Revell House
Revell House | |
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| Coordinates | 40°04′46″N 74°51′41″W / 40.07954°N 74.86140°W |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | Burlington Historic District 78001124[1] |
| NJRHP No. | 758[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | March 13, 1975 |
| Designated NJRHP | July 1, 1974 |
Revell House, also known as the Hutchinson-Revell House,[3] in Burlington, New Jersey, is the oldest building in Burlington County and one of the oldest residences in New Jersey. It was constructed in 1685 by George Hutchinson, a wealthy Quaker distiller, and sold to Thomas Revell who used it as offices from 1696 to 1699. Originally located at 8 East Pearl Street, the building was relocated to 213 Wood Street in 1966.[4]
According to tradition, Benjamin Franklin was sold gingerbread and given supper by a friendly Burlington woman on his way to Philadelphia. This led for the house to sometimes be referred as the Gingerbread House.[5] It is a contributing property of the Burlington Historic District bounded by the Delaware River and High, West Broad, Talbot, and Reed Streets listed March 3, 1975.[2]
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Burlington County, New Jersey
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places". New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
- ^ "Hutchinson-Revell House, 8 East Pearl Street, Burlington, Burlington County, NJ". HABS Library of Congress. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
- ^ "Revell House". City of Burlington. 14 July 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010.
The oldest building in Burlington County, the one-room Revell House was built near the waterfront in 1685 by George Hutchinson, a Quaker distiller. Hutchinson sold the house to Thomas Revell, who had arrived in December of 1678 aboard the ship Shield. Revell was active in West Jersey politics, serving as Surveyor General, Registrar of the Proprietors of West Jersey, and Clerk of the Provincial Assembly. From 1696 to 1699, the house served as Revell's office. In the late 1700s, a second floor was added, consisting of a small hall and two rooms. Later, the house was home to the now-defunct Stockton chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In 1950, Henry "Doc" Bisbee, a much-loved local historian, joined with several other residents to form the Colonial Burlington Foundation and purchase the house. When the City wanted to widen Pearl Boulevard in 1966, Bisbee and his wife donated a site at 213 Wood Street, and the house was moved to its current location. Bisbee and the Foundation organized the annual Wood Street Fair to raise funds for restoration and preservation of the house, and Bisbee, also an author, promoted the fair in his local historical newsletter, The Burlington Story. Tradition holds that this was the home where an elderly woman gave Benjamin Franklin gingerbread as he traveled to Philadelphia in 1723, and the nickname "gingerbread house" has been applied to the house for many years. Current maintenance of the house is funded by the sale of home-baked gingerbread at each year's Wood Street Fair, held the weekend after Labor Day.
- ^ "Places to See - City of Burlington NJ Historic Sites". Retrieved 20 December 2016.