Historic District National Register Nomination
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FHR-8-300 (11-78> United States Department of the Interior Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service For HCRS usese onlonly H National Register of Historic Places received SEP 14: Inventory— Nomination Form date entered See instructions in How to Complete National Register Forms Type all entries — complete applicable sections 1. Name Bridgeton Historic District and/or common 2. Location K WL t^ (j«jr\ /< j /'e street & number Irregular pattern (see map attached) N/A. not for publication ' 6^ 1 So S city, town Bridgeton N/A . vicinity of congressional district 2nd state New Jersey code 34 county Cumberland code 011 3. Classification Category Ownership Status Present Use x district public X occupied agriculture museum builcHng($) private X unoccupied commercial structure _ X. both work in progress educational ^ private residence site Public Acquisition Accessible entertainment X religious object in process yes: restricted __ government scientific being considered X yes: unrestricted X industrial __ transportation N/A no military other; 4. Owner of Property name Multiple Ownership ( more -than 50 owners'^) street & number city, town vicinity of state 5. Location of Legal Description courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Cumberland County Court House street & number West Broad Street Bridgeton city, town state- New Jersey 6. Representation in Existing Surveys__________ Potter's Tavern, Saml. Seeley House, Stranger Law Office, Woodruff-Lee House, Buck-Elmer title House, Robert Elmer House, First has this property been determined eligible? ——yes _X_no Presbyterian Church, Gen. Giles House* date various 1936-1962 _?_ federal __ state __county __local depository for survey records Librar? of Congress city, town Washington state D.C. N.J. Historic Sites Inventory - 1979-1980, Bridgeton Survey, Office of Cultural and Environmental Services 1°9 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08625__ 7. Description Condition Check e«e Check one x excellent "^^"^Ofrazed unaMewid _JXL_ original site X good ruins x aHemd mowed date x fair imgynoaed Describe ttte present and original fif known} physical appe Bridgeton, New Jersey is unique geographically, architecturally, and socially. Rising to the east and west from the valley of the Cohansey River, Bridgeton is surrounded by an agricultural area of fields and some woodlands. The river, providing power and transportation, and the surrounds, providing abundant produce as well as sand and minerals, made it a natural center for commerce and industry. The early settlers in the late seventeenth and early eighteen centuries made use of the river for sawmills, later inhabitants started iron and woolen mills, and in the nineteenth century can ning, glass making and machine industries boomed. Although most of the industries and their structures are now gone, the residential, commercial, and institutional build ings which remain attest to the success and stability of Bridgeton in the nineteenth century. Large architect designed buildings, the symbols of the wealth and power of their inhabitants, sit side by side with the more modest A-Front Double as evidence of a cohesive society which contributed not only to its region but to the nation and the world. The proposed National Register District covers some 616 acres and consists of two *^- areas, one large, one small, containing a large part of Bridgeton's commercial center and residential neighborhoods, as well as some industrial sites. The larger section, enclosed by an irregular line, comprises eighteen and nineteenth century residential, commercial, and industrial areas of the city. The smaller sectionis a rough rectangle enclosing a primarily nineteenth century residential area. The two sections are separated by a state highway and a vacant redevelopment site. Bridgeton grew as two villages, one on each side of the Cohansey River. The site was *" unique in that it was surrounded by hills in otherwise flat countryside. Well placed at a point where the river itself is relatively narrow and; unlike areas further upstream and downstream, not surrounded by flood prone marshland, the two villages grew. Cohansey, the village on the west side of the river was laid out in a grid pattern. The village on the east side of the River was simply called "The Bridge" and developed within a narrow strip along East Commerce Street, a road which led away to the east and south from the bridge. Long before the town was incorporated in 1865 the villages were locally labeled as Bridge Town, pronounced Bridgeton. The Bridgeton Historic ^J!)^t:xic±.^nci^ t/ institutional buildings, one major industrial complex, and several archeological sites. There are sixty-seven intrusions within the boundaries of the district. These are generally commercial structures, such as gas stations or "7-11" markets or modern factory and warehouse buildings. The integrity of individual buildings varies, with some virtually perfect examples, and others on which original detail still exists obscured by easily removable modern accretions. The district as a whole has integrity in that it contains the evidence of the entire social and architectural history of Bridgeton. The various elements are unified by common building forms, lot sizes, the tree lined streets, presenting a complete view of a nineteenth century culture. Lots generally run 50' x 150', a tradition established early and still maintained. The large size gives ample room for grass, trees, and other plantings, affording 8. Significance Period Areas off Significance — Check and justify below prehistoric archeology-prehistoric community planning landscape architecture religion 1400-1499 x archeology-historic conservation law science 1500-1599 agriculture economics literature sculpture 1600-1699 x architecture education military social/ _J_ 1700-1 799 art engineering music humanitarian 1800-1899 x commerce exploration/settlement philosophy theater X 1900- communications X industry politics/government X transportation x invention other (specify) N/A Specific dates N/A Builder/Architect Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Bridgeton is significant because its industrial, architectural, and social heritage is unique. It is a nineteenth century town whose extraordinary diversity of industry and commerce gave it rare economic stability, and whose benevolent paternalism gave it an equally rare social stability. It has a great variety of architectural designs unified by one form, the vernacular A-Front Double House. The history of Bridgeton covers a span of almost three hundred years and its heritage is significant in a number of areas, all of which are represented in the proposed district. The architecture includes examples from the eighteenth century to the twentieth, with a predominance of nineteenth century buildings, both modest and extravagant, by local builders and well known architects, which comprise a textbook of that century's styles. Particularly notable is the local vernacular A-Front Double, which forms the basis for a variety of treatments throughout the nineteenth century. The survey on which this nomination is based did not include archeological investiga tion. Some work has already been done by John Milner on the Cumberland Nail and Iron Works site. Other areas probably also have potential, although most of the industrial and commercial sites have undergone so many changes that retrieving clear data may be difficult. The Ferracute Machine Company is the most recently vacated site and has remained relatively undisturbed since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1903. Other possible areas are Mill Town, Indian Fields, and the banks of the river. The areas deemed to have most potential are included in the district. Bridgeton was, in the nineteenth century, the commercial center of West Jersey. It was the trading point for the abundant agricultural produce of the area. Its numerous canning and glass factories sent their wares throughout the nation via river, road, and rail. Its most impressive industry, the Ferracute Machine Company and its founder, the inventor Oberlin Smith, were famous throughout the world, and made significant contributions to manufacturing technology. The first known settler, Richard Hancock, set up a sawmill sometime in the 1680's, and Bridgeton grew steadily, although modestly, throughout the 18th century as two sep arate towns, one on each side of the river. The early settlers of the area were migrants from New England in search of a milder physical and spiritual climate. They brought with them a style of architecture - braced frame clapboard box-like buildings - and a strong belief in education and Christian principles. Industrious, thrifty, and conservative, they laid the groundwork for stable commercial and social institu tions and early set the cornerstones of churches and schools. They also established the town as the seat of Cumberland County and as an official U.S. Port of Entry. In addition, these early settlers spawned lawyers and doctors who represented the area in state and national government (Drs. Jonathan and Ebenezer Elmer) and distinguished themselves in the Revolutionary War (The Drs. Elmer and Cols. Potter, Buck and Seeley) . The Society of St. Tammany was founded by Dr. Ebenezer Elmer in 1787 at his house on Vine Street. U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1981 0 - 330-456 9. Major Bibliographical References See Continuation Sheet 10. Geographical Data Arrcagc nf nominated property 616 Acreage of area bounded by UTMf s: 935 Quadrangle name Shiloh, Bridgeton, NJ Quadrangle scale 1:24,000 UMT References A I li S\ I 4l 81 d 3i li d I 4| 3| 61 5| 61 5i d |_iJ k Is lo Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing C I li 8| | 4| fr 1| 2, 8, (j | 4( 3| 6, 3| 9, 3, q DJJJ |4 |7 ,9 |7 ,1 ,0 | 14.316,319,9,01 E I 1. 8| |4| 7, 9| 7, 6, q I 4, 3| 6, 2j 8, 5, q FLU I4 I7 i8 I9 |3 .0 1 |4 ,3 |6 ,3 11,4,0 | G I 1. 8| I 4| 7| 8| 4, 5. d 1 4| 3| 6, 4 7i 2, d H|_iJ K I7 i9 I7 »8 i° i 14,316.416^,01 Verbal boundary description and justification See attached map and continuation sheet.