Discovery of city deed leads to celebration

Deed Days will mark finding founder John Holcombe’s deed to Lambertville.

By: Linda Seida
   LAMBERTVILLE — The discovery of a 300-year-old deed that belonged to Lambertville’s founder John Holcombe has prompted the city to declare Thanksgiving weekend Deed Days, which will celebrate three centuries of the city’s history, culture, diversity and tolerance.
   "It’s a celebration of a small town that didn’t just preach tolerance; they lived it," said Quarry Street resident John Hencheck, who will offer tours of important Revolutionary War locations at noon Nov. 26 and 27. Tour groups will meet at the Justice Center on South Union Street.
   Mr. Hencheck noted Mr. Holcombe was a Quaker, and the Quakers were more tolerant because they had experienced persecution in England for their religious beliefs.
   Numerous events are planned, including a cupcake contest, several different tours, displays of memorabilia and viewings of movie clips from Lambertville’s past.
   "It’s going to be a fun event — low-key, quiet, interesting and lots of fun," said Crofton Court resident Rick Buscavage, who organized the event.
   He suggested the festivities would be a good way to spend time with relatives who have come to visit over the Thanksgiving weekend.
   The parchment deed that started the whole celebration was found last year in a family desk by Ed Closson, a descendant of the Holcombe family. He and his family had known the parchment was stored there and also knew it was an important piece of family history, but they hadn’t related it to the founding of the city "because they hadn’t read it," Mr. Hencheck said Monday with a laugh.
   When Mr. Closson realized what he had in his hand one spring evening in 2004, he called Mr. Hencheck, a director of the Friends of the A. H. Holcombe House, to come check it out.
   Mr. Hencheck recalled getting "goose bumps and chills."
   He said, "I was absolutely dumbfounded. When people tell you they found something like this, you hear the words, but your brain doesn’t process it. You almost never find things like this. It just so rarely happens."
   The parchment is in good condition, and a conservator is mending some minor tears. Mr. Hencheck said the deed is quite valuable, although he did not name a dollar figure.
   Instead, he said, "For Lambertville, it’s invaluable."
   The deed is dated Nov. 14, 1705, which according to English law of the period means Mr. Holcombe took possession of the land 24 hours later, Mr. Hencheck said. The date is important because it proves Lambertville was here almost a decade before Hunterdon County was founded in 1714. In fact, at the time, Lambertville was actually part of Burlington County.
   "Documentation-wise, we have the deed," Mr. Hencheck said. "You don’t get any better than that" to prove who was first in Hunterdon County.
   Mr. Holcombe, a Quaker, came to the area from Abington, Pa. He bought a 350-acre plot of land that stretched from the middle of Alexauken Creek almost to York Street and a mile from the Delaware River up to what is now West Amwell, actually including a part of land that became West Amwell, Mr. Hencheck said.
   Mr. Holcombe built a house that still stands, next to Mr. Closson’s farm market on Main Street. Mr. Closson’s mother, Polly Closson, who is in her late 70s, still lives in the house constructed by her ancestor 300 years ago.
   "The very same house that on numerous occasions Washington stayed there," Mr. Hencheck said.
   He marveled at the "untouched chain of custody."
   During Deed Days, free walking tours will be offered, including one of Mount Hope Cemetery at 1 p.m. each day conducted by John Peter Holly, president of the Historic Mount Hope Cemetery Association. Mr. Holly is a font of knowledge about the cemetery’s history and was "instrumental in the revitalization of the cemetery," Mr. Buscavage said.
   Another tour will feature interesting historical and architectural locations and will be conducted by the city’s historian, Lou Toboz. Also, the Marshall House, the home of the Lambertville Historical Society, will be open to visitors.
   Residents and organizations are invited to take part in the cupcake contest for which they will need to submit a dozen cupcakes to compete for cash prizes. Eleven of the cupcakes will be placed on the "Grand Cup Cake" display at the Justice Center on South Union Street.
   The 12th cupcake will be judged by a panel of experts for the best in several categories, including best chocolate cupcake, best non-chocolate cupcake, best decorated cupcake, most unusual cupcake, best group entry and best merchant entry.
   Cupcakes must be delivered to the Justice Center Nov. 26 between 9 and 10 a.m. Prizes will be awarded at 3 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Justice Center. Recipes submitted will be included in a commemorative "Grand Cup Cake Cookbook."
   Entry forms for the cupcake contest should be available online at www.deeddays.com. The organizers are working on the site and say it should be up this week.
   Entry forms also may be found at City Hall, the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce at the Justice Center, Lambertville Trading Company, Rick’s Restaurant, Sojourner, Lily’s on the Canal, Baker’s Treat, the Lambertville Free Public Library and Monkey Hill.
   The celebration will run each day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.deeddays.com or call City Hall at 397-0110.