Painted Lady

Victoriana charm at Kuser Farm Mansion: Part 1

By: The Packet Group

"The
Photo
courtesy of Hamilton Township Historical Society
The


Kuser Farm Mansion, a Queen Anne-style house, was the 19th century
summer home of New York City residents Fred and Teresa Kuser.

‘The


Kuser story is never ending

because they did so much…’

   Residents


of Mercer County might not regard Hamilton Township as a country getaway,
but in the late 19th century, Fred and Teresa Kuser thought it was the ideal
place to build a summer home.

   Seeking quiet respite from their New York City residence,
the Kusers hired contractors to build their summer home in Hamilton Township
in 1891.

   From July, 1892, the Kusers, along with their 10 children,
enjoyed summer holidays there until Mr. Kuser died in 1937. The Kuser Farm
Mansion (as it is known today) was bequeathed to the Kusers’ four sons.
The eldest son, Frederick (Fritz) bought the mansion from his brothers in
1942. Fritz and his wife, Edna, lived there until 1976 when it was sold
to Hamilton Township.


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   With


the assistance of Green Acres funds, Hamilton Township officially opened
The Kuser Farm Park to the public in 1977. Guided tours of the Kuser mansion,
located in Kuser Farm Park, were added in 1979. Visitors to the park can
find entrances to the historic house museum at 390 Newkirk Ave. and also
on Kuser Road.

   A tour of Kuser Farm Mansion, a Queen Anne style home,
provides an opportunity for visitors to catch a glimpse of life in the latter
part of the 19th century.

   The three-story mansion contains 22 rooms, however, only
17 rooms on the first and second floors are open to visitors. Most rooms
are decorated with original pieces.

"Teresa
Teresa


and Fred Kuser were noted for their passion for entertaining
guests at the 19th century Victorian mansion.

Photo


courtesy of Hamilton Township Historical Society

"Kuser
Photo


courtesy of Hamilton Township Historical Society

 


 "Some rooms you can walk through and some you can peek into," said
Denise Zemlansky, curator of the house museum.

   A guided tour takes about one hour. Visitors can also
arrange for a quick walk through tour which is about 30 minutes long.

   According to Ms. Zemlansky, however, one tour isn’t enough
because there is so much to see. "People keep coming back for more," she
said.

   Visitors touring the mansion can see life-sized mannequins
displayed in settings depicting life during the early 1900s. During the
winter holidays, a Victorian Christmas is featured at the house. Decorations
are used to recreate the atmosphere of the holiday and mannequins are dressed
in holiday garb. They can be seen gathered in the drawing room singing carols
at the piano.

"H
"H
   "In


reality, we created Christmas how we imagined it to be if the Kusers lived
at the mansion at that time," Ms. Zemlansky said.

   Mannequin costumes, displays and tours change throughout
the year.

   While there, visitors can also check out "The Kuser Story,"
a booklet written by Edna Kuser and published in 1992 by Hamilton Township
to commemorate the mansion’s 100th anniversary. Of the mansion’s construction,
Ms. Kuser wrote: "German craftsmen worked tirelessly and meticulously on
the match grain quartered oak paneling and the ornately carved fireplaces.
Fine ceramic tiles were imported and installed in the fireplaces on the
first and second floors of the home."

   The mansion’s first floor includes: the drawing room,
morning room, sunroom, pantry, large kitchen, the famous theater in the
dining room with its 18-foot curved screen, and a projection room.

   Four bedrooms are located on the second floor. The Mercer
Motor Car — a car manufactured by the Kuser and Roebling families —
movie mementos and a sitting room are also featured on the second floor.


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   The


Kuser Farm Mansion houses a video library and tourism center. In addition,
a laundry house, coach house, gazebo, barn, garages, corn crib, chicken
house, windmill, tennis house, The Pavilion, tennis court and airplane hangar
are on the grounds of Kuser Farm Park.

   Among its beautiful rooms and grounds, the Kusers were
noted for their great passion for entertaining guests on a regular basis.
Between 1892 and 1926, Edna Kuser wrote: "Quite often, there would be 20
people at mealtimes at Kuser Farm, including visiting friends and relatives.
Some of the friends from New York City included: George C. Boldt, owner
of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; Wilson Hatch Tucker, owner of Lord and Taylor;
E.T. Mander, general passenger agent of the Pennsylvania Railroad; and governors
of New Jersey during that period were also guests at the Farm."

CONTINUE…