- Source: Quakertown, New Jersey
Quakertown is an unincorporated community located within Franklin Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. It was once known as Fairview. The area was settled by Quakers from Burlington County, who organized a meeting house here in 1733. The Quakertown Historic District was listed on the state and national registers of historic places in 1990.
History
In 1828, local wheelwright, John Deats (1769–1841), invented an iron plow, the Deats plow. In 1831, his son, Hiram Deats (1810–1887), started to make these plows. In 1836, Hiram built a foundry here for plow and stove castings. He later expanded his manufacturing business at Pittstown and Stockton and became the first millionaire in Hunterdon County.
In 1836, a commercial tannery was built here by John Allen. The millstone used for crushing tree bark and extracting tannin is now in front of the Potter/Allen house.
Historic district
The Quakertown Historic District is a historic district along Quakertown Road, encompassing the village. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 23, 1990 for its significance in architecture and community development. It includes 74 contributing buildings.
The district includes the Quaker Meeting House, a Friends meeting house, that was reconstructed in 1862 using the stones from the original 1754 building. The Potter/Allen House is a stone house built in 1765. The Federal style William Probasco House was built c. 1814. The Henry Cliffton House is one of the earliest erected buildings in the community. The William Cronce House has an oculus and decorative shingles. The Quakertown Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1878, features an ornate 3-stage steeple. It is the tenth oldest Methodist Church in the county.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Quakertown include:
Hiram Deats (1810–1887), businessman, agricultural manufacturing
Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011), ceramic artist and painter
Gallery
References
External links
Media related to Quakertown, New Jersey at Wikimedia Commons
"Quaker Meeting House". Historical Marker Database.
"Quakertown Methodist Episcopal Church". Historical Marker Database.