Marking history

Plaques recognize local houses’ past.

By: Michelle McGuinness
   When the Brainerd Institute first opened in Cranbury in 1865, it stood as the first coeducational private boarding school. After converting in 1900 into a school for the mentally retarded and in the 1920s into a "healthatorium," the building was transformed again, this time into the apartment complex that stands today.
   The Brainerd Institute on 96 N. Main St. is one of the 89 historic houses the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society has helped memorialize with a house plaque.
   The plaques, which are generally attached to the historic houses near their doorways, display the name of the person who originally built the house and approximately when it was built, according to Lorraine Sedor, Historical and Preservation Society historian.
   "They’re a visible indication of Cranbury’s pride in its history," said Betty Wagner, township historian and the Historical and Preservation Society’s former historian. "These are the buildings that tell the story of Cranbury past."
   Ms. Wagner said that up until about 10 years ago, houses had to be at least 100 years old to qualify for a plaque. Now, that has been lowered to 75 years old.
   "It would probably come as a surprise to people in town that a house can be 75 years old and qualify," Ms. Sedor said.
   She said homeowners who are interested in getting a plaque should go to the History Center, which can provide guidelines to help them get started. The guidelines can also be found at the group’s Web site: cranburyhistory.org.
   Roy Taylor, director of the History Center on South Main Street, said every house that has a marker also has a file in the History Center with deeds, photographs and articles about the house.
   "All you can possibly learn about the home owners and the house itself is here in one place," Ms. Wagner said.
   Mr. Taylor said if everyone who could get a marker did get one, there would be well over 100 in Cranbury. Mr. Taylor added that the markers are not restricted to private residences. Churches, schools and other historic buildings are also included.
   Clarice McDonald, of 6 Maplewood Ave., recently got a marker for her house, which dates back to 1868.
   She said the parcel of land was sold to Emma Fisher, the first person to hold a deed to the house, after a blacksmith’s shop that owned land sold a piece of it for a private house.
   "Through the years, a lot of women owned this house," Ms. McDonald said. "It looks a lot more feminine than a lot of the more Colonial houses."
   She said researching her house’s history was not difficult and only took about two days. Ms. McDonald started at the History Center, using its guidelines to get started on her research.
   Ms. McDonald said she submitted what she found to the Historical and Preservation Society, which checked the information and ordered a plaque on her behalf.
   "We’ve really enjoyed living here," Ms. McDonald said of her home. "It’s really fun living in an historic house. It’s small, but they’re beautiful. They have a lot more charm and character, to me anyway, than the newer ones."
   Ms. Wagner said houses in Cranbury have started as everything from barber shops to grocery stores.
   The Snowden House on 107 N. Main St. started in 1794 as a 200-acre farm for the Rev. Gilbert Tennent Snowden.
   In 1808, Aaron Burr, the country’s third vice president, escaped to Philadelphia via Cranbury with the help of his friend, Commodore Thomas Truxton, who owned the Snowden House at the time.
   "These houses came alive with their owners," Ms. Wagner said. "It’s really history that lives today and we’re constantly reminding people of that — that we’re part of history."
   She said the Historical and Preservation Society is dedicated to preserving living history in Cranbury and is hoping more people decide to research their houses and add markers.
   Those who are interested in getting a marker for their house may start by contacting the Historical and Preservation Society at (609) 860-1889 or [email protected].