Frazee House
The Frazee House is reported to have been constructed circa 1720-1740 by Gershom Frazee, husband of Elizabeth (Betty) Frazee. Gershom was a prolific and well-documented 18th-century carpenter and joiner. According to local legend Betty turned away British General Conwallis, who sought to plunder fresh baked bread from her oven.
The Frazee House is a central New Jersey architectural gem because of its age and its ordinariness. It is a farmhouse that dates to 1720-1740. “Ordinariness” is also its claim to fame because it is an example of the kind of building that never survives the centuries. It is vernacular architecture — that is, built with skill, with local materials and in a local style — to be a typical residence without pretension in its day. Today the Frazee House is approaching its fourth century.
The Frazee House received official recognition on the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. In 2000, it was placed on PreservationNJ.org’s list of top ten endangered historic places in New Jersey.