Mary Wilkins Freeman House
The Mary Wilkins Freeman House is a historic house located at 207 Lake Avenue in the Borough of Metuchen in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It was the home of the author, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (1852–1930). Built c. 1868, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 2020, for its significance in literature from 1902 to 1907.[4]
Mary Wilkins Freeman House | |
Location | 207 Lake Avenue Metuchen, New Jersey |
---|---|
Coordinates | 40°32′12″N 74°21′50″W |
Built | 1868 |
Architectural style | Italianate |
NRHP reference No. | 100004886[1][2] |
NJRHP No. | 5594[3] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | January 17, 2020 |
Designated NJRHP | October 7, 2019 |
History and description
The house is a two and one-half story frame building with Italianate style, built c. 1868. While renting the house, Mary Wilkins Freeman described it in humor as:
I have a home in Metuchen with twenty-eight doors and five pairs of stairs, otherwise it is quite pretty. I suppose I shall spend most of my time, being naturally of a somewhat undecided turn, trying to decide which door to go in or out of, and what stairs to descend.
She married Dr. Charles Manning Freeman here on January 1, 1902. The couple stayed here until 1907, when they moved into a new house nearby. While here, she wrote about 47 of her works.[4]
References
- "National Register Information System – (#100004886)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- "Weekly List 20200117". National Park Service. January 17, 2020.
- "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Middlesex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. July 15, 2022. p. 4.
- Zerbe, Nancy L.; Seely, Rebeccah (April 2019). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Mary Wilkins Freeman House (Draft) (PDF). National Park Service. With accompanying 33 photos.