FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — The historic Oakley House on Wemrock Road will be open for tours on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission is restoring the building and is planning to open the site as an a township museum, library for historic documents and cultural center.
The property, originally called the Walker Combs Hartshorne House, was built in 1686. On Oct. 4, 1990, the farm was officially entered into the National Register of Historic Places. It consists of 143 acres and was one of the largest and longest producing commercial farms in Monmouth County until the late 1980s.
The last owner was Elizabeth Reid Oakley. In 1997, the estate of Elizabeth Oakley deeded the farmhouse and outbuildings to Freehold Township for historic preservation.
The house originally began as a 10-by-8-foot settlers’ cabin in the early 1770s. After several owners and two additions to the house, it stands today much as it did in 1924 when the Oakley family completed construction.
The house is the headquarters for the Historic Preservation Commission offices and the Heritage Society.
Anyone wishing to donate items of historic importance or money to help with the restoration and preservation of this and other historic sites may contact the Heritage Society at (732) 294-1877.