CHRONOLOGY & DEVELOPMENT OF THE BOUDINOT-SOUTHARD PROPERTY BASKING RIDGE, NJ
Elias Boudinot 1740 Elias Boudinot born May 2 in Philadelphia, where his family was a neighbor of Benjamin Franklin. 1760 Boudinot admitted to NJ bar and began law practice in Elizabeth. 1762 Boudinot married Hannah Stockton, sister of his mentor, Richard Stockton, who later signed the Declaration of Independence. 1763 July 22: Boudinot purchased a small house called the Whitlock House on Madison Ave. in Elizabeth from Samuel Woodruff. 1768 Samuel Woodruff died. Woodruff s large house, Boxwood Hall on E. Jersey St. in Elizabeth, was built by the time of his death. 1771 July 31: Boudinot purchased 82 acres in Basking Ridge from Edward Lewis. 1772 Boudinot purchased 20 more acres in Basking Ridge from Lewis. Boudinot purchased Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth, where he entertained his good friend Alexander Hamilton. 1776 Boudinot served as aide-de-camp to Brigadier
General William Livingston. 1777 Boudinot commissioned Commissary-General of Prisoners by Continental Congress. By July: Boudinot moved to Basking Ridge to escape British and Tory raids. November: Elected delegate to Continental Congress from NJ. 1782 Boudinot elected President of Continental Congress; Mrs. Boudinot moved to Philadelphia. 1783 As President of Continental Congress, Boudinot signed treaty of peace with Great Britain. 1784 Boudinot returned to Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth. 1785 Boudinot sold Basking Ridge property to Henry Southard. 1789 Boudinot elected to US House of Representatives. 1805 Boudinot moved to Burlington NJ. 1821 Boudinot died October 24 in Burlington NJ, where he is buried.
Boudinot-Southard Property Development History 1771 July 31: Elias Boudinot of Elizabeth purchased 82 acres from Edward Lewis of Basking Ridge. 1772 Elias Boudinot purchased 20 more acres from Edward Lewis. 1777 By July, Boudinot and his family moved to Basking Ridge from Elizabeth to escape British and Tory raids. 1785 Henry Southard of Basking Ridge purchased 102 acres from Boudinot. 1787 Samuel Southard was born in the house on June 9, 1787. 1818 June 16: George Slater purchased 102 acres from Southard. 1826 April 14: Samuel Perry, Jr. purchased 102 acres from Slater and immediately sold same to Edward A. Darcey. 1832 April 15: James Van Horn purchased 102 acres from Darcey. 1839 May 1: William Dowden purchased 102 acres from Van Horn. 1843 Jan 13: John C. Cross purchased 102 acres from Dowden.
1873 Property depicted on Beers Atlas as C. Cross Estate. 1879 Sept. 6: Daniel D. Craig purchased 102 acres at Sheriff s Sale. 1880 Ann B. Cross purchased 102 acres from Craig. 1899 Sept. 27: Abram Cross acquired title to 102 acres from his siblings after his mother s death in 1889. 1913 Oct. 15: John C. Spooner purchased 116.13 acres from Fannie A. Cross, widow of Abram L. Cross. According to 1938 broker s listing, Spooner modernized the buildings in the early 1900s. 1919 Jan. 2: William D. Bancker purchased 116.13 acres from Spooner. 1925 Bancker built Pennbrook Country Club on part of his 116.13 acres. 1940 Feb. 16: Edwin J. Beinecke, Jr. purchased 37.406 acres from Bancker. According to 1938 broker s listing, the house featured decorated walls, fine old woodwork and original hardware at the time of purchase by Beinecke. Outbuildings included: 6-room caretaker cottage; bank barn with 6 horse stalls and 4 cow stalls; ice house; wood shed; wagon shed; 2 chicken houses; windmill and engine. Listed for $29,500.00.
1947 Nov. 6: Nathaniel E. Burgess purchased 37.406 acres from Beinecke. According to 1947 broker s listing, at the time Burgess purchased the property, outbuildings included: Two large splendid outbuildings painted white. One barn unit with basement area converted to four-car garage area, Main area of barn at upper level for machine storage and hayloft. Second Barn (bank barn) used for tool shop and animal pens. Separate well and pump house, chicken houses and large earth covered root cellar. Property was listed for $60,000. 1952 Mar. 7: Edmund B. Ross purchased 37.406 acres from Burgess. 2005 Jan. 17: Edmund B. Ross died at age 85. Property conveyed to his children. That same year, Somerset County acquired the property, which had been expanded to 61 acres, for $6.79 million.
1873 Beers Atlas Boudinot s mansion is depicted on the map as C. Cross Est., which presumably referred to John C. Cross, who purchased the 102-acre property in 1843. In 1873, Madisonville, which developed around a Revolutionary War-era tavern called Coffeeshop, was still a thriving hamlet with a sawmill, a wagon shop, and a number of dwellings clustered at the intersection of present-day Madisonville Road and North Maple Avenue.
1938 Survey This survey depicts the original stable wing of the bank barn as well as at least five outbuildings north of the barn and caretaker s cottage that are not visible in any of the photos from this period. One or more of these buildings were probably chicken coops, which became very common in the area during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. The survey also depicts the portion of the original property that William D. Bancker developed as Pennbrook Country Club.
1937: Overall view of property The east kitchen wing and the screen porch had both been added by 1937, probably by William D. Bancker, who purchased the property in 1919. The house was built for a wealthy owner in the 1770s, and would have been considered a mansion at that time, although its fields would have been actively farmed by a tenant farmer. Over the years, as it became increasingly a gentleman s farm, the house was remodeled several times to add modern amenities and to update it stylistically.
1937: South side of house The south side of the house was the original front. 18 th century houses and barns were frequently oriented to face the south to take advantage of the winter sun s warmth. To the left of the house can be seen what the real estate listing describes as a six-room caretaker cottage, with its single garage entry. Its framing suggests a 20 th century construction date. A small, unidentified shed, which no longer survives, stands to the left of the cottage.
1937: View from southeast This photo shows a number of previously unknown early buildings on the property. In the center of the picture is an L- shaped shed. Next to it is a small hip-roofed shed and another small shed or privy. Their proximity to the house suggests they were domestic outbuildings. To the right of these sheds is a small 1 ½-story I-house with a shed extension across the rear. Windows with 2/2 sashes suggest it was built in the mid-19 th century. At the very right-hand edge of the photo can be seen a windmill, which would have been used to pump water.
1937: View of outbuildings This photo shows the front of a previously unknown house on the property. The 1-½ story, 4-bay I-house had a single inner bay entry and a central chimney. This was a common house type during the late 18 th and the first half of the 19 th century, particularly in western Somerset and Hunterdon counties. Also depicted in the photo to the left of the I-house is a building of similar height but much smaller footprint of unknown use. Its configuration suggests it was used for agricultural equipment storage.
1937: View of bank barn and caretaker s cottage Although the caretaker s cottage is largely obscured, the single garage entry can be clearly seen. The bank barn appears substantially different than it does today. The stone portion is shown with its original stucco coating, an effect much prized by early settlers for its smooth appearance. Perpendicular to the south side of the bank barn is a long one-story shed that was probably used as a stable. At the east end of the bank barn is a small brick building, perhaps a smokehouse.
1947: House This 1947 photo depicts the largely obscured house prior to the addition of the Neoclassical porch, suggesting that the porch was added between 1947 and 1952 by Nathaniel E. Burgess, who purchased the property in 1947 and sold it again in 1952. The symmetrical façade is typical of 18 th century Georgian architecture, as is the gambrel roof. It is possible that the dormers are original. The present arch over the center window was probably added when the porch was, to complete the transformation of what was originally the rear of the house.
1947: Barns It appears from this photo that the garage door opening on the south end of the smaller barn had been closed in by 1947. The bank barn has been substantially remodeled since 1937. Bands of windows have been added on the east and south sides, a tall cupola has been installed on the roof, and a pent roof has been added above the stable entries. Also, the original stucco on the walls at ground level has been removed to reveal fieldstone, a common remodeling effort during mid-20 th century.
1952: House In this photo, the most noticeable change is the addition of the porch across the north side of the house that was added after 1947. The full-façade porch with classical columns is a feature influenced by the 20 th century Neoclassical style and was particularly a popular detail in the period from about 1925 to 1950.
1952: Barn and cottage By 1952, an outside barbeque had been constructed on the east side of the caretaker s cottage. No noticeable changes had been made to the bank barn since the 1947 photo.