Rockingham, Kingston

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Rockingham

Rockingham was the home of John Berrien I (1712-1772) in what is now Franklin Township, New Jersey near Rocky Hill. The house has been moved within southern Franklin Township several times, and is now closer to the Franklin portion of Kingston than to Rocky Hill. The residence is a featured part of the Millstone River Valley Scenic Byway.

1 John Berrien
2 George Washington
3 House sold
4 Moves
5 Timeline
6 External link

[edit] John Berrien

John Berrien I was a wealthy farmer and merchant who would later become a New Jersey Supreme Court Justice. He bought the already constructed house in the 1730's and expanded the house with several additions. He called his plantation Rockingham, most likely naming it after the Marquess of Rockingham. Rockingham is the second oldest house in the Millstone River Valley. It was built sometime between 1702 and 1710.

[edit] George Washington

George Washington at Rockingham

General George Washington wrote his Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States, making Rockingham the last military headquarters of the American Revolutionary War. George and Martha Washington lived at Rockingham from August 23, 1783 to November 10, 1783.

[edit] House sold

In 1803, his widow sold the house to Frederick Cruser, who added more space and he lived there until 1841. The house changed hands many times until the 1890s when the property was bought by the Rocky Hill Quarry Company.

[edit] Moves

[edit] 1897 move

The first move of the house was in 1897 to remove it from the Rocky Hill Quarry Company property in Rocky Hill. Kate McFarlane helped create the Washington Headquarters Association of Rocky Hill, which raised the money to purchase the structure and move it away from the quarry. In August of 1897, the house was opened to the public. In 1935, ownership was turned over to the state of New Jersey.

[edit] 1956 move

By 1956, the quarry had expanded and the house again was too close to active quarrying. Rockingham was moved half a mile eastward along County Route 518.

[edit] 2001 move

The house made its final move in 2001, once again related to an expansion by the quarry. It is now on a 25-acre lot on CR 603 (Somerset County), adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal, on the outskirts of Kingston.