Lower Kingwood Road
Pittstown, New Jersey
59 Lower Kingtown Road
I believe that the most historic place
in Franklin Township is my house, 59 Lower Kingtown Road. My house is about
160 years old. It was built in the 1800’s. It is a Victorian farmhouse.
We own about 30 acres. There once was a blacksmith shop in the backyard that
was used. There also is a lime kiln in the woods and a spring house along
the road.
My grandmother lives right next to me. Her house was the summer kitchen and
also the carriage house. A summer kitchen is a separate room from the main
house. That was done before there was electricity when a fire had to be built
to cook food. This made the house very hot. That was why they had a summer
kitchen. There is a walk- in fireplace. My father made it into a house for
her.
In the very front of my house there is a spring house. A spring house is a
very small building used to keep food cold before there was refrigerators.
There is a little underground spring running through it to keep the building
cool so the food would not rot. When the water came out of the ground it was
about 50 degrees. There was a little pool in the spring house to put the milk
jugs in. Later on when there was electricity the spring house was used as
a pump house. There was underground pipes. They would bring water to the house.
We also have lime kiln in one of our back fields. The lime kiln was used to
turn rock into lime. The lime would be used to fertilize the fields and make
mortar to build stone walls.
Next to The spring house there is a Gum tree. Our Gum tree is the biggest
and oldest in the United States. We got a certificate from Washington D. C.
Once a year some people come to measure it.
One time some people found old doors in the barns. At one time a group of
Hippies lived here. They had decorative rugs hung in the doorways instead
of doors. The person that lived in my house before me was John Zapp. Ross
Jones bought the house in 1847. It had 105.37 acres. Many times my house was
sold for one dollar. William E. Boutelle Bought in 1971 for one dollar. I
know of 20 different owners for my house. As time went by more acres were
sold. It went from about 105 acres to 30 acres. There had been ten to twelve
people living there at a time. That’s double the amount I have at my
house!
Floyd Hellyer bought the house in the late 1970’s. He restored it. He
rehung doors, added a modern kitchen, and built another bathroom. Mr. Hellyer
also restored two horse barns. There is also a chicken coop and a sheep barn.
He added water, electricity, and a tack room. There was nine horses and fifteen
sheep.
The land is partly wooded, there is a grape harbor, a tool shed. The Capoolong
Creek also borders the house. So, therefore, I think my house is the most
historic place in Franklin Township.
Rachel
Spring, 2002
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I believe that the most historical place in Franklin Township is 59 Lower Kingtown Road in Pittstown, New Jersey (now the Potters house.) This house is about 150 years old. There used to be a blacksmith shop in the backyard. There also was a lime kiln in the back of their property to make pottery in. The owners say that the house is haunted with a friendly and happy ghost. I believe them because when I went over there to baby-sit, I heard some funky noises. There is a summer house with a walk in fire place for cooking. In the front of the house, there is a spring house. A spring house is a small stone building built over an underground spring. The cold water from the spring kept the building cool so that food could be stored in it. The building was going to be wrecked but the town said not to. I am glad that the house wasn't knocked down. In the 1800's, people used to build their houses to look like crosses. They thought it would bring them good luck. Spring, 1999 |
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