Montgomery’s old and interesting homes lure day trippers.
By: Jill Matthews
Though Montgomery is known for its exploding population and new, oversized homes, it also carries with it hundreds of years of history reflected in historic houses throughout the township.
On Saturday, area residents were invited into seven of those homes some dating back hundreds of years and some built in the last century for the 25th annual May in Montgomery house tour.
The tour, a fund-raiser for the Van Harlingen Historical Society, honored the various styles of houses that have sprung up through the years since Montgomery’s founding in the early 1700s.
"There can be no neat, crisply defined houses to show on this house tour," wrote Ursula Brecknell in the program guide distributed to participants. "All have had long lives, carried on with needed changes to suit the times, but each has retained sufficient traces of the inspiration of the original builder to tell of his times."
The tour invited residents to step back in time to search the long history of Montgomery, its residents and its homes.
"It’s a way for neighbors to meet and see something they might not have," said Marilyn Crane, a Rocky Hill resident and member of the historical society.
One of the oldest homes in the township, the Dirck Gulick house now serves as headquarters and library for the historical society.
The Gulick house, built in 1752, represents "in proportions and construction the favored form of original settlers in Montgomery Township," according to the guide distributed by the society.
But the house is unusual in its use of local stone rather than wood for construction and because it has two front entrances.
The house, which opened to the public on Saturday, has been closed for the past two years while it underwent renovations on its Victorian-era front porch and entry room, its first-floor ceilings to expose hand-hewn beams and its front dormer and replication of the roof with wood shingles.
The society received grants totaling $100,000 from the Somerset County Cultural and Heritage Commission and raised $40,000 through donations and other fund-raisers to renovate the house.
Traveling back in time to the 20th century and down to the road to the historic Blawenburg section of Montgomery sits a Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalog-bought house, shipped ready-to-build.
Originally just 22 by 24 feet, the house hosted a dining room, living room and kitchen on the first floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. An addition of two rooms on the first floor brings it to its form today.
Since its original construction, only about three different families have lived in the house, said current homeowner Robin Maestripieri.
"We’re not fancy people but we really love this house. It’s really unique all of the houses in town are huge," said Ms. Maestripieri, calling the house "charming."
A drive down leafy River Road will send the driver past the large, Victorian-style Van Derveer-Campbell house and farm.
The third house built on the farmland owned by the Van Derveer-Campbell family since 1770, it features large ceilings, a steep staircase and some of the original furniture. Originally built based on an Anglo-Norman design plan, the Van Derveer-Campbell family legend suggests the design was chosen as part of a "friendly rivalry between two well-to-do families," according to the guide.
For area residents who frequently drive by the house but have never ventured inside, the May in Montgomery tour provided a way to see the inside of the unique house.
"I’ve lived here many years and always drive past but have never been inside," said Mary Fenton, a docent for the Van Derveer-Campbell House.
Just a short distance down River Road is the Christopher Hoagland house, a mix of Dutch and Federal styles because the house was built in stages over the years.
The home was kept within the Hoagland family for a number of years and contains a small family burial ground, with a tombstone dating back to 1699, according to the guide. The deceivingly large house, built in 1739, contains several fireplaces that have not been used in a number of years and a handful of sitting areas.
Up on Harlingen Road not far from the intersection of Route 206 is Graebers’ Victorian Barn, now known as Bill Wright’s house, which differed markedly from other houses on the tour.
In 1989, Mr. Wright discovered a barn on farm property that was to be demolished because a developer had purchased the land. Mr. Wright found a lot not far from the barn’s original location, dismantled the barn, shortened it and had it rebuilt.
The exterior of the house sets an entirely different picture than what can be found on the interior. The spacious rooms, enormous second-floor ceilings and divided staircase make it suitable for the family and for the African art gallery housed on both floors of the house.
Crossing over Route 206 to Dutchtown-Harlingen Road, tour participants found the home of Cornelius Kershaw, a 18th-century judge.
Originally a one-and-a-half story house with a center hall and kitchen, the Kershaw house was later given a second-floor addition. The original kitchen still serves the house, though homeowners have upgraded it with modern equipment. The current owners, Kim and Loraine Otis, added a touch of Dutch to the kitchen with the addition of old Dutch tiles above the modern stove.
The final house on the tour, known as the Widow Whitenack house or the Batchelor Pad, is hardly viewable from where it sits on Route 518 in Blawenburg, nearly across from the Sears, Roebuck house.
Built in the mid-1830s, the house first served as home to a widow who wanted to live close to the church, according to the guide. More recently, a retired storekeeper and his wife lived in the two-room house with a lean-to kitchen, according to the society. The current owner has added a second story to the house with three bedrooms and a bathroom and has renovated the first floor.
This year, the historical society also offered a guided 13-mile bicycle tour of the homes at no additional cost, giving interested residents a new way to approach the tour and see Montgomery.
"The bike tour is better because people get to ride right up to the door, get to exercise and get to see the township intimately," said John Waltz, a member of the society who led the bike tour.
Proceeds from the May in Montgomery tour help to continue the preservation of the Gulick house.
For more information on the Van Harlingen Historical Society, visit its Web site, www.vanharlingen.org.