Historic sites in Marlboro Township, New Jersey

Marlboro Township, New Jersey has a number of historic sites. The Monmouth County Historic Site Inventory (HSI) was started in 1980 by the directors of both the Monmouth County Historical Association and the Monmouth County Park System. This inventory project provided an inventory number to all historic properties in Monmouth County, New Jersey. In addition to property details, this listing provides reference numbers for easy identification. In addition to the park system inventory, the Marlboro Township Historic Commission provides a listing of Historic Commission Landmarks (HCL).^[1] These are physical signs placed in historically significant locations.

Listings

• Here is a listing of historically relevant property and buildings in Marlboro as referenced by the HSI and the HCL:^[2]

• When the creator of this inventory was asked about the missing number in the Inventory; the response was that the missing inventory numbers ("Currently Unknown") may indicate that the building no longer exists... or was demolished during the listing process.
• The Historical Sites Inventory is now an abandoned project. The document is still available on request from the Monmouth County Park System.^[3]
  

Addison Hobart House

The house was built in 1828. Marlboro Historic Commission placed a marker at 9 North Main Street, Marlboro NJ. The marker states "This was once the home of Addison Hobart, a businessman, teacher, postmaster, and Commissioner of Deeds. Garrett Hobart, his son, lived in this house and later entered politics, ultimately becoming Vice President of the United States in 1896 under William McKinley. Garrett Hobart died in 1899."^[4] The building is located on North Main Street in Marlboro, directly next to the fire house. While Garrett Hobart lived in this house he was a school teacher^[5] before going to college at Rutgers. The house is currently used as an art studio.^[6]

Collier Estate

The main house was built, circa 1904. Its location is at the street entrance: Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Pleasant Valley Road, Marlboro NJ. The significance of the building was used as a "Rest Hill,". It was an assemblage of many old farmsteads, purchased for a vacation home by magazine publisher Peter F. Collier. His son, Robert, was an aviation enthusiast who purchased the first Wright Brothers biplane and housed it at the estate. This plane provided pilot training for Sir Thomas Sopwith who went on to build many of the airplanes used in World War I.^[7] The porch is a replica of Mount Vernon. Robert's widow, Sarah Van Alen, donated the estate in 1927 to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.^[8] After the estate was donated to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, it was converted to a High School.^[9]

Hortensia

Built in 1686 by John Reid an early settler. Hortensia was a tract of 200 acres situated on the East branch of the Hop Rook. The Marlboro Township Historic Commission placed a sign, now lost, on Pleasant Valley Road near the Winding Brook. The sign stated "This was the site of a home built by John Reid, an early settler. As a New Jersey surveyor, Reid drew the dividing line between East and West New Jersey, an early important geographical boundary. The New Jersey Historic Sites Inventory called the site an important farmstead and the home a notable architectural example. It was demolished in the 1990’s."^[10][11]

Marlborough Hotel

Historic Commission sign located on School Road West - at the corner of School Road West and Route 79. Sign reads "A tavern and inn, owned by John Buck, stood on this site in 1780, in this area once called Buckstown. The Marlboro Hotel was built at this stagecoach stop by Hiriah Smalley and served as a gathering place until 1919. The hotel was demolished in 1996."^[12] Hotel was torn down to make room for a parking lot for the Marlboro Township fire department. The hotel was originally known as "Bucks Tavern" which was a one acre site where it was then changed to "Rogers Tavern" during the Revolutionary War.^[13] It was used as a road side tavern / hotel since then. At some point following the township receiving the name "Marlborough" the tavern became known by this name. Following 1919, it was used as apartment residences upstairs and various stores in the bottom part of the structure until it was abandoned in 1984.^[14] Following this time, the structure was unused until it was torn down over 10 years later.^[15][16]

Old Scots Burial Grounds

On the National Register of Historic Places since August 2001, is Old Scots Burial Grounds, which was established around 1705.^[17] Under active study, archaeologist Gerard Scharfenberger is working to excavate the foundation of the original Old Scots Meeting House as well as any unmarked graves on the property. This is the original location where the congregation of the Old Tennent Presbyterian Church once met.^[18] It is also part of the site where the Battle of Monmouth was fought.^[19], Old Tennent Presbyterian Church. Accessed June 1, 2015.</ref> John Boyd, the first Presbyterian minister trained in the New World, was buried here in 1708.

Old Robertsville School

Originally built in 1832, Robertsville Elementary School was once a one-room schoolhouse that was built on the corner of Tennent and Union Hill Roads. It was remodeled/rebuilt in 1912 and used for special education purposes at that time. This building is still standing today. The current Robertsville School was constructed in 1968 down the road from the original schoolhouse. It is believed to have been named after Matthew Roberts, a prominent businessman in the day.^[20] This is a Marlboro Township Historical Commission Landmark location. The Historical Commission has a sign located on the corner of Tennent Road and Union Hill Road. The sign reads "The first school building on this site also was used for Methodist services by the congregation that evolved into the Robertsville Bible Church. The church constructed its own building in 1833. By 1912, the original schoolhouse was replaced with the present building. It is no longer used by students."^[21]

Old Saint Gabriel's Church

This church was built in 1878. It is located on Route 520, in the Bradeveldt section of Marlboro. The significance of this building was its use by the congregation of St. Gabriel. Organized in 1871 the congregation constructed this Victorian Gothic church in 1878. Although a new church and rectory were constructed on Route 79 in 1972, and a parish center in the 1980s, this building has remained in continuous use. Frequently used for weddings and other similar events.^[22]

Vanderveer House

Vanderveer House was built circa 1722. The house is not largely visible from the road. There is a Marlboro Township Historic Commission sign at the road at location 176 Ryan Road, Marlboro, NJ. The sign reads "Original elements still remain in this Colonial home, which once belonged to Tunis Vanderveer, a large landowner. The house was used as a locating point in drawing the boundaries of Marlborough Township in 1848 when it became independent from Freehold Township."^[21]

The Marlboro Tree

Discovered in 1997 and located near one of the Big Brook tributaries, The Marlboro Tree, a massive black willow tree has been certified by the New Jersey Forest Service as a "State Champion" tree, signifying that it is the largest known tree of its species in the State of New Jersey, and the largest tree of any kind in Marlboro Township. It is about 152 years old and measures 76 feet (23 m) high and 19' 8" in circumference. Five grown people must hold hands to fully encircle the tree.^[23]

Topanemus Cemetery

The cemetery dates back to the 1600’s. Many of the area founding fathers from Freehold, Bayshore, Matawan, and Marlboro are buried there. Other, important people in the founding of Monmouth County such as John Reid, John Anderson, and Thomas Warne as well as 4 of Matawan’s original 24 founders are buried there. Topanemus Cemetery developed out of the need for a cemetery for the Topanemus settlement which was an original settlement for the Marlboro Area. The cemetery is believed to be the oldest in Monmouth County, apart from some individual sequestered family burial plots. The Cemetery is known to contain many historically significant and/or famous people of the time. There are believed to be 112 known graves in the cemetery.^[24]

September 11 Memorial

A memorial was constructed in memory of the 14 township residents killed as the result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Located near the Marlboro Recreation Center, the memorial consists of a circle of flowering dogwoods, surrounding benches and a memorial fountain on the township municipal grounds.^[25] The memorial was badly damaged and is currently being renovated after a serious motor vehicle accident in 2009.

Retreat of the British Army

The Battle of Monmouth as well as a number of skirmishes were fought near Marlboro Township during the American Revolutionary War. Many area placards and signs can be found on the local roads to identify specific local events from the battle. The Marlboro Township area farms were often raided by the British for food supplies and local livestock taken from area farmers. Following defeat in this battle, the British retreated from the area to their ships in the bay. A local state park, Monmouth Battlefield State Park, nearby in Freehold Township and Manalapan Township provides local reference to this historic event. Historic Commission Marker located at 52 Dutch Lane Road, Marlboro, NJ. Historic sign reads "Retreat of the British Army, June 1778 - Following their defeat at the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War, the British forces retreated down Dutch Lane Road under the cover of darkness. The troops were subject to heavy sniper fire from the Monmouth Militia as they sought to reach a British fleet anchored off Sandy Hook."^[1][26]

Liberty Hall/Hardy Blacksmith Shop

Liberty Hall also went by the name of Alfred Hardy & Son Blacksmith Shop, was a small brick building located on Route 79 in the small section of Morganville. The building was reportedly built around 1880. The building name could faintly be seen in scripted letters painted over the door of the building. The blacksmith shop operated into the early 20th century and was one of the last blacksmith operations in the area. Following the blacksmith shop closing, the building housed a machine shop until 1942 when a small defense contractor, Lavoie Laboratories bought it to produce radio gear for the military.^[27] In 1966, Lavoie sold it to Entron Industries, a manufacturer of missile circuitry that occupied the building until the mid-1970s. The building was torn down in June 2012 after being in disrepair and abandoned.^[28] There is now a Townhouse development on the site.

Old Brick Dutch Reformed Church and Cemetery

This church was known as the Freehold-Middletown Dutch Congregation (now Old Brick Church.) The Dutch residents who attended this church names appear in the early records and grave stones dating from 1709 (early records were written in the Dutch language.) In the beginning when services began, circa 1699, the preachers would come across the bay in small boats from Long Island to provide the service to the people of the parish. The Marlboro Township Historic Commission placed a sign at 490 Route 520, Marlboro NJ. The sign states "Founded by Dutch settlers, the present church was erected in 1826 and is the oldest established operative church in Marlboro. The early ministers rowed across from Brooklyn to lead services,^[29] which were held in the Dutch language until 1764. The first American-born pastor, Benjamin Dubois, is buried here. An avid American patriot in the struggle for independence, Pastor Dubois took up arms against British incursions."^[30]

Federal Hall

Built circa 1740 and once owned by the Ely family, the Federal style house resembles a steamboat with a rounded north end. The smokehouse and ice house remain intact. During the early 19th century, the house served as an inn.^[31] The house is one of a few of this style left in the country.

Beacon Hill

Being the second highest point in the county, Col. Asher Holmes was ordered to construct three beacons as part of 23 statewide warning beacons. Used to signal local militia of British invasion, each pyramid of logs was 18 feet (5.5 m) high and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. When filled with brush and lit, the fires could be seen through the area. It was one of three Monmouth County sites where beacons were placed to warn the residents and the Continental forces if the enemy should approach by the bay.^[32]

Morganville School

The Morganville School was built circa 1850. It is located on Route 79 near the Beacon Hill Road. This is a Marlboro Township Historic Commission Landmark. There is a sign at this location. The sign states "The original three-room schoolhouse, built on land donated by the Morgan family, had fine woodwork and pressed-tin ceilings. In response to township growth, there was construction of several additions in later years. The Marlboro school system used this school from 1915 until the mid-1970’s when it was then leased to the Coastal Learning Center."^[33]

References