Historic Montgomery farm on auction block

Township selling property with many preservation restrictions

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   MONTGOMERY — The historic Van Dyke-Beekman Farm, a 21-acre property on Route 206, will be auctioned on Wednesday.
   Max Spann Real Estate Auctions will handle the auction of the property, which is owned by the township.
   The property, on which a historic house stands, was acquired by the township from the Beekman family last year in order to preserve the structure, as well as the Harlingen viewshed along Route 206. The township paid $775,000 for the property.
   Following the purchase, the Township Committee granted a historic easement, prohibiting alterations to the house. In addition, deed restrictions will preserve the property as a farm.
   "We are very excited about (the auction) and really pleased to be doing what is necessary to keep this house standing and to make it a real home again," Mayor Louise Wilson said.
   According to township officials, the Van Dyke homestead — a Georgian-style mansion originally build about 1748 — was once the home of a well-known loyalist of the Revolutionary War era.
   The house, which is in need of restoration, has a number of unique features — including detailed moldings, built-in cupboards, wide corner fireplaces and a classic beehive oven, according to representatives from Max Spann.
   It is those unique features that Mayor Wilson hopes will spawn a bidding war. "I am eager to see people bidding for it who are passionate for historic restoration," she said.
   According to the mayor, the auctioneers were "very pleased by the show of interest" at two recent tours.
   Max Spann Jr. said the property is among the company’s "most exciting auctions." He added, "The potential that this property holds is extraordinary, from both a historical standpoint and an investment standpoint."
   In addition to the significant history of the home, the property holds some of the only remaining rail bed of the Mercer and Somerset Railway, which was built in 1870 and 1871 by the Pennsylvania Railroad.
   According to township officials, the 21-acre property is the final piece needed to complete a 175-acre open-space buffer west of Route 206 that extends north of Sunset Road to Dutchtown-Harlingen Road. The buffer is aimed to protect the historic Harlingen Village from development encroachment.
   The 175 acres of open space has the potential to become a link, connecting the Harlingen village with other township open space, neighborhoods and schools as part of the municipality’s pathways system.
   The auction, to be held on-site at 2058 Route 206, will begin at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.maxspann.com/auctions.htm.