Marlpit Hall, c. 1762
137 Kings Highway
Middletown, NJ 07748
While four of the five historical houses owned by the Monmouth County Historical Association (MCHA) have ties to Patriots of the American Revolution, this house represents the residence of a Loyalist family. Both the structure and the site are rich in historical significance. The property was laid out as lot number 36 in the original 1667 survey of Middletown village. Early owner James Grover Jr. erected the kitchen section of the structure in 1686, making it one of the oldest surviving structures in New Jersey. It was built in a salt-box shape with a large keeping room in front, and one or two smaller rooms behind. Click here to learn more about this iconic structure.
Marlpit Hall is home to MCHA’s permanent exhibit, “Beneath the Floorboards.”
According to MCHA, “The telling of New Jersey’s history is often fragmented, with little remembrance of the thousands of men, women, and children living under forced servitude for more than two centuries. This exhibit is framed upon seven of these individuals: Ephraim, William, Elizabeth, Clarisse, Hannah, Tom, and York, all of whom once lived at Marlpit Hall.”
Extensive archival documentation, archaeological evidence, and objects from MCHA’s museum collection – some on view to the public for the first time – help tell the larger story of slavery in Monmouth County and New Jersey. The exhibit is open Friday – Sunday from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
BLACK HISTORY TRAIL: Click here to go back to Day 1, Stop 1: Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Click here to go to the next stop, Day 1, Stop 3: Count Basie Monument.
Sources:
Haas, Irvin. (1966). America’s Historic Houses and Restorations. Castle Books, New York, N.Y.
Smith, Brian Albert. (2005). Journey Through Time: The Ancestry of Brian Albert Smith, D.C. Self-published, April 5, 2022. Available: https://archive.org/details/Biographies-06/539%2004%2005%20v2%20Grover%20James%20III%20and%20Cheeseman%20Rebecca/page/n21/mode/2up?q=%22Marlpit+Hall%22
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