Fundraising Effort Seeks To Preserve Historic Howell House

HOWELL, NJ – The members of the Howell Heritage and Historical Society are seeking to preserve the centuries-old MacKenzie House, a landmark of historic significance that has housed Howell residents since the early 18th century.

Although the basement structure is now secure thanks to the recently-completed structural reinforcement, the settling of the house has led to cracks in walls and windows as well as sunken chimneys, according to Bob Novak, the president of the Howell Heritage and Historical Society.

“Because we needed extra support in the basement, there has been some settling of the house structures,” Novak told Patch. “The plaster walls have good sized cracks through them. There are things that will need re-plastering, wall boarding and painting over.”

The MacKenzie house was previously owned by Howell Township and was sold in 2019 for $1 to the Howell Heritage and Historical Society. According to a report from MyCentralJersey, township officials claimed that the building – which has been sequestered from the public for a number of years – requires over $150,000 in renovations.

In June, the society received a $5,000 grant from the New Jersey State Questers to restore the foundation of the MacKenzie Museum and Library, located at 427 Lakewood-Farmingdale Road on Route 547.

Although the society has also been awarded a $6,400 grant from the Monmouth County Historical Commission, the organization must raise the same amount to secure the funding. Novak has held yard sales at the MacKenzie house, although the organization is primarily relying on donations. As of Aug. 1, the society has raised just over $6,000 to meet the goal.

“Essentially, we want to be able to reopen,” said Novak. “We want members to help with that, to be able to visit the house. We want people to be able to get a snapshot of Howell history and the southern part of the county’s history.”

Novak argues that the preservation of the MacKenzie house is a priority for the society, which meets regularly once a month to discuss Howell’s rich history. The organization ultimately hopes to restore the facility so that the structure can become a museum for the public.

“A number of people who have stopped by presently have said, ‘oh gee, I remember going through here as a schoolchild.’ Now that they’re grown, have families and some children of their own, it’s something that they want to be able to bring their children back to.” said Novak. “It’s a way of tying people who grew up in the town, to pass it along to the next generation in town.”

The house itself dates back to the early 18th century, starting as a settler’s cabin between 1730 and 1750. A grist and saw mill adjacent to the house was built in 1779 when a miller and his family moved onto the property (the mill burned down in the 1920s, according to Novak). An addition to the structure was built in the 1800s.

During the MacKenzie House’s over 200-year service as a residence, it also housed a Civil War Union Army soldier and his family. In fact, one resident of the house, William A. Prickitt, served as a captain in the Union Army's newly formed troop for Black soldiers.

The home was purchased in 1956 by Jessie and James MacKenzie until 1982, when the township paid for its restoration. The former Howell Historical Society opened the building to the public in 1982. While the house has been shuttered for some years, Novak hopes to see the residence open to the public as a museum in the near future to serve generations of future Howellians.

Tax deductible donations can be mailed to the Howell Heritage and Historical Society PO Box 444, Farmingdale, NJ 07727.

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