Murray Farmhouse In Poricy Park Will Be Restored

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Middletown Township is planning a restoration of the Murray Farmhouse in Poricy Park.

The Township Committee authorized the restoration at their most recent meeting, held Dec. 18, which the public can watch here. Middletown Township is currently seeking companies to do the restoration work.

Elaine Hinckley, president of the Poricy Park Conservancy Board of Trustees, told the Two River Times the windows, cedar shake roof and the west front porch of the farmhouse will all be replaced. The barn roof will also be repaired, she said.

The Murray farmhouse is historic because it was the home of Joseph Murray, a Middletown farmer who was killed for his support of American independence during the Revolutionary War. Murray was an immigrant from Ireland; he emigrated to the U.S. with his mother. He married, built the farmhouse, worked the land and lived with his wife and four children, all under the age of 9 when he was killed. In 1776, Murray joined the local Patriotic militia and was a “staunch” opponent to English rule over the infant American colony, according to this 2012 Patch article on the history of the farmhouse.

The Asbury Park Press described Murray as a “bold and active patriot" for American independence. He was killed as he worked in his cornfield on June 8, 1780. Men sneaked up on him while he worked, shot him with muskets and — when that did not kill him — they hacked him to death.

Local historians suspect a Middletown power broker loyal to the crown arranged the murder. As locals know, the Middletown area is rich in Revolutionary War history, and this area was very much divided at that time, with many wealthy, land-owning Tories (loyalists to England) living alongside American revolutionaries.

“This was a message from the British that there was no safety for folks who opposed the crown,” Monmouth University history professor Richard Veit told the Asbury Park Press in 2016.

Learn more: Inside the Murray Farmhouse (Patch 2012)

The Murray Farmhouse is maintained by the Poricy Park Conservancy and it was last renovated in the early 1980s.