$549K Awarded To Restore Historic Farmstead Arts In Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead in Basking Ridge was among four historic sites to be to receive funds from the Somerset County’s Historic Preservation Grant Program.

The 18th-century historic farmstead, managed by the Friends of the Kennedy-Martin-Stelle Farmstead, was awarded $549,261. The farmstead offers exhibits, art classes, theater productions, and concerts.

This grant-funded project will include archaeological work, the development of a preservation plan, a disaster plan, and the conversion of a cowshed barn into a functional event space, in support of local art groups.

Bernards Township Committeewoman Janice Fields said the amount of money received for the Farmstead was "unbelievable."

The funds were made possible by the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners through the Somerset County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation Trust Fund.

"Somerset County has a rich history, having played key roles in the Revolutionary War, the Industrial Revolution, and during many other turning points in US history," said Somerset County Commissioner Melonie Marano, liaison to the Cultural and Heritage Commission. "Investing in the preservation of historic buildings and infrastructure is very important both for educating future generations and attracting heritage tourism."

The following historical sites also received grants:

• Abraham Staats House, South Bound Brook, $66,460. This historic house museum was the home of Abraham Staats, a Somerset County patriot during the Revolutionary War. The home was also the headquarters for General Baron von Steuben during the Second Middlebrook Encampment in 1778-1779.

The funds for this project will support ADA compliance for the structure, including constructing accessible pathways to the parking lot and main entrance, which will require archaeological assessments, the preparation of designs and construction.

• Howe House, Franklin, $242,100. The Howe House in Franklin’s Colonial Park is historically significant for its association with the early Dutch settlement of Somerset County. The structure has architecturally unique Dutch framing and English building techniques.

The Somerset County Historical Society is restoring the property, and the next phase of restoration will focus on restoration and archeology of the main house.

• Reasoner-True Farmstead , Montgomery, $74,000. The Reasoner-True Farmstead is a part of the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum and next door to the Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church. Owned by African Americans from 1881 until 1994, the house is associated with the African American settlement of the Sourlands region.

This restoration project includes development of a disaster plan, a plan for land stewardship and will help pay for civil engineering costs.