Coursen house

The Coursen house is a historic mansion in Fredon, New Jersey, which was built in 1805.^[1]

History

The Great Road, Route 94, was once a dusty, rutted, narrow dirt road which traveled through a busy little village in the 1800s known as Coursen’s Corners, located at the intersection of Phil Hardin Road and Fredon-Stillwater Road, at Route 94 near the Fredon School.

A log cabin was most likely the first building on the present site of the Coursen House. The mansion itself was built in around 1805. It contained four rooms on the first floor, with a chimney across the corner of 2 rooms. There were three bedrooms on the second floor. The kitchen, located in the southern end of the house, had a large bake oven to the right of the chimney. Isaac Coursen added a first floor parlor and two more bedrooms upstairs, as the family grew.

In the mid 18th Century, two descendents of New Amsterdam Dutch families, Johannes (John) Coursen, and his wife, Gertrude Van Tuyle, arrived in the Fredon area. In 1763, Johannes purchased over 800 acres (3.2 km²), which included land extending from Paulinskill Road past the four-corners area by the Stillwater Road. When he died, his property was inherited by two of his sons—the Paulinskill Mill Farm by Jacob Coursen, and the four-corners land, by Colonel John. Starting in 1811, Colonel John’s sons built and operated a blacksmith’s shop, a tannery, a store, and later a tailor shop. Also, his son Isaac established a post office and was the first postmaster. After Isaac’s death, the position was taken over by his son, William P. Coursen until 1881. Research done for the bicentennial found that the name “Fredon” might have been derived from the word “freedom.”

The present day

Some time ago, the Coursen House was purchased by Fredon Township as part of developing Lodestar Park, immediately adjacent to the House. The goal is to continue the tradition of community that this family gave us, and restore the house for use as a museum of Fredon’s fascinating history, a meeting place for groups, and a learning site for the school.

Keepers of Coursens Corners

A volunteer group, Keepers of Coursens Corners, was formed in 2001 to begin the process of restoration. In the following five years, by their hard work, and with contributions from interested local citizens, six rooms were repaired, repainted and refurnished. The first replantings of the garden are now blooming and flourishing.

Sources

• A Branch of the Woodruff Stock

By Francis Eben Woodruff Published by Printed at "The Jerseyman" office, 1902 Original from the University of Wisconsin - Madison Digitized Apr 16, 2008

References

1. ^ "A Part of Fredon's History-The Coursen House". Fredon Township. http://www.twp.fredon.nj.us/TheCoursenHouse.html. Retrieved 6 January 2011. 

External links

• http://www.fredon.org/ (Fredon School)
• http://www.twp.fredon.nj.us/ (Township of Fredon)

Coordinates: 41°02′05″N 74°48′55″W / 41.0346°N 74.8154°W / 41.0346; -74.8154