Historic sites in Marlboro Township, New Jersey facts for kids

Marlboro Township, New Jersey, is a place with many cool historic sites! These are special spots, buildings, or areas that tell us about the past. To keep track of them, different groups have made lists.

One big list is the Historic Site Inventory (HSI). It was started in 1980 by two groups: the Monmouth County Historical Association and the Monmouth County Park System. This list gives a special number to every historic place in Monmouth County, New Jersey. It also shares details about each spot.

Another list comes from the Marlboro Township Historic Commission. They have Historic Commission Landmarks (HCL). These are actual signs placed at important historical locations. There was also a list from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office (HPO). All these lists help us learn about and protect Marlboro's history!

Historic Places in Marlboro

Here are some of the important historic places and buildings in Marlboro. They are listed by the HSI, HCL, and HPO:

If some numbers are missing from the Historic Sites Inventory (like "Currently unknown"), it might mean the building was torn down. Or, it might have been demolished while the list was being made. The Historic Sites Inventory project is no longer active. But you can still ask the Monmouth County Park System for the document.

Addison Hobart House

This house was built in 1828. The Marlboro Historic Commission put a marker at 9 North Main Street. The marker tells us that this was the home of Addison Hobart. He was a businessman, teacher, postmaster, and Commissioner of Deeds.

His son, Garret Hobart, also lived here. Garret later became a politician. He was even the Vice President of the United States in 1896! He served under President William McKinley. Garret Hobart passed away in 1899.

The house is on North Main Street in Marlboro, right next to the fire station. When Garret Hobart lived here, he was a school teacher before going to college. Today, the house is used as an art studio.

The building is a two-story house made of wood. It has a Greek Revival style. It has two chimneys and brick at the bottom. A plaque on the house says it dates back to 1938. A.W. Hobart owned it for a long time in the mid-1800s. He had a hardware and grocery store next door, which is now gone. The house's inventory number is 1328-01-05.

Asher Holmes House

This home is called "Old Kentuck". It is famous because a Revolutionary War hero, Colonel Asher Holmes, lived and owned the property. The house is on Pleasant Valley Road in Marlboro Township. It was built before 1770. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 6, 1973.

Today, the house is not safe to enter. It looks like it has been empty for 20-30 years. The house faces south, with its back to the road. It seems like the building hasn't changed much in the last 150 years. Inside, it has double parlors, a central hall, and four chimneys. The outside has original cypress shingles.

There was an addition to the house. But the smaller part is the original section, from the mid-1700s. It looks like there was once a smokehouse in the attic. This was found because there's a small square space where a fifth chimney might have been. It still has meat hooks attached to the ceiling! The house has a basement under most of it. The dining room is made of native field stone. The way it was built suggests the first builder was not English, but Dutch. Asher Holmes was the first recorded owner. This means he probably bought it from someone of Dutch heritage.

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill, New Jersey is the second highest point in Monmouth County. It was used as a lookout spot towards the Raritan Bay. During the Revolutionary War, Colonel Asher Holmes was told to build three beacons. These were part of a statewide warning system. If the British tried to land in Raritan Bay or Sandy Hook, these beacons would signal local soldiers. Each beacon was a pyramid of logs, 18 feet (5.5 m) high and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. When filled with brush and lit, the fires could be seen from far away.

Collier Estate

The main house of the Collier Estate was built around 1904. The Marlboro Township Historic Commission put a sign for it. It is at the entrance to the property now owned by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, on Pleasant Valley Road. The building was important because it was used as a "Rest Hill."

This estate was made up of many old farms. Magazine publisher Peter F. Collier bought them for a vacation home. His son, Robert, loved aviation. He bought the first Wright Brothers biplane. He kept it at the estate and used the field as a runway. This plane was used to train Sir Thomas Sopwith. Sopwith later built many airplanes used in World War I. The property also hosted many big parties, some with 2,500 people!

The porch of the house looks like the one at Mount Vernon. In 1927, Robert's wife, Sarah Van Alen, gave the estate to the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. It was later turned into a high school and a home for children who needed help.

Collins Blacksmith and Wheelwright Shop

This shop was built around 1910. It is a two-story building near Main Street. It has a sloped roof, wooden siding, and sliding double doors. This spot had blacksmith and wheelwright shops throughout the 1800s. The blacksmith shop was built by the Hollands family. Now, it is used to store old farm equipment. Its New Jersey Historic Sites Inventory number is 1328-01-9.

Conover House

The main Conover house was destroyed by fire in 1991. It was built around 1840, with changes made in 1893. It was 2 1/2 stories tall, and its main doorway had Greek Revival style parts. A second large old house (from around 1850?) and a big barn complex are still on the property. Its New Jersey Historic Sites Inventory number is 1328-03.

Dutch Reformed Chapel

The Marlboro Dutch Reformed Chapel was a Christian church in downtown Marlboro. It was built by the Old Brick Dutch Reformed Church. Built in 1869 on Main Street, it was used when bad weather or other reasons meant meetings needed to be closer to town.

The building was L-shaped and made of wood. It had a bell tower. The front had tall, thin stained glass windows. These framed a round-topped double doorway. The building was 25 by 40 feet (7.6 by 12.2 m) and cost $2,725 to build.

The Marlboro Township Historic Commission put a sign outside. It says this chapel was used in winter because the main church had no heat. Additions were made over time. The bell rang until 1969 when the building was sold. The bell is now at the main church. The church has a Monmouth County historic site inventory number, 1328-01-04.

Federal Hall

Built around 1740, this Federal style house was once owned by the Ely family. It looks a bit like a steamboat with a rounded north end. The smokehouse and ice house are still there. In the early 1800s, the house was an inn. This house is one of only a few of its style left in the country.

Hortensia Farm

The land for Hortensia was given by King Charles II of England. The home was built in 1686 by John Reid. He was a County Judge and Surveyor-General of East Jersey. He was also a Commissioner of Highways for the county. Hortensia was a piece of land about 200 acres big. It was on the east branch of the Hop Brook.

John Reid (1656-1723) and his wife Margaret (1644-1728) lived here first with their children. Later, the Schancks and then the Freylinghuysens owned the property. After the Freylinghuysens passed away, the estate was sold to a housing developer. It was torn down to build new homes.

The property was named after a family home in England. The land was passed down and split between John Reid's daughters, Anna and Helena. The house started with four rooms but grew over the years. There were two big additions in 1720 and 1820. The home grew to about 15 rooms and had other small buildings. In 1947, the owner said the original part of the house was the main living room. During rebuilding, it was found that the walls were originally lined with rush and mud for insulation.

The Marlboro Township Historic Commission placed a sign, which is now gone. It was on Pleasant Valley Road near the Hop (now called "Winding") Brook. The sign said this was the site of a home built by John Reid. He was an early settler and a New Jersey surveyor. Reid drew the line between East and West New Jersey, which was a very important boundary. The New Jersey Historic Sites Inventory called the site an important farm and the home a great example of architecture. It was torn down in the 1990s.

J. Van Kirk Farm

This farm is also known as the Benjamin Vanderveer House. It is listed on the HPO with ID number 3727. The farm is at 107 Vanderburg Road, Marlboro.

Liberty Hall-Hardy Blacksmith Shop

Liberty Hall, also called Alfred Hardy & Son Blacksmith Shop, was a small brick building. It was on Route 79 in Morganville. The building was built around 1880. You could faintly see the name "Liberty Hall" painted over the door. The blacksmith shop worked until the early 1900s. It was one of the last blacksmith shops in the area.

After it closed, the building held a machine shop until 1942. Then, a small defense company, Lavoie Laboratories, bought it. They made radio gear for the military. In 1966, Lavoie sold it to Entron Industries. This company made missile parts until the mid-1970s. The building was torn down in June 2012 because it was falling apart. Now, there are townhouses on the site.

Liberty Grange

This building was first a Baptist church. The Liberty Grange #99 took it over in the 1930s. The building was built in 1866 on Route 79 (Main Street) and Vanderburg Road. It was built in the Greek Revival style. It was a one-story building with three sections. It used to have a bell tower, but that was removed a long time ago. The building became a meeting hall for Liberty Grange members. Later, it was sold and turned into offices when the Grange closed. Its reference number is 1328-01-03.

Marlborough Hotel

The Marlboro Township Historic Commission sign for this hotel is on School Road West. It is at the corner of School Road West and Route 79 (Main Street). The sign says, "A tavern and inn, owned by John Buck, stood on this site in 1780. This area was once called 'Buckstown.' The Marlboro Hotel was built in 1845 at this stagecoach stop by Hiriah Smalley. It was a gathering place until 1919. The hotel was torn down in 1996."

The hotel was first known as "Bucks Tavern." It was a one-acre site. It changed to "Rogers Tavern" during the Revolutionary War. The first Marlborough Hotel was torn down in 1844. The next year, the current building was built. It was a 2 1/2-story wooden building with five sections. It had two sets of chimneys and siding that looked like asbestos shingles. It had many sleeping rooms, two parlors, a bar, and a dining room for fifty guests. In the back, there was a large stable for horses and a good livery (place to rent horses). It was used as a roadside tavern and hotel. After the township was named "Marlborough," the tavern also became known by this name.

After 1919, fewer people needed a stop on the road. So, its use changed. It became a building with apartments upstairs and different stores downstairs. It closed and was empty in the late 1980s. The businesses included a bank, a sweet shop, and a meat market. The building was unused for over ten years. Then, it was torn down to make space for a parking lot for the Marlboro Township fire department.

Marlboro Township Hall

Marlboro Township Hall was built in the late 1800s. It was on the east side of North Main Street. It was a one-story wooden building with a sloped roof. When the township moved to its current location, the building was sold. It was not torn down. Instead, it was covered up by the expansion of a Chinese restaurant. You can no longer see it in its original form. The Monmouth County Historic Site inventory number is 1328-01-01.

Marlboro Tree

Discovered in 1997, The Marlboro Tree is a huge black willow tree. It is near one of the Big Brook streams. The New Jersey Forest Service has called it a "State Champion" tree. This means it is the largest known tree of its kind in New Jersey. It is also the largest tree of any kind in Marlboro Township. It is about 152 years old. It is 76 feet (23 m) high and 19 feet 8 inches (6.0 m) around. Five grown people holding hands are needed to fully circle the tree.

Morganville School

The Morganville School was built around 1850. It is on Route 79 near Beacon Hill Road. This is a Marlboro Township Historic Commission Landmark.

A sign at this location says, "The original three-room schoolhouse was built on land given by the Morgan family. It had beautiful woodwork and pressed-tin ceilings. As the township grew, several additions were built later. The Marlboro school system used this school from 1915 until the mid-1970s. Then, it was leased to the Coastal Learning Center." The Coastal Learning Center is now closed, and the building is empty. It currently has a for sale sign.

Old Brick Dutch Reformed Church and Cemetery

This church was known as the Freehold-Middletown Dutch Congregation. Now it is called Old Brick Church. The names of Dutch people who went to this church appear in early records. Grave stones date back to 1709. Early records were written in Dutch. When services began around 1699, preachers would cross the bay in small boats from Long Island to reach the people.

The Marlboro Township Historic Commission placed a sign at 490 Route 520. It says, "Founded by Dutch settlers, the present church was built in 1826. It is the oldest working church in Marlboro. Early ministers rowed from Brooklyn to lead services. Services were held in Dutch until 1764. The first American-born pastor, Benjamin Dubois, is buried here. Pastor Dubois was a strong American patriot. He fought against British attacks in the struggle for independence."

Old Marlboro Township Hall

This building served as the Marlboro Township municipal town hall from the 1890s to the mid-1960s. It was a late 19th-century wooden building. It had a brick foundation and a concrete front. It was on the east side of Route 79 (Main Street). The building was not torn down. Instead, it was used as the base for an expanded Chinese restaurant that is now on this property. The building was lost in the expansion. You cannot recognize it as the original town hall anymore.

Old Robertsville School

The original Robertsville Elementary School was built in 1832. It was a one-room schoolhouse on the corner of Tennent and Union Hill Roads. It was updated or rebuilt in 1912. At that time, it was used for special education. This building is still standing today. The current Robertsville School was built in 1968 down the road from the original. It is believed to be named after Matthew Roberts, a well-known businessman of that time.

This is a Marlboro Township Historical Commission Landmark. The Historical Commission has a sign on the corner of Tennent Road and Union Hill Road. It reads, "The first school building on this site was also used for Methodist services. This group later became the Robertsville Bible Church. The church built its own building in 1833. By 1912, the original schoolhouse was replaced with the building you see now. It is no longer used by students."

Old Saint Gabriel's Church

This church was built in 1878. It is on Route 520, in the Bradeveldt section of Marlboro. This building was important because it was used by the St. Gabriel congregation. This group started in 1871. They built this Victorian Gothic church in 1878. A new church and rectory were built on Route 79 in 1972. A parish center was added in the 1980s. But this old building has been used continuously. It is often used for weddings and other events.

Old Scots Burial Grounds

Old Scots Burial Grounds has been on the National Register of Historic Places since August 2001. It was started around 1705. Archaeologist Gerard Scharfenberger is currently studying it. He is working to dig up the foundation of the original Old Scots Meeting House. He is also looking for any unmarked graves on the property. This is where the Old Tennent Presbyterian Church congregation first met. It is also part of the site where the Battle of Monmouth was fought. John Boyd, the first Presbyterian minister trained in the New World, was buried here in 1708.

Retreat of the British Army

The Battle of Monmouth and other small fights happened near Marlboro Township during the American Revolutionary War. Many signs on local roads point out specific events from the battle. British soldiers often raided Marlboro Township farms for food and animals. After losing this battle, the British left the area. They went back to their ships in the bay. Monmouth Battlefield State Park, nearby in Freehold Township and Manalapan Township, helps us remember this historic event.

A Historic Commission Marker at 52 Dutch Lane Road reads, "Retreat of the British Army, June 1778 - After losing the Battle of Monmouth during the Revolutionary War, the British forces retreated down Dutch Lane Road in the dark. Soldiers from the Monmouth Militia shot at them as they tried to reach British ships anchored off Sandy Hook."

September 11 Memorial

A memorial was built to remember the 14 Marlboro Township residents who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It is near the Marlboro Recreation Center. It has a circle of flowering dogwood trees, benches, and a memorial fountain. It is on the township municipal grounds. The memorial was badly damaged in a serious car accident in 2009. It was then repaired.

Topanemus Cemetery

This cemetery dates back to the 1600s. Many of the founding fathers from Freehold, Bayshore, Matawan, and Marlboro are buried here. Other important people who helped start Monmouth County, like John Reid, John Anderson, and Thomas Warne, are also buried here. Four of Matawan's original 24 founders are here too. It was created because the Topanemus settlement, an early settlement for the Marlboro area, needed a cemetery. This cemetery is believed to be the oldest in Monmouth County. Some of the gravestones were brought from Scotland in ships. They were carved by hand in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. The cemetery is known to have many important and famous people from that time. There are believed to be 112 known graves in the cemetery.

Uriah Smock House

The Uriah Smock Farm was part of a property called the Homestead Farm. It belonged to Uriah's father, John H. Smock. In February 1810, John bought two pieces of land, totaling 167 acres, in Freehold Township. He bought them from his father, Hendrick Smock, for $7,000. The land where the Uriah Smock house later stood was bought by Hendrick from George Smock in January 1810.

We don't know the exact date the Smock house was built. But based on its style and history, it was likely built between 1830 and 1848. It seems John H. Smock (1781-1865) and his son Uriah Smock (1815-1881) built it. Since John was 49 in 1830, the house might have been redone or rebuilt with Greek Revival details when that style became popular. The original house might have been built in the late 1700s. It's also possible the Smocks lived somewhere else before building a house on the farm. Records show John H. Smock was in Freehold Township during this time. He served as a deacon at the Dutch Reformed Church from 1810 to 1816. He also freed a slave, Betty Thomas, in 1825. Greek Revival style houses were popular in the township during this period.

The farmhouse appeared on the 1861 map of Monmouth County. It was also in the F.W. Beers 1873 atlas. A map of Marlboro village in 1873 shows a lane leading directly from the village to the farmhouse.

While Uriah Smock owned the property, he farmed 100 acres. He also owned 37 to 50 more undeveloped acres. He was known for digging and shipping marl (a type of soil) from his farm. Agricultural records show he had horses, cows, and pigs. He grew different grains, mostly corn, and many bushels of Irish potatoes. He had an apple orchard with 250 trees and grew garden vegetables. His property is now mostly the Lexington Development, built around 2000. The Smock Home was saved as part of an agreement with Marlboro Township.

Vanderveer House

The Vanderveer House was built around 1722. It is not very visible from the road. There is a Marlboro Township Historic Commission sign at 176 Ryan Road. It reads, "Original parts still remain in this Colonial home. It once belonged to Tunis Vanderveer, a large landowner. The house was used as a landmark when drawing the boundaries of Marlborough Township in 1848. That is when it became separate from Freehold Township."