Boxwood Hall facts for kids
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Boxwood Hall
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 Location in Union County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1073 East Jersey Street, Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA |
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| Area | 0.4 acres (0.16 ha) |
| Built | 1750 |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000397 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 18, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | November 28, 1972 |
Boxwood Hall State Historic Site is a very old house in Elizabeth, New Jersey. You can find it at 1073 East Jersey Street. Today, it's a historic house museum run by the state of New Jersey.
Boxwood Hall was built around 1750. It's a special place because of its connection to two important people. One was Elias Boudinot (1740-1821). He was one of the "Founding Fathers" of the United States. Boudinot lived here from 1772 to 1795. He was a lawyer and a politician. He even served as the president of the Continental Congress from 1782 to 1783. The Continental Congress was like the government during the American Revolution.
Another famous Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton, also stayed here briefly in 1772. He was studying at Elizabethtown Academy at the time. In 1795, Boudinot sold the house to Jonathan Dayton. Dayton was also a Founding Father. He was the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Dayton lived in Boxwood Hall with his wife until he passed away in 1824.
What Does Boxwood Hall Look Like?
Boxwood Hall is located in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It's a two-story house made of wood. The outside has shingles, and it has brick chimneys on the ends. The front of the house is balanced, with five windows or doors. There's a special three-part window above the main entrance. When it was first built around 1750, the house had two extra sections. This made it a large house with eighteen rooms. The main part of the house has four rooms on each floor, with a hallway in the middle.
Who Lived at Boxwood Hall?
This house has had many owners over its 250-plus years. It was first built by Samuel Woodruff. He was a merchant and once the mayor of Elizabethtown. After Woodruff died in 1768, his son owned it for a while. Then, Elias Boudinot bought it at a public sale in 1772.
Elias Boudinot lived here with his wife, Hannah Stockton Boudinot. They had two daughters. They also offered a place to stay for the young Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was a teenager studying at the Elizabethtown Academy. The Boudinots lived in the house until the American Revolution started. For safety, Hannah moved to a family property in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Elias then became a supply officer for the American army. We don't know exactly how the house was used during the war.
In 1783, the Boudinots returned to their home. They stayed there until 1795. That's when they sold it to Jonathan Dayton. Dayton was a Congressman at the time. Dayton, his wife Susan, their son Elias Jonathan, and their daughter Hannah moved into the house in 1795. Soon after, Dayton redecorated the two front rooms on the main floor. He added fancy fireplaces to these rooms. Later, Dayton faced financial problems. Because of these difficulties, he had to sell the house to his son-in-law, Dr. Oliver Hetfield Spencer. However, Dayton and his wife Susan were allowed to live there for the rest of their lives.
Boxwood Hall Today
In the 1930s, there was a risk that the building might be torn down. So, a group of people formed a nonprofit organization. They worked to save the house and give it to the state. The house was then repaired and made new again in the 1940s.
Today, the State of New Jersey owns and runs Boxwood Hall as a museum. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Parks and Forests, takes care of it. Boxwood Hall is an important stop for tours about Alexander Hamilton. For example, the "Young Immigrant Hamilton Tour" visited it in 2014 and 2016. These tours were part of special events celebrating Hamilton's life.
See also
- List of museums in New Jersey
- List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
- List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey
