The Friends of the Crawford House will serve as the host to a grand opening event to showcase the newly renovated historic family residence to the public from on June 25 in Tinton Falls.
The structure stands at 750 Tinton Falls Ave. while the event will start at 1 p.m. and run until 3 p.m.
The Friends of the Crawford House, a non-profit group, has been formed to assist the borough in developing and implementing programming at the house. One of the Friends’ initial endeavors is a community garden on the property, part of which supports a farm stand, open Saturday mornings in the summer on the porch of the house. The farm stand draws visitors to the house, and all proceeds benefit the Friends and their activities, according to information prepared by the Friends of the Crawford House.
The historic Crawford house in Tinton Falls, after almost 15 years of renovation, is finally ready for public use. The Borough acquired the house with the goal of creating a home for local history and a facility for public gatherings. With the help of numerous grants and a small army of volunteers, that goal is being realized. The Crawford House recently participated in the Weekend in Old Monmouth, an annual event organized by the Monmouth County Historical Commission to provide access to important local historic sites throughout the county, according to information provided by the Friends of the Crawford House.
The Crawford House was built circa 1825 and is one of only a few remaining early nineteenth century houses in Monmouth County that has a one and a half story, heavy timber Dutch frame. It was the home of four generations of the Crawford family, who ran their family abattoir and butcher shop on the property from 1865 to the mid-1960’s.
In addition to their business, the Crawford family was an integral part of the community. Allen Crawford was a founding member of the nearby Tinton Falls Fire Company No.1, and tax collector for the town. His wife Ruth assisted and succeeded her husband as tax collector, working in that position for more than 40 years until retiring in 1973. During most of that time, the tax office was in the Crawford home, according to information provided by th Friends of the Crawford House.
The house passed out of the family after Ruth’s death in 1987. It is currently owned by the Borough of Tinton Falls and has been renovated for public use. The property is also the site of a slave burial ground that dates back to Lewis Morris’s 17th century ironworks. The Historic Preservation Commission and the Environmental Commission, two groups of Tinton Falls volunteers appointed by the mayor, use the house at their office and meeting space. The house provides gallery space for exhibits and information about local history, and is available to community groups for meetings or gatherings, according to information provided by the Friends of the Crawford House.
For more information about the Crawford House visit www.tintonfalls.com/content/121/673/267/1200/2478.aspx or visit the Friends of the Crawford Facebook page.