The Howell Living History Farm, also known as the Joseph Phillips Farm, is a 130-acre (53 ha) living open-air museum located north of Titusville in the Pleasant Valley section of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, New Jersey.[3][4] The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1977, for its significance in agriculture and architecture.[3] The farm was included in the Pleasant Valley Historic District on June 14, 1991.[5]
Howell Living History Farm | |
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| Location | 70 Woodens Lane Hopewell Township, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Titusville, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 40°20′23″N 74°53′56″W / 40.33972°N 74.89889°W |
| Area | 130 acres (53 ha) |
| Built | 1732 |
| Part of | Pleasant Valley Historic District (ID91000676) |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000879[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 1697[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 2, 1977 |
| Designated CP | June 14, 1991 |
| Designated NJRHP | December 1, 1976 |
History and description
editThe farm was first created by Joseph Phillips, a blacksmith, who purchased 125 acres (51 ha) from William Bryant in 1732. By 1800, Henry Phillips, Joseph's son, had enlarged the farm by 100 acres (40 ha). Henry served as a captain in the Hunterdon County Regiment of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. An inventory of the farm on his death in 1805 listed two teams of oxen, two slaves, a Rockingham colt, and the flax in the ground. The current buildings on the property date to the 19th century, primarily before the American Civil War.[3] The final private owner of the farm was the Howell family, who donated the land to Mercer County in 1974 for use as a museum.
The museum shows farm life from the year 1900.[6] The farm is owned by Mercer County and operated by the Mercer County Park Commission with the support and assistance of The Friends of Howell Living History Farm.[7]
See also
edit- National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey
- Allaire Village, a similar living history museum located in Howell / Wall townships
References
edit- ^ "National Register Information System – (#77000879)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Mercer County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. December 20, 2022. p. 6.
- ^ a b c New Jersey Historic Sites Staff (June 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Phillips, Joseph, Farm". National Park Service. With accompanying 2 photos, from 1977
- ^ La Gorce, Tammy (September 30, 2007). "Time Stands Still on Living History Farm". New York Times. Retrieved July 26, 2008.
At the boundary of Mercer and Hunterdon Counties, near the gurgle of the Delaware River and a sprinkling of farm stands selling apple-cider doughnuts, sits the Howell Living History Farm. Here the fields sprawl, the grass is verdant and the whine of weed-whackers has yet to pierce the tranquility of crisp autumn afternoons. That's because at Howell, a 130-acre (0.53 km2) farm that has been tending to the public's pastoral needs for more than 20 years, the year is 1900.
- ^ Greiff, Constance M. (July 11, 1990). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Pleasant Valley Historic District". National Park Service. With accompanying 25 photos
- ^ Zatz, Arline (2004). Horsing Around in New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-3334-1.
Howell Living History Farm At this living history farm, a restoration in progress, ...
- ^ "About Howell Farm - Overview". The Friends of Howell Living History Farm. The Friends of Howell Living History Farm. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
External links
edit
Media related to Howell Living History Farm at Wikimedia Commons- Official website
