Time Travel

East Jersey Olde Towne Village in Piscataway hosts 12 au­thentic and replica buildings that date back to Middlesex County’s Colonial era.

By: Jim Boyle
   It is hard to picture that in these ‘burbs where we live, battles in America’s most important war were fought. During the American Revolution, shots were fired, soldiers marched and troops camped on the spots where we now build homes, plant gardens and drive cars.
   East Jersey Olde Towne Village in Piscataway has opened a new exhibit offering New Jersey residents a chance to see what role Middlesex County played in the war. A Time of Turmoil: The Revolutionary War in the Raritan Valley runs through Jan. 20, featuring artifacts found around the county.

East Jersey Olde Towne Village hosts 12 authentic and replica buildings that date back to Middlesex County’s colonial era. Above, Smalleytown Schoolhouse (right) and the Vanderveer House. Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   "It took about a year to do all the research," says David Mandel, one of the site coordinators. "We got a lot of help from specialists and professionals. A lot of the items are on loan from collectors. About 90 percent of the artifacts are authentic, the rest are replicas."
   The exhibit starts out showing that not everybody supported the idea of fighting the British. On one wall is a resolution passed by the Middlesex County officials to participate in the war, while on the opposite wall are excerpts from letters written by Loyalists such as Bernardus LaGrange, a lawyer who owned a great deal of land in New Brunswick.
   The next part of the exhibit explores the effect of the war on minorities. There is information describing what life was like for African-Americans, Native Americans and women, and how they contributed to the effort.
   There is also a section dedicated to Robert Erskine, one of the most prominent mapmakers of the time. Under the command of Gen. George Washington, Mr. Erskine also was an inventor. In 1776, he created a devastating weapon, the marine chevaux de frise, a precursor to the water mine.
   "Massive wooden posts were tied together with chains," says Mr. Mandel. "An iron tip was attached to the top of the posts, and the whole thing was placed under water. When vessels passed over, it ripped through them."
   A scaled-down model of the defensive tool is displayed on the grounds of the Olde Towne Village. Also in the exhibit are many items used in battle, including coat buttons with unique insignias, musket balls and artillery, such as the bar shot, used to cut through sails. The exhibit focuses on both sides of the war, with bayonets and powder horns from British soldiers. There are pictures of British-occupied houses that have since been torn down.
   There is another section devoted to the time Gen. Washington camped in Middlesex County during the second Fourth of July. It has excerpts of a speech he gave to his men celebrating the event.
   The entire exhibit rests on the top and bottom floors of the Runyon House, one of the 12 restored houses in the Olde Towne Village. The house was built by Benjamin Runyon sometime between 1755 and 1785 and used to stand at 175 Possumtown Road in Piscataway. It was donated and moved in the spring of 1978.

The Church of the Three Mile Run stands beside a structure used to store corn. Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   East Jersey Olde Towne Village was originally created by Dr. Joseph Kler. In 1971, he created a non-profit organization called East Jersey Olde Towne and began developing a village of structures on 12 acres of Johnson Park. Only two buildings, the New Brunswick Barracks and Church of the Three Mile Run, are replicas. The rest were found throughout Middlesex County and moved to the park, beginning with the Jeremiah Dunn House in 1973.
   "Several, like the Indian Queen Tavern, were disassembled, brought over in trucks, and then put back together," says Mr. Mandel. "Others, like the Runyon House, were cut into four sections and put back together. And a couple, like the Dunn House, were just lifted off the ground and brought over whole."
   The last building added to the village was the Church of the Three Mile Run in 1980. In 1989, the complex was donated to Middlesex County and is now the responsibility of the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.
   Park visitors can walk around and appreciate the Colonial architecture. There are guided tours throughout the day that go inside the buildings. To see the inside of a structure without going on a tour, ask at the welcome center located in the New Brunswick Barracks.
   Not every building is open to the public, such as the Indian Queen Tavern. Some still require restoration. One building, the Six Mile Run House, is currently undergoing renovation and will open at the village’s annual Founder’s Day Oct. 7.
   "We’re removing a lot of modern finishes," says Michael Boylan, a site coordinator. "There’s some paneling from the 1960s and ’70s. We’re also cutting down to its original floor, removing two layers of flooring on top."
   Among the structures that can be entered, one of interest is the Smalleytown Schoolhouse. Originally located at the crossroads of Mountain Avenue and Stirling Road in Somerville, the building was donated in 1976 by the Epiphany Lutheran Congregation, which used it as a church in the 1960s.
   The schoolhouse acts as a lecture hall for school groups. There is a bench located at the front of the building that holds many of the tools used in the 18th century, including slate boards for writing and a round paddle with a hole in the middle for corporal punishment.
   The oldest house on the village grounds is the FitzRandolph House, a two-story farmhouse built in 1743 by David FitzRandolph. His family was one of the first to settle in Piscataway. The house was originally located on Randolphville Road in Randolphville.
   The interior of the house is representative 18th century life. The frame was built using a process called brick nogging. Sun-dried bricks were combined with horsehair, used as insulation. The fireplace has a cooking crane that hung pots over the hearth and swiveled out when dinner was ready.
A Time of Turmoil: The Revolutionary War in the Raritan Valley can be seen
at East Jersey Olde Towne Village, 1050 River Road, Piscataway, through Jan.
20. Founder’s Day takes place Oct. 7. Free admission, but donations
are welcome. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m., Sun. 1-4 p.m.; Guided tours:
Tues.-Fri. 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m.; Sun. 1:30 p.m. Group tours by appointment.
For information, call (732) 745-3030. On the Web: www.cultureheritage.org