alexander Bonnell.
The Road from Flemington to Howell’s Ferry has appeared over and over in descriptions of the County House tavern lot of the 18th and early 19th centuries. It is time to take a closer look at that old road and how it changed as it moved through Flemington.
It is time to return to the 18th century Flemington tavern lot that once included the Courthouse and nearly the whole block along Main Street north to the post office.
Part 6 ended with an Epilogue, but it did not include the two most important people in that story, Lucius W. Stockton and Jacob Anderson himself. Part Seven is reserved for them.
Federalists v. Democratic Republicans in Hunterdon County got heated in 1795. The Jay Treaty and fallout from the Sheriff’s election of 1794.
When researching history, I find that you can start off with a plan, but before long one thing will lead to another, or even several ‘anothers,’ that are completely unexpected. Which makes it challenging to stay on course. That was definitely the case while I was preparing this chapter.
This is technically part four of the County House series, even though it does not directly concern the old tavern/hotel.
Samuel Stewart and Anna Smith had an interesting connection with each other and with Flemington’s courthouse and Alexander’s tavern, as well as other 18th-century residents of the town. If you haven’t yet read PART THREE of my series, The County House, I strongly recommend that you do that first.
During the years 1791-1793, a new courthouse for Hunterdon County was constructed in Flemington. Before it was finished, a complication emerged that connected the courthouse lot with Alexander’s tavern on Main Street.
Construction began after June 1, 1791, when a large gathering took place in Flemington to celebrate. The event was reported on June 22, 1791 in The Gazette of United States.1
