Old Dutch Parsonage

The Old Dutch Parsonage, located near the Wallace House, was built in 1751 for the Reverend John Frelinghuysen with funds from three Dutch Reformed congregations in the Raritan Valley. This Georgian-style structure served not only as a minister’s home but also as a place of theological instruction. Reverend Frelinghuysen tutored several students in the parsonage, including Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, who would go on to become a leading figure in the founding of Queen’s College (now Rutgers University) in 1766. The house remained a parsonage until 1810 before passing into private ownership, eventually becoming the residence of a local physician.

Threatened with demolition in 1907 by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Old Dutch Parsonage was saved through local preservation efforts and relocated to its current site in 1913. The State of New Jersey acquired the building in 1947, and it is now operated in tandem with the Wallace House. Visitors today can explore the Parsonage to learn about early Dutch Reformed religious life, the roots of higher education in New Jersey, and the broader cultural and intellectual history of the colonial period.