List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey

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This article attempts to list the oldest extant buildings surviving in the state of New Jersey in the United States of America, including the oldest houses in New Jersey and any other surviving structures. Some dates are approximate and based upon dendrochronology, architectural studies, and historical records. Sites on the list are generally from the First Period of American architecture or earlier. To be listed here a site must:

  • date from prior to 1776; or
  • be the oldest building in a county, large city, or oldest of its type (church, government building, etc.),
Building Image Place Year Purpose Notes
C. A. Nothnagle Log House Gibbstown c. 1638–43 Residence Purportedly the oldest surviving log house in the U.S., once part of New Sweden, and the oldest house in NJ, and hence Gloucester County[1][2]
Swedish Granary[3][4] Hopewell

Greenwich

 1650/1780s Relocated. Once part of New Sweden, purportedly the oldest surviving building of its type in the US and likely oldest structure in Cumberland County[1] Dendrochronology study from 2018 states a date in the 1780s.[5]
Sip Manor[6][7][8] Jersey City
Westfield		 1666 Residence Originally part of Bergen, New Netherland, relocated in 1926 from Hudson County[9][10] and now oldest building in Union County[11][12]
Parker Homestead Little Silver 1667 Residence One of the oldest homes in Monmouth County[13]
Old Mill at Tinton Falls Tinton Falls c. 1674 Mill
Obisquahassit[14][15][1] Lower Penns Neck 1678 Residence Oldest house in Salem County

Obisquahassit was the sachem who sold land to Anders Seneca, son of one of the first settlers to New Sweden who bought a large tract before Fenwick's Colony was established.

Stone House by the Stone House Brook[16][17] South Orange pre-1680 Residence Oldest house in Essex County. Original stone walls are visible within enveloping Queen Anne Victorian added in two stages in 1876 and prior to 1896.
Nathaniel Bonnell House Elizabeth 1682 (1670) Oldest house in Elizabethtown, original capital of Province of New Jersey and oldest original building in Union County
6 West Pearl Street
Penn's Brew House		 Burlington 1682 Residence Oldest brewhouse in state
Aaron Dunn Homestead Woodbridge 1685[18] Residence Possibly the oldest house in Woodbridge and Middlesex County.
Buckelew Mansion Jamesburg c. 1685[19][20] Residence One room in the house dates to c. 1685, possibly oldest in Middlesex County. House was expanded, most recently in the 19th century, and is also known as Lakeview
Revell House[21][1] Burlington 1685 Residence Oldest house in Burlington County
Chew–Powell House Gloucester Township 1688 Residence Oldest house in Camden County[1]
Ladd's Castle West Deptford Township c. 1688–90 Residence Home to the surveyor John Ladd who assisted William Penn in planning Philadelphia.[1] Oldest brick house in Gloucester County
Hendrick Fisher House[22][23] Franklin 1688 Residence Oldest structure in Somerset County
substantially renovated in early 20th century, now owned by Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
Newkirk House[24][25] Jersey City c. 1690 Commercial Oldest building in Hudson County, originally built as homestead
Caesar Hoskins Log Cabin Mauricetown 1690 Residence Oldest house in Cumberland County
Robinson Plantation House[26] Clark c. 1690 Residence
Coxe Hall Cottage[27][1] Cold Spring 1691 Museum Oldest extant structure in Cape May County once part of complex belonging to Daniel Coxe. Relocated/reconstructed at Historic Cold Spring Village
Griffith Morgan House Pennsauken Township 1693 Residence
Joseph Cooper House[1] Camden 1695 Abandoned Oldest house in Camden
Roof burnt about 2005 and in danger of complete collapse.
Schuyler-Colfax House[28] Wayne 1695 Residence Oldest buildings in Passaic County
John Mason House Elsinboro 1695 Residence Oldest part has patterned brick, date stone marked 1695[29][30]
St. John's Parsonage Elizabeth 1696 Parsonage Oldest religious building in Elizabeth
Thomas Maskel House Greenwich Township 1698 Residence
Andrews-Barlett Homestead[31][32] Tuckerton Seaport 1699 Unused Likely the oldest house in Ocean County[1]
Mortonson–Van Leer Log Cabin Swedesboro c. 1700 One of the oldest Swedish-Finnish log buildings in America, adjacent to Trinity Church Cemetery
Hinchman-Lippincott House Haddon Heights c. 1700 Residence First home in Haddon Heights, New Jersey
Westerbrook–Bell House[33][34] Sandyston Township c. 1701 Residence Oldest house in Sussex County
St. Mary's Episcopal Church Burlington 1703 Religious Oldest church in New Jersey[35]
Mullica House Mullica Hill 1704 Residence Built by Swedish settler (with Finnish ancestry) Eric Mullica. Log house, which has survived more than 300 years and also Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed many other buildings.
Mead–Van Duyne House Wayne 1706 Museum Second oldest surviving Dutch stone house in Passaic County[36]
Isaac Watson House[37] Hamilton 1708 Museum Oldest building in Mercer County, restored in 1964 as headquarters of the NJ Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Jonathan Singletary Dunham House Woodbridge Township 1709 Residence Built by Jonathan Singletary Dunham, who built the first gristmill in New Jersey and was a member of the New Jersey Assembly[38] Date of 1709 ascertained through tree-ring dating.
Rockingham Rocky Hill
Kingston		 c. 1710 Museum John Berrien's house served as the headquarters for George Washington and the Continental Army from August 23, 1783 to November 10, 1783.
The house has been relocated three times: 1897, 1956, and 2001.[39]
Plume House Newark 1710 Rectory Located near I-280 the house is threatened by pollution and vibration, and considered one of the 10 most threatened historical sites in the state[40]
Burrough-Dover House Pennsauken Township 1710 Residence
Sydenham House Newark 1711 Residence Oldest private home in Newark
John Holcombe House Delaware Township 1711 Museum Part of Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead Museum. Oldest house in Hunterdon County[41][42][43]
Shinn Curtis Log House Mount Holly 1712
Perth Amboy City Hall Perth Amboy 1714–1717 City hall Oldest city hall in US
Woodbury Friends' Meetinghouse[44] Woodbury 1715 Religious Oldest Friends meeting house
Seaville Friends Meeting House[45] Seaville 1717 Religious Friends meeting house
William Green House Ewing Township, New Jersey 1717-1830 Residence (abandoned) On grounds of The College of New Jersey
William Trent House Trenton 1719 Residence Oldest house in Trenton, the state capitol, and served unofficially as governor's residence
Martin Berry House Pequannock Township 1720 Residence Former residence of Samuel Berry, Berry's were first family to settle Pompton Plains
Matthias Hendricke Smock House[46] Piscataway 1720 Residence
Seabrook–Wilson House Middletown 1720 Family tradition states that the house was built in 1663 by Thomas Whitlock, who came to the colony in 1648.
Van Wickle House[47] Franklin Township 1722 House
Daniel Demarest House Dumont 1724 Residence Oldest building in Bergen County
Peachfield Westampton Township 1725
Somers Mansion Somers Point 1725 Residence Oldest intact house in Atlantic County[48]
Van Veghten House Finderne c. 1725 Museum Headquarters of Quartermaster General Nathanael Greene during the second (winter of 1778–79) Middlebrook encampment in the American Revolutionary War[49]
Solitude House High Bridge c. 1725 Unused Home of Robert Taylor, superintendent of the Union Iron Works, founded 1742. Temporary prison for John Penn and Benjamin Chew during the American Revolutionary War.[50]
Davenport–Demarest House Montville c. 1730 Residence
Morven Princeton 1730 Residence Served as the state's first Governor's mansion from 1945–1981.
Joseph Ware House Hancock's Bridge c. 1730 Residence
Holcombe House Lambertville c. 1733 Residence Served as the headquarters of George Washington and the Continental Army, July 1777 and June 1778.[51]
Hancock House Lower Alloways Creek Township 1734 Residence Major John Graves Simcoe led approximately 300 British soldiers and Queen's Rangers through a marsh and across Alloway Creek to surround Hancock House. They surprised 20 to 30 members of the local militia stationed there, along with Judge Hancock, killing most of them.
Old Salem County Courthouse Salem 1735 Courthouse Oldest active courthouse in New Jersey and second oldest courthouse in continuous use in the United States.[52] Enlarged in 1817 and 1908, served as the courthouse for Salem County until 1969 and today for Salem City Municipal Court.[53][54]
Wortendyke Barn Park Ridge 1735 Barn One of oldest New World Dutch barns
Woodruff House Hillside 1735 Residence/Hillside Historical Society
Samuel Mickle House Haddonfield 1736 Residence First home in Haddonfield, New Jersey
Droeschers Mill Cranford 1737 Commercial Oldest continuously operated commercial building in New Jersey
Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting Upper Freehold Township 1737 Church Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House, oldest Baptist Meetinghouse[55]
Buccleuch Mansion New Brunswick 1739 Residence Visited by several prominent men, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, General Kosciusko, General Gates, and John Hancock.
Hopper-Goetschius House Upper Saddle River 1739
Homestead Farm at Oak Ridge Clark c. 1720–1740
Cedar Bridge Tavern Barnegat c. 1740 Unoccupied Believed to contain oldest intact bar in the U.S. Site of the last skirmish of the American Revolutionary War.
The Red House Ringwood c. 1740 Unoccupied Oldest structure in Ringwood, NJ, located on the grounds of Ringwood State Park.[56]
Dey Mansion Wayne 1740 Residence Served as the headquarters of George Washington and the Continental Army from October to November 1780.
Staats House South Bound Brook c. 1740 Residence Served as the headquarters of Baron William Frederick Von Steuben in the spring of 1779.
Van Vorst House[57] Jersey City c. 1740 Residence Oldest private home in Jersey City
Van Wagenen House Jersey City ca 1740s Museum Undergoing restoration per 2009
Ayers-Allen House
aka Allen House Tavern		 Metuchen, New Jersey ca 1740 40°32′40″N 74°21′52″W / 40.54444°N 74.36444°W / 40.54444; -74.36444
Oxford Furnace Oxford 1741 Furnace First hot blast furnace in United States
Cornelius Low House Piscataway 1741 Residence
Hutchings Homestead Springfield 1741 Residence Colloquially known as the "Cannon Ball House", it served as a British field hospital during the Battle of Springfield (1780)
Updike Parsonage Barn Cranbury 1741 Barn One of oldest barns in state
Trinity Church Newark 1742 Church Oldest church in Newark
Joseph Shinn House Woodstown 1742 Residence Also known as the Old Red House
Richard Holcombe House Delaware Township 1744 Unused Expanded in 1811.[58]
Nathaniel Drake House Plainfield 1746 Museum George Washington briefly stayed at the house during the Battle of Short Hills. Currently operated as the Drake House Museum and home of the Historical Society of Plainfield.
Thomas West House Westville 1746 Residence [59]
Westervelt–Ackerson House Ramsey 1747 Museum Also known as the Old Stone House, oldest home in Ramsey, NJ and home of the Ramsey Historical Association.
Zion Lutheran[60] Oldwick 1749 Church Oldest Lutheran church in New Jersey
Boxwood Hall Elizabeth c. 1750 Residence Home of Elias Boudinot, signer of the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the 10th President of the Continental Congress 1782–1783.
Indian King Tavern Haddonfield 1750 Tavern Served as the meeting place for the New Jersey General Assembly to ratify the Declaration of Independence and adopt the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey in 1777.
Isaac Onderdonk House Piscataway 1750 Residence
Simon Van Duyne House Montville c. 1750 Residence
Old Dutch Parsonage Somerville 1751 Parsonage Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh lived here and helped establish Queen's College, now known as Rutgers University. The original site was on the north side of the street, just east of the Wallace House, but the house was moved west when the railroad went through its original location.
Old Tennent Church Manalapan 1751 Church Used as a field hospital during the Battle of Monmouth [61]
Vreeland Homestead Nutley c. 1751 Museum Operated by the Nutley Historical Society.[62]
Mount Holly Firehouse Mount Holly 1752 Firehouse Oldest firehouse in the US, established by what is now the oldest continuously operating volunteer fire department in the US[63][64]
Steuben House New Bridge Landing 1752 Museum
Neshanic Reformed Church Hillsborough Township 1752 Church Oldest church in New Jersey that is continuously used for its original purpose.[65]
Dirck Gulick House Montgomery Township 1752 Museum Operated by the Van Harlingen Historical Society
Covenhoven House Freehold, New Jersey 1752-53 Museum
Bishop–Irick Farmstead Vincentown 1753 House Headquarters and Visitors Center for the Pinelands Preservation Alliance[66]
Nassau Hall Princeton 1754 Academic Housed the entire United States government in 1783
Holmes-Hendrickson House Holmdel 1754[67] Residence
Dickinson House (Alloway, New Jersey) Alloway Township, New Jersey 1754 Residence
Johannes Parlaman House Montville 1755 Residence
Shippen Manor Oxford 1755 Residence Possibly oldest house in Warren County
John Van Doren House Millstone c. 1755 Residence Served as the headquarters for George Washington, the night of January 3–4, 1777 after the Battle of Princeton.
Gabreil Daveis Tavern House Glendora 1756 Tavern also known as the Hillman Hospital House, this tavern was built in 1756 near the Big Timber Creek and housed boatmen who used the creek to ship goods to Philadelphia. It was designated a hospital by George Washington during the Revolutionary War.
Samuel Fleming House Flemington 1756 House also known as Flemington Castle, is an historic home located in Flemington, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. The building is now operated as a museum. It is the oldest surviving house in the borough. It is part of the Flemington Historic District.
Alloways Creek Friends Meetinghouse Hancock's Bridge 1756 Residence
Steele-Condit House Roseland 1757 Residence Built approx 1720–1730. First recorded in 1757. Post-and-Beam construction. Oldest house in Roseland.[68] Served as first school to area.
Old Barracks Trenton 1758 Military Last of its type, now National Historic Landmark & museum
Brainerd Schoolhouse[69][70] Mount Holly 1759 School Oldest one room school, now a museum
William Chamberlain House[71] East Amwell 1760 Residence
Haines/Tomlinson House[72] Medford, New Jersey 1760 Residence Oldest structure in Medford
John Reading Farmstead Raritan Township 1760 Residence Home of John Reading, former governor of New Jersey, 1757–1758.
White Hill Mansion Fieldsboro 1760 unused [73][74][75][76][77][78][79]
Mount Bethel Baptist Meetinghouse Warren Township 1761 Museum In Somerset County
John Newbold House Chesterfield Township c. 1761 Inn At Fernbrook Farms in Burlington County
Proprietary House Perth Amboy 1762 Government Oldest remaining colonial proprietary governor's residence in the original Thirteen States
Seven Stars Tavern Pilesgrove Township 1762 Tavern In Salem County
Van Syckel's Tavern Van Syckel 1763 Tavern In Hunterdon County.[80]
Caspar Westervelt House Teaneck 1763 Residence
Sandy Hook Light Sandy Hook 1764 Lighthouse Oldest surviving lighthouse in the United States.
Franklin House Woodbury pre-1765 Residence Built before 1765 and originally a log cabin, the oldest surviving house in Woodbury was bought by a Joseph Franklin in 1823, and remained in his family until 1911. The exterior logs are intact but now have weatherboard cladding. Its front door, exposed beams, and one fireplace made from square handmade bricks are original.[81][82][83]
Thatcher House Kingwood Township 1765 Residence
George Jr. and Sarah Morgan House Washington Township c. 1765 Museum
Kingsland Manor Nutley 1768 Residence Built as a farmhouse in 1768 and expanded between 1790 and 1796 by Joseph Kingsland.
Samuel Johnson House Franklin Corners c. 1770 Residence
Liberty Hall Union 1772 Residence The home of William Livingston the first governor of New Jersey.
Rancocas Friends Meeting House Rancocas 1772 Religious
Crosswicks Friends Meeting House Crosswicks 1773 Religious
Christ Church New Brunswick 1773 (tower) Church Episcopal Church, founded in 1742.
Campbell-Christie House River Edge 1774 Museum Part of Historic New Bridge Landing
Ford Mansion Morristown 1774 Museum The headquarters of George Washington and the Continental Army during the "Hard Winter" from December 1779 until May 1780.
Boudinot–Southard Farmstead Bernards Township pre-1776 Residence Elias Boudinot moved here in November 1776.
Wallace House Somerville 1776 Residence Served as headquarters of General George Washington during the second Middlebrook encampment (1778–79)

Post 1776

Building Image Location First Built Use Notes
First Reformed Dutch Church Hackensack 1781 Religious Oldest Dutch Reformed Church
Rahway and Plainfield Friends Meeting House Plainfield 1788 Religious First house of worship in Plainfield
New Jersey State House Trenton 1792 Government Second oldest statehouse in continuous use in the U.S.[84]
Old Queens New Brunswick 1809 Academic Oldest building at Rutgers University.
Burlington County Prison Mount Holly 1811 Prison Possibly oldest prison building, which operated from 1811 to 1965
Pompton Reformed Church Pompton Lakes 1814 Religious
Barrow Mansion Jersey City c. 1835 Private home Adapted as community center beginning in 1890s
Stratford Quaker Store Stratford c. 1840 General Store Foundation from 1740s, rebuilt circa 1840
Jonathan Pyne House Cape May 1844 Residence In Cape May County.[1] 2006 Dendrochronological survey provided date of 1844.
Saint Francis Roman Catholic Church Trenton 1846 Church Oldest Roman Catholic church. Catholics became entitled to own property only with the passage of the state's revised constitution in 1840.[85]
Spermacetti Cove Life-saving Station Sandy Hook
Highlands		 1849 Maritime Last surviving of first federally built by United States Life-Saving Service
Relocated from Fort Hancock to Navesink Twin Lights in 1954[86][87]
Long-a-Coming Depot Berlin 1856 Rail station Oldest railroad station
Ramsey Station Ramsey 1868 Railroad Station Oldest passenger station in service
Market St. Firehouse Morristown 1870 Firehouse Oldest firehouse in Morris County
Mount Pisgah AME Church[88] Salem 1871 Church Oldest African Methodist Episcopal Church
Chalfonte Hotel[89] Cape May 1876 Hotel Oldest continuously operated hotel on the East Coast of the US and contributing property to the Cape May Historic District.
Congregation Adas Emuno Hoboken 1883 Synagogue Oldest surviving synagogue building in New Jersey[90]
Weehawken Water Tower Weehawken 1883 Water tower Possibly oldest water tower
East Jersey State Prison East Jersey State Prison Avenel 1901 Prison
Better known by its original name, Rahway State Prison, oldest operating prison
Firemen's Insurance Company Building Newark 1910 Skyscraper The 220 foot (67m) 19 story building is the oldest existing skyscraper is located in the Four Corners Historic District[91][92][93]
Max's Diner Harrison 1927 Restaurant Oldest diner[94][95]
Newark Airport Administration Building Newark 1935 Aviation First airport terminal in the United States[96]

relocated in 2002[97][98][99]

Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station Forked River 1969 Nuclear power station Oldest operating nuclear power station in the United States
Either the Caesars Atlantic City or Bally's Atlantic City Atlantic City 1979 Gambling Casino Oldest legal purpose-built gambling casino. (While Resorts Casino Hotel is a year older, it used an existing building for its business, Haddon Hall. Caesar's expanded a pre-existing building for its casino.)
Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm Atlantic City 2005 Wind farm The first coastal wind farm in the United States and New Jersey's first wind farm, consisting of five towers

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References

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