The Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage

The Wallace House is an eight room Dutch framed Georgian dwelling constructed in 1776 by John Wallace, a Philadelphia fabric merchant. The recently restored house maintains its 18th century appearance. It was General Washington’s headquarters from December 1778 to June 1779, when the Continental Army was stationed at Middlebrook. It was there that Washington planned the strategic Sullivan Campaign, which helped to destroy the power of the Iroquois Confederacy. Visitors to the home included General Knox, Benedict Arnold, Alexander Hamilton, Baron Von Steuben, and Lord and Lady Stirling. Owned by the State, the Wallace House has been a museum house for over 100 years, and is open to the public. The Friends of the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association assist the State in promoting and improving the House.

The Old Dutch Parsonage, a Georgian style structure, was built in 1751 for the Reverend John Frelinghuysen with funds from three Dutch Reformed churches in the Raritan Valley. The Old Dutch Parsonage remained a pastor’s residence until 1810; it subsequently was owned by a prominent local physician.  In 1907 the Central Railroad of New Jersey purchased the property to make improvements to its right-of-way, slating the house for demolition. Fortunately, the Parsonage was saved by interested persons who moved it to its present location in 1913. The State of New Jersey acquired the property in 1947, opening it to the public.