Rep. Watson Coleman Announces $750,000 Grant to Restore the Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Site
Today, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) announced the awarding of a $750,000 grant by the National Park Service's Semiquincentennial Grant Program for the Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Site in Somerville, NJ.
The state-owned Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Site tells the story of New Jersey’s national and religious diversity. It was once home to delegates to the Provincial Congress that declared New Jersey’s independence. From this house, Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh led the effort in 1766 to charter Queen’s College, today Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The nearby Wallace House served as Gen. Washington’s winter headquarters for the 1778-79 Middlebrook Cantonment.
“There is a reason New Jersey is considered the most important colony in America’s War of Independence and the Crossroads of the American Revolution,” said Watson Coleman. “As we approach the United States’s Semiquincentennial, these investments will allow visitors to fully appreciate our place in our nation’s founding.”
"New Jersey was vital to winning our nation's Independence almost 250 years ago, and Somerset County was central to Jersey's contribution to the war effort," said Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Y. Robinson. "We are grateful to Representative Watson Coleman and the National Park Service for helping Somerset County tell our story and highlight our historic sites dating back to the Revolution."
Grant funds will engage a historical architectural consultant to design and contract installation of gutters, leaders, and flashing; soffit and cornice restoration; window, door, and shutter restoration; and brick and foundation masonry repair and repointing. In addition, stormwater management will improve downstream environmental quality for residents of the neighboring community.
Congresswoman Watson Coleman is a Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the America 250 Caucus which was founded in 2020 to assist in the planning of congressional activities surrounding America’s semiquincentennial commemoration in 2026. She also serves as a commissioner on the America250 Commission.