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Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings

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Explorers and Settlers
Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings


NOTHNAGLE HOUSE
New Jersey

Location: Gloucester County, on Paulsboro-Repaupo Road, 1/4 mile north of Repaupo.

A section of this house dates from the early colonial period. Evidently constructed by Swedes or Swedish-Finns, the house was originally a one-story, typical Swedish log structure, whitewashed and built of cross-piled, dove-tailed logs. The fireplace was located in the corner. The date of construction cannot be determined.

SWEDISH LOG CABIN
New Jersey

Location: Gloucester County, 1 mile north of Swedesboro.

This cabin, one of the few extant Swedish log cabins in the United States, stands on a plot of ground bought by Marten Martensson on March 9, 1685, some years after New Sweden had been conquered by the Dutch and then by the English. It was built in the 1680's, measures 12 by 15 feet, and is seven logs in height. The logs are dovetailed at the corners. A door, about 3 feet high, affords the only access. The cabin is located on a privately owned farm.

TRINITY EPISCOPAL (OLD SWEDES) CHURCH
New Jersey

Location: Gloucester County, on King's Highway at Raccoon Creek, Swedesboro.

The congregation of this church consisted of some of the first Swedish settlers, who arrived in the area before 1650. Dependent at first upon occasional ministerial visits, it later obtained permission for the schoolmaster to conduct regular services in a log cabin. After the War for Independence, the congregation constructed the present handsome edifice. The date of construction, 1784, is given on a circular stone set in the wall over the entrance, below the sloping eaves of the gabled roof.

The church was constructed of brick and stone, and the facade incorporates a striking Palladian window. At the opposite end of the building is a graceful white spire. When the Swedish Lutheran mission ended in 1789, the Episcopal Church fell heir to the building and has used it ever since. The Swedish heritage is attested to by several items in the church, including the old registers, a 1730 silver communion service, and a Swedish Bible and flag. Old tombstones in the churchyard hear the names of early Swedish settlers.

ZABRISKIE-VON STEUBEN HOUSE
New Jersey

Location: Bergen County, on New Bridge Road, 1/2 mile off N.J. 4, North Hackensack.

John and Peter Zabriskie, millers, built this interesting house between 1739 and 1752. An excellent example of early Dutch colonial construction, it is built of stone. It has a gambrel roof, front porch, and two front doors. Nine slender columns support the roof over the porch. The west wall contains a square stone plaque bearing the Zabriskies' initials, the date 1751, and a millwheel indicating the owners' business.

The house was confiscated during the War for Independence because the Zabriskies remained loyal to the Crown, and it served as headquarters for both armies during campaigns in New Jersey; it housed Gen. George Washington and Lord Charles Cornwallis. Gen. Frederick William Von Steuben, who was awarded the house and surrounding land in return for his services during the war, later sold it to the Zabriskies, after they had become citizens of the United States. The property is now owned by the State of New Jersey, and it is used as a museum and headquarters by the Bergen County Historical Society.

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http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/explorers-settlers/sitee19.htm
Last Updated: 22-Mar-2005