The find was made during renovations to a house at 15 Ferry St. in Lambertville.
By: Linda Seida
LAMBERTVILLE When Independence Day rolls around next week, residents might want to celebrate freedom and democracy not with an alcoholic beverage, but with a glass of water.
The water would be in honor of both the city and Emanuel Coryell, who operated a 18th-century tavern and a ferry slightly south of where today’s bridge stands. Lambertville and the tavern owner played important parts in the colonies’ fight for freedom from British rule.
If it wasn’t for Emanuel Coryell, George Washington never would have been able to cross the Delaware River to fight the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, according to John Hencheck, secretary of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.
The well for the tavern house a historic find was discovered during renovations at 15 Ferry St. by Eric Decibus of Unlimited Renovations. He preserved and highlighted the stone well with a unique design that includes a $7,000, 1½-inch-thick glass floor.
Last week, a crew from HGTV came to film the transformed house. The three-layer glass floor with a steel frame allows visitors to see the well beneath their feet in the kitchen.
Mr. Decibus also created an observation area that looks through a basement wall to allow a different viewing angle of the stone well.
Who knows how many places claim George Washington slept there? Mr. Decibus and the rest of the city can say, "Yes, but George Washington drank here!" said Brad Valerius of Anchored Architects in South Brunswick.
He has collaborated with Mr. Decibus on several renovation projects, including the historic Ferry Street house.
Because of the well, the tavern was a gathering spot for everyone from General Washington to the common man.
"This is where everybody drank, whether you were an enlisted person or a general," Mr. Hencheck said. "Everybody drank from the well. It served everyone equally. It’s really a symbol of democracy."
Not just any well would do. The well at Coryell’s tavern was deep and pure, and he protected it with a locked well house above it, according to Mr. Hencheck.
"He made sure nothing got in there," Mr. Hencheck said. "Water was very suspect in the 18th century. They died from drinking it. That’s because hygiene of the day was lacking."
And if it wasn’t for the preservation efforts of Mr. Decibus, the well might lost to future generations.
"Eric found the well and realized what this was," said Mr. Hencheck, who took on the task of verifying the well actually belonged to Coryell’s tavern. "The fact that he shared it with the community was just wonderful."
However, he added, "He paid for it with his time."
Mr. Decibus often was interrupted by sightseers and the curious, who would stop by uninvited to see the historic well even before renovations were complete. Rather than shoo them away, he’d instruct his crew to turn off their power tools before inviting the unexpected visitors inside, according to Mr. Hencheck, who brought a tour group to the house during the city’s Deed Days celebration in November.
"The fact that Eric shared it, I think the town owes him a debt of gratitude," he said. "It’s going to kindle another interest in the Revolution. Lambertville played an important part."
Gen. Washington had no money other than Continental scrip, which was not acceptable to the many people up and down the river who were summoned by Emanuel Coryell to transport the general and his troops. They wanted the equivalent of hard cash gold and silver coins. Because of his inn, Mr. Coryell had the coins, which he used to pay for the troops’ transport with no remuneration from the Continental Army.
The house was in bad shape before the renovation. There was a lump in the kitchen floor, which an investigation found to be the well’s location. The ceilings were low, and a number of odd additions had been built.
"There were no building codes then, and it was not well put together," Mr. Valerius, the architect, said.
Now, the house has been transformed into "a combination of old and New York City high-end new," Mr. Decibus said.
There are cathedral ceilings in the bedrooms, a state-of-the art commercial kitchen and a stairway that incorporates wood and steel cables, echoing another local landmark, the New Hope-Lambertville bridge.
The bathrooms are kind of "wild," Mr. Decibus said.
In one, water flows from ceiling height into the tub. All three baths boast plasma TVs. Color therapy is the basis for the eight different rotating colors in a fiber-optic system to light the bath waters.
"If you’re going to pay a lot of money for your home, you’d better make sure you get your money’s worth," Mr. Decibus said.
Inside a wall of the house, which dates from 1737, Mr. Decibus also found a Civil War soldier’s hat. Mr. Decibus said he owes Mr. Hencheck and author Ed Cohen for helping him verify the hat and the well.
The house has two master suites and three full baths. Mr. Decibus said he plans to set the asking price for the 2,100-square-foot home at $975,000.
Persons interested in the house may call Mr. Decibus or his partner, Roy Tartaglia, at (908) 464-2879.