As I have mentioned in previous columns, the Deans have a homestead on Georges Road. The original settler Aaron Dean Sr. had many children, one of whom, Ruth Dean, married Nathaniel Britton of Plainsboro.
Prior to 1799, Aaron Dean Sr. erected a house, known as the Colonel Dean Britton home, for the couple to live in on what is known today as Scotts Corner Road. The home was surveyed in 1934 yielding six pages of drawings and six photographs as well.
The most striking part of this home was the four large columns on the front of this home. The original section of the home was modest and you could see the progression of the home as the family became more successful and added additions onto it.
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The house was described as having a hewn oak timber frame with white pine clapboard trim and a brick chimney. After I discovered this survey I spoke to Robert Yuell, head of the Plainsboro Historical Society, who told me the sad story of this home.
As the development of Plainsboro boomed in the 1970s and 1980s, progress began to claim many historic homes in town. Many townspeople of Plainsboro were concerned about the Dean home and its preservation. One Sunday morning, a resident was out early and passed the home as it was under demolition, which no one knew was to occur.
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By the time word spread it was too late. The home was demolished and the Meadows Golf Course was erected in its place. The record in the HABS is all that remains of this home.
I am sure many towns across America have the same story to tell with only the American memory records left as a reminder. These are the incidents I fight to stop from happening.
