Barnegat's Historic Cox House Begins Renovations

BARNEGAT, NJ — An iconic piece of Ocean County history will be restored and brought back to its form glory as renovations have begun on the Mary Etta Cox House.

Sitting at 353 North Main St. in Barnegat since the mid-1800s, the Cox House was purchased by the county several years ago in order to restore the home.

Now, as of Sept. 18, the $3.4 million restoration project has begun.

“We will now begin the long-awaited work that will ultimately restore the Mary Etta Cox house to its original glory,” said Ocean County Commissioner Virginia E. Haines, liaison to the Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Division. “We look forward to the day that the public can again access this main house and enjoy all the history that it holds.”

This is the first phase of the restoration work, conducted by Wu Associates of Mount Laurel. It includes work on the exterior of the house and conversion of the barn and carriage house into restrooms for the Barnegat Branch Trail. The work is anticipated to be completed by late July 2024, said county spokeswoman Donna Flynn.

Following this will be renovation of the Cox House's interior, which should be done by 2025, county officials say. Upon completion, it will serve as an interpretative center for the Barnegat Branch Trail, which itself should be complete by 2026, Haines said.

It will also house offices for the Ocean County Cultural & Heritage Commission.

“Preserving our history in Ocean County allows us to share the stories of our rich heritage, never to be forgotten,” Haines said.

The work is funded in part by two New Jersey Historic Trust grants.

The Cox House, said to be the first home in Barnegat to have electricity and running water, was constructed in the 1800s but expanded on by Mary Etta Cox in 1904. At the time, it was described as “one of the most aristocratic residences in town.”

Mary Ann Cox donated the Cox House through her will to the then-Ocean County Board of Chosen Freeholders, now Commissioners.

It entered the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

Over the past few years, the county has done some work on the home including removing asbestos and mold.

The full plan for Phase I of the restoration includes:

• The entire house will be scraped down and re-painted.
• The doors and windows will be restored and reinstalled.
• The out buildings will be completely restored, and converted to a restroom (for the Barnegat Branch Trail), archival space and a small area for maintenance equipment.
• There will be gardens, with walkways, a gazebo sitting area, and a flag presentation area on the south side of the house.
• New site lighting
• New utilities
• A tent event area on the north side of the house.