Rockingham (house)

John Berrien was a surveyor and land agent from Long Island whose business brought him into the Millstone River valley in the 1730s. In 1735, he purchased the small house that overlooked the river. Berrien eventually became a judge, first in Somerset County before eventually being named to the Supreme Court of New Jersey. His first wife, Mary Leonard, of Perth Amboy, died in 1758 without bearing children; the next year, he married Margaret Eaton, whose father founded Eatontown, New Jersey. Together, John and Margaret had six children, four boys (including John Berrien Jr.) and two girls. John Berrien drowned in the Millstone River in 1772, leaving his estate in the hands of his wife. He is buried in Princeton Cemetery.

George Washington, painted by William Dunlap during Washington's stay at Rockingham.

General George Washington stayed at Rockingham from August 23, 1783, to November 10, 1783. He was invited to the area by Congress, who were headquartered in Nassau Hall in Princeton while awaiting the news of the signing of the Treaty of Paris to officially end the Revolutionary War. Washington was accompanied by three aides-de-camp, a troop of between twelve and twenty-four life guards, his servants and, until early October, his wife Martha Washington. He spent his time at Rockingham entertaining Congress and other local figures until word of the end of the War reached him on October 31. On November 2, Washington composed his Farewell Orders to the Armies of the United States at Rockingham, a document dismissing his troops and announcing his retirement from the Army.[6]

In 1802, Margaret Berrien sold the house to Frederick Cruser, who continued the expansion of the house. Storage space and servants sleeping quarters were added to the kitchen wing, a second-story balcony added to the front of the house, and the roofline raised to accommodate a third-story attic. The Cruser family occupied Rockingham until 1841. The house changed hands many times until the 1890s when the property was bought by the Rocky Hill Quarry Company.

1850 map showing the location of Rockingham, then owned by J.S. (James Stryker) Van Pelt

Rockingham has been owned by many individuals and moved three times since it was built:[4][8][9]

• c. 1710 House built on the hillside east of the Millstone River at Rocky Hill: 40°23′54″N 74°37′32″W
• 1735 John Berrien buys house and property
• 1783 George Washington uses Rockingham as headquarters
• 1802 House sold to Frederick Cruser
• 1841 House sold to Henry Duryee
• 1847 House sold to James Stryker Van Pelt
• 1869 House sold to David H. Mount
• 1872 House sold to Martin A. Howell
• c. 1890 House and property sold to Rocky Hill Quarry Company
• 1897 House moved away from quarry, first move: 40°23′52″N 74°37′15″W
• 1956 House moved farther away from quarry, second move: 40°24′10″N 74°36′50″W
• 2001 House moved near Kingston, third move: 40°23′3″N 74°37′8″W

• 
  Front of Rockingham in 2014
• 
  Back of Rockingham c. 1910 with stone outer house still in place before the move

• List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
• List of Washington's Headquarters during the Revolutionary War

• Media related to Rockingham at Wikimedia Commons
• Official homepage
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NJ-18, "Judge John Berrien House, Rocky Hill Road, Rocky Hill, Somerset County, NJ", 7 photos, 30 measured drawings, 6 data pages
• "Kate McFarlane and Josephine Swann, Women's Heritage Trail". The Historical Marker Database.