Gloucester Twp. Farmhouse Among NJ's Most Endangered Landmarks

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township farmhouse that dates back to 1720 is among the state’s most endangered historic places, according to Preservation New Jersey.

The Robert Marshall House, a two-story wood-framed structure at 510 Almonesson Road in the Blenheim section of the township, was listed as one of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey in the non-profit group’s annual list published on Tuesday.

“The home is currently facing the double threats of development pressure and demolition by neglect,” Preservation New Jersey said in its report. “While the Town Council has been considering designating the Marshall property as a Redevelopment Zone, the Planning Board voted last fall to recommend to the Council to preserve the home and consider a recent land trust offer to acquire the property for conservation. The Township Historic and Scenic Preservation Committee has proposed the property serve as a recreational resource and the building be used for educational purposes.”

An addition was built onto the property in 1810, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 for its local significance as a work of vernacular architecture, containing distinctive examples of Federal period interior features.

The 10 Most Endangered Historic Places program spotlights irreplaceable historic, architectural, cultural, and archeological resources in New Jersey that are in imminent danger of being lost. The sites on the list are nominated by the public, are added based on three criteria:

• historic significance and architectural integrity;
• the critical nature of the threat identified; and
• the likelihood that inclusion on the list will have a positive impact on efforts to protect the resource.

“The act of listing these resources acknowledges their importance to the heritage of New Jersey and draws attention to the predicaments that endanger their survival and the survival of historic resources statewide,” Preservation New Jersey said in its announcement. “The list, generated from nominations by the public, aims to attract new perspectives and ideas to sites in desperate need of creative solutions.”