By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Managing Editor
It’s always interesting to find out what’s behind closed doors and Cranbury’s Historic House Tour did not disappoint in that respect this year.
The owners of six historic residences opened their homes to hundreds of people who took the tour on Saturday. Behind one door, visitors found paintings of a Polish model turned pin-up girl. Behind another, the boughs on a mural of a tree in the main stairwell were painted with the names of all the families that resided in the home in the past. In the rear of that same residence, graffiti from the 1800s was scrawled in the barn boasting the name James Petty over and over again.
“This year the homeowners really shared a lot of history about the homes and how they had researched the histories of their own home,” Jo D. Andrews, president of the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society, said. “They also talked to all the visitors, along with the docents, so each time you entered a home it felt so warm and welcoming and people really seemed to appreciate that.”
Many of the historic homeowners preserved adornments of yore, such as wide floorboards, large doorway arches, hand-wrought hardware, marble fireplaces, crown molding and wavy glass windows. However, all have taken a unique approach to renovating and/or redecorating their homes. For example, 10 Park Place East may have the remains of a cellar kitchen where a brick arched opening to the oven still exists but the recently renovated working kitchen upstairs has all-American appliances and décor down to the Benjamin Moore paint on the walls. Inside 89 N. Main St., tourists saw a mixture of the current homeowner’s modern-day musical interests, with photos of current singers, songwriters and bands, but also fixated on cabinetry made by Marcellius Reid, who used materials from the attic, a Princeton barn and a neighbor’s old porch.
“We were pleased to have six historic homes on the tour this year,” Audrey Smith, chairwoman of the house tour, said. “Each had its own character. We were happy that 390 tickets were sold and that it was a beautiful day.”
The Cranbury Historic House Tour, held every two years, is the primary fundraiser for the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society. Proceeds go to underwrite the organization’s free museum, walking tours, Fourth of July celebration concert band performance, winter holiday tea, and educational programs.
This tour raised about $8,000 for the society, according to Ms. Smith.
“We would like to thank those who opened their homes, the House Tour Committee, the businesses that sold tickets for the tour — Cranbury Bookworm, Haru, Studio 43 Hair Design, Sotheby’s Realty and Perennial Home in Hightstown — as well as those who were docents in the homes and other buildings, and those who purchased tickets,” Ms. Smith said.
Ms. Andrews added, “I would like to thank the homeowners for their generosity in allowing us to tour their homes as well as thank all the volunteers involved and all the visitors to town. People came from all over the Tri-State area and it was great fun meeting so many people who love visiting historical places and homes.”
Even with the additions of Sub Zero appliances, pop art and flat-screen televisions, the homes helped tourists become familiar with Cranbury’s history.
Docents noted the Federal Colonial at 107 N. Main St. was once home to Thomas Truxton, one of six captains in the United States Navy to be appointed by President George Washington, and that the home at 29 S. Main St. with carpenter gothic detail was originally the town’s blacksmith shop.
For Ms. Andrews, meeting little Kona McCallister was the highlight for her.
“He was only 8 years old and had just moved to town, but wanted to get involved in the house tour,” she said. “His mom, Mary, was a docent and he wanted to participate as well so he got all decked out in a sport coat and sat at one of the homes welcoming people to the house.”
Besides the six historic homes, the tour also featured the First Presbyterian Church, c. 1839; Gristmiller’s House, c. 1868 (now Cranbury History Center); Firehouse Museum, c. 1920; United Methodist Church, c. 1848; Town Hall and Gourgaud Gallery, c.1896; and Garrett P. Voorhees House, c. 1834 (now Cranbury Museum).
At the end of the tour, many walked away with new knowledge about the town’s history, but mainly with a knowing that all six homes are clearly labors of love for the historic homeowners.
The historical society’s mission of introducing Cranbury’s history to a new generation of people near and far continues with its current exhibition, “Depression Glass,” in the Cranbury Museum, 4 Park Place East, on Sundays, 1-4 p.m. The exhibit features over 300 pieces of American candy-colored glass from the Depression Era.
“We have our Bi-Annual Pot Luck Supper and Meeting on Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury,” Ms. Andrews said. “All are welcome. Just bring a covered dish and come find our more about our programs for the coming year.”
For more information about the historic society and its events, visit www.cranburyhistory.org/.
