NJ To Upgrade, Restore Rockingham Historic Site In Kingston

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — In 1783, while the Continental Congress was meeting in Princeton, a two-story farmhouse in Kingston served as General George Washington's headquarters.

Originally known as Berrien Mansion, Rockingham Historic Site in Kingston will now get funding from the state for restoration and preservation, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Tuesday.

The restoration work will be completed by 2026, ahead of the country celebrating its 250th year of independence. New Jersey will be spending $25 million on upgrading 10 Revolutionary War sites across the state, four of which are in Mercer County.

Murphy made the announcement on Tuesday at the Washington Crossing State Park in Hopewell.

The Princeton Battlefield State Park will also receive state funding for restoration and preservation. Physically relocated three times since 1896, Rockingham Historic Site is now preserved as the temporary residence of George and Martha Washington.

“New Jersey’s contribution to our nation’s independence is undeniable. From the battlefields where the tide of the American Revolution turned, to the many other sites where our nation’s identity was forged, New Jersey was arguably more deeply involved in the cause of independence than any other state,” Murphy said.

The governor said it was important for the state to prepare the sites ahead of the country’s 250th Independence Day celebration when people from across the world would travel to witness the sites.

“This investment will allow us to revitalize our historic sites and make sure we are prepared when they come,” Murphy said.

Upgrades are being paid for with American Rescue Plan funds.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) noted that the 2nd Declaration of Independence was read in New Brunswick and the Crossing of Delaware turned the tide of the war.

Watson Coleman worked on the Semiquincentennial Commission and helped pass the American Rescue Plan that ensured NJ received the funds to help restore the historic sites.

The Congresswoman said that NJ’s story also includes contributions from Black and Indigenous soldiers during the war.

“It was an integrated regiment who ferried Washington across the Delaware on Christmas 1776. By the end of the war a full quarter of the American soldiers marching to Yorktown were Black or Indigenous. Their contributions must be remembered as we celebrate the 250-year history of the Greatest Nation on earth,” Watson Coleman said.

Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin said the battles of Trenton and Princeton “singularly re-energized" the war efforts at the most crucial point of the war.

“Today’s sizable $25 million investment in capital upgrades across ten critical, state-owned sites marks a big step in the leveraging the full civic and economic potential of our state’s consequential revolutionary war history, not just in preparation for 2026 but for the years that lie ahead,” Coughlin said.

The 10 sites to receive funding are:

• Washington Crossing State Park
• Trenton’s Old Barracks
• Battle Monument in Trenton
• Princeton Battlefield State Park
• Monmouth Battlefield State Park
• Proprietary House in Perth Amboy
• The Indian King Tavern in Haddonfield
• Wallace House in Somerville
• Boxwood Hall in Elizabeth
• Rockingham in Kingston

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