By Sunayana Prabhu
MIDDLETOWN – Adding to a recent spate of initiatives to protect open space and preserve historic sites, the township committee unanimously passed a resolution at its May 6 meeting authorizing the restoration of the Murray Farmhouse at Poricy Park. The committee also introduced a bond ordinance for $1 million to facilitate the acquisition of the Tretter property.
“The Township Committee and I have made it a priority to find creative ways to preserve the remaining open space in Middletown, such as large tracts of land like the Tretter property,” Mayor Tony Perry said in an email response to The Two River Times, May 9. “As part of our master plan reevaluation, we are focusing on enhancing our recreational facilities, protecting our historic properties, and adding to our more than 6,000 acres of open space.”
The township committee has been working to protect Middletown’s open space while encouraging responsible development. Some of the latest open space acquisitions include 490 Red Hill Road, West Nut Swamp Road, 1114 Nut Swamp Road, and property on Dwight Road.
Murray Farmhouse
The historic farmhouse from the 1770s, will undergo restorations, including repairing and replacing windows, reconstructing the front porch, and replacing the barn’s cedar shake roof. Bids for the work were publicly opened April 26; of the four bids received, Trenton-based Dell Tech Inc. won the contract at $393,500.
“The township has been setting aside capital and grant funds to be able to restore and preserve the farmhouse in a historically appropriate manner to ensure the longevity of the site,” Perry said in a community release posted May 7 on the township’s website.
Preservation New Jersey (PNJ), a statewide historic preservation nonprofit, recently named the Murray Farmhouse and Barn to its annual 10 Most Endangered Historic Places list.
Located off Oak Hill Road in Middletown, the two-story, five-room Murray Farmhouse and Barn still stand on their original foundations as an excellent example of the quintessential Colonial-era lifestyle.
Revolutionary War hero Joseph Murray, a stonemason from Ireland, built the farmhouse. During 1775, when people in the Colonies were forced to choose between loyalty to the King of England and the newly forming United States, Murray chose to be a Patriot. He served in the Monmouth County Militia in opposition to the British. He gathered intel on enemy troops and secured supplies for George Washington’s troops.
Murray was shot and bayoneted by a British Loyalist in his own cornfield on the historic site in 1780. On May 15, 2021, a permanent sign was installed in his honor on the lane leading to the farmhouse and barn.
With the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations approaching, restoring the farmhouse and barn to highlight the site’s history is a priority, said Elaine Hinckley, president of the Poricy Park Conservancy Board of Trustees, in an interview in December.
“As we prepare to celebrate Middletown’s 360th and America’s 250th anniversaries, the Murray Farmhouse and Barn truly showcases our rich history and the Colonial-era lifestyle,” Perry said, noting the farmhouse offers a glimpse into New Jersey’s role in America’s founding. Visitors can experience 18th-century day-to-day life at the farmhouse that retains the old charm of plastered walls, brick fireplaces and period artifacts. According to the information on the Poricy Park website, the Murray family owned the property until 1861. Around 1840, a Murray grandson made an addition to the house. The property served as a dairy farm through the 1960s; it was purchased by Middletown Township in 1973 to save it from development.
The barn was last restored in 1978, and the farmhouse in 1981. The property is maintained by Poricy Park Conservancy, the nonprofit dedicated to its preservation, and owned by the township.
The conservancy works with the township to use the site for education and recreation. It provides a wide range of benefits and services, from stewardship of the New Jersey State Historic Site to presenting special events for the public throughout the year.
Tretter Property
In addition to the Murray Farmhouse restoration, the township committee has also started the acquisition of the Tretter property, covering 67 wooded acres off Whippoorwill Valley Road. The area has been largely undeveloped since the 18th century.
“Without this acquisition, the property would likely be subdivided into single-family homes,” said Perry. “This act is part of our ongoing efforts to preserve land under the township’s Open Space Preservation Program.”
In a November 2020 general ballot question, more than 66% of Middletown residents voted in support of a referendum to increase the tax that goes into the township’s Open Space Trust Fund to help make acquisitions like these possible.
The article originally appeared in the May 16 – May 22, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
