Articles about houses that are suffering demolition by neglect or other causes
Quite some time ago, I wrote an article called “Going-Going- Gone” about houses that are disappearing or have disappeared. One of them was a mystery to me. But finally I have figured out who it belonged to.
For anyone traveling north on Route 579 from the village of Ringoes in East Amwell, Hunterdon County, there is a landmark that will surely catch your eye, standing opposite the old Bel-Del railroad station. It is a three-story house that was once a showplace but has been deteriorating for at least 25 years. People like me who have been watching it all this time marvel that it is still standing.
Given that the Stockton Inn is now for sale, and a radical proposal for development of the site has been offered by the seller, I thought it would be appropriate to publish this article by Mr. Bush about a previous “improvement” to the Borough that took place not far from the Inn.
by Egbert T. Bush, Stockton, N.J.
published in the Hunterdon Co. Democrat, January 19, 1933
Note: This article was published two years after Mr. Bush’s previous article on the Moore homestead plantation, “Old Farms in Old Hunterdon.”
Beautiful, isn’t it? One of the most extraordinary buildings to be found in Flemington, a town with more than its share of great old buildings. It is an outstanding example of Greek Revival architecture.1
Last June, I was reading the minutes of the Delaware Township Planning Board when I noticed an interesting item. Harry Brelsford, owner of a house at 80 Locktown-Sergeantsville Road (Block 20 lot 6) had presented his plan to tear down and rebuild the older section of the existing house. Apparently, that older section was in such bad repair it wasn’t worth saving. Normally, talk of demolition of old houses gets my attention, but I forgot about this until a friend called it to my attention.
This house is just about gone. It won’t be long. This past March, I wandered through the honeysuckle and multiflora to try to get some decent pictures, but wasn’t very successful. Sleeping Beauty would never be wakened in that place, it so well guarded by weeds and fallen trees. Sadly, what is probably the oldest part of the house has already caved in. If I could have gotten closer, I might have been able to see some of the old woodwork inside, but that just wasn’t possible. Continue reading »
Also known as the Rosemont School, and the Raven Rock School Continue reading »
I see from the Planning Board minutes that a house on Locktown School Road (Block 5 lot 5) is likely to be demolished, as part of a subdivision plan. I’m never happy to learn that an old house is going to disappear. Perhaps it’s in terrible shape now—I don’t know, having never been inside it. I considered waiting to publish a story about the house until I could get a photo, but it looks like it will be awhile before that happens. And in truth, just because a property has a history does not mean that the house that is standing there is the one with the history. The house was not included in the Township’s Historic Sites Survey, so there’s no picture to be found there either. But with a title like Higgins-Horner-Hawk House, how could I wait? Continue reading »
photograph found on NJ.com, taken by Renée Kiriluk-Hill for the Hunterdon County Democrat http://connect.nj.com/user/rbhill/photos.html
On November 13, 2012, the home of Brian McVey and his 11-year-old son Calvin was destroyed by fire. Not only did they lose all their possessions, they also lost their dog, who for reasons unknown ran back into the house while the McVeys were escaping. The community is coming together to help the McVeys get back on their feet. Gift cards to places like Target, Walmart, Lowes, etc. can be delivered to the Delaware Township school, in an envelope marked for Eileen Ventimiglia and Sue Whitlock. Continue reading »
