JC Blauvelt House
Jno. C. Blauvelt House
Built 1850
65 Pulis Avenue, Block 2705, Lot 6.01
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

The vernacular two story, three bay main house with attached three bay wing are the earlier sections of the Jno. C. Blauvelt house – section A and B. It is a significant remnant of the 19^th and 20^th century agricultural period of the Borough’s history when farm houses dotted the landscape. 

The house is divided into four sections. Sections A through C has clapboard Fenestration. Section A has a three-bay porch with square posts with spandrel brackets a double paneled entrance door with glazed tops and rectangular transom. An exterior chimney in the gable end is flanked with Quadrant vents. Section B has a three bay porch with spandrel brackets and an early vertical board door and hinges. The three bay windows as well as the eyebrow windows in the second story are replacement windows. Section B has a central chimney. Section C appears recent. Section D has a 6/6 window and a vertical board door, probably an early kitchen attached to the main house by section C in recent times. A frame well is located at the southeast of the house. A 2-car garage on the southwest side of the house is a recent addition. A small accessory building on the south side of the house is from an earlier period. Examples of this building type are also found in the nearby township of Wyckoff and elsewhere in Bergen County. Minor recent alterations and additions illustrate the evolution of this structure from a farmhouse to a modern suburban dwelling.

History:

The Borough of Franklin Lakes lists the construction of the earliest sections of the Jno. C. Blauvelt house as 1850. Presently the house is privately owned and occupied.

The following map references are mentioned:
1. Jno. C. Blauvelt – 1876
2. Rachael Blauvelt – 1902
3. R. B. Blauvelt – 1913

National Registry #85002590

Storms House
Built 1840
1069 Franklin Lake Road, Block 1205, Lot 6.01
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 

The Storms House was owned by William Storms in 1861. The “Bergen County Panorama” published in 1941 notes this house as one particular structural interest and dates its construction between 1750 and 1770 – possibly the house was built in 1840. The house has a dark stucco façade with raised quoins, has 3 bays, 2 rooms deep, center hall or center stair. Possibly it has a veranda as there is a form of water table in the front. The house has a gables roof with an eave overhang.

History:

The house, while having been altered through the years, still retains a sufficient amount of its original fabric that it should be recognized and retained. Therefore, the Bergen County Historic Sites Survey for Franklin Lakes included the Storms House for its architectural significance, for its association with the exploration and settlement of the Bergen County area, and for its remaining historic fabric. As such it was included in the Thematic Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Early Stone Houses of Bergen County, New Jersey.

In 1861 the house was owned by William Storms – as recognized in 1941. Cornelius Bush first recalls assessing the house in 1913. The owner at that time, a Mr. Littlefield, had stayed for only one year. When Mr. Bush assessed the house the windows were broken and the house was empty. Presumably, the house with its huge barn was bought by Mr. Freeman who made the Storms house his permanent home. It was his son, Forster W. Freeman Jr., whose recollections provided additional details about the history of the house and the immediate area.

According to Mr. Freeman Jr., when the Freemans first occupied the house, Colonial Road was only a wagon track with bushes growing in the center. A 90 year old man named Storms loved on a hill on Colonial road near the Crystal Lake Station. He told Mr. Freeman Jr. that he was the third generation born and married in this house. This would appear to date the Storms house back in actual memory by 200 years. Mr. Freeman Jr. also recalled that at one time the house had been used as a roadhouse since he helped his father remove the bar from the cellar, and found large cartwheel pennies under it.

Presently, the house is privately owned and occupied. It is in good condition but we do not know to what extent the interior of the house has been altered.e told Mr. Freeman Jr. that he was the third generation.

The following map references and recognition's are on file: 

1. Hopkins-Corey (1861) William Storm
2. Walker’s Atlas (1876) Sanford
3. Bromley (1912) T. Freeman
4. “Bergen County Panorama” (1941) suggesting post-Revolutionary construction 
   The Storms House was not listed on the Erskine Map.

National Registry #84002586

 

Ackerman-Boyd House
Built 1785
1095 Franklin Lake Road, Block 1202.07, Lot 1
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 

The Ackerman-Boyd House most likely was built by members of the Ackerman family. Considering architectural evidence the house construction is believed to be between 1785 and 1800. A new wing was added in the late 18^th century. The house is significant for its architecture and its association with the exploration and settlement of Bergen County. It is a reasonably well preserved example of the Form/Plan Type. The original wings had 4 bays, but from the former double entry door only a single panel door in a Greek revival form remains. The Victorian style windows go to the floor. The new wing has 2 bays with a sash and 7” panes. The main exterior walls consist of light colored broken stone and rubble with red sandstone quoins. The exterior has been sandblasted and repointed, and dormers were added. The gable ends are clap-boarded. The present sweeping overhang was not part of the original building.

History:

Johannes Lawrence Ackerman and his brother, Jacobus Lawrence purchased Lot # 2 in 1727 from Willocks and Johnson for £ 247 and 10 Shillings. The lit contained 444 acres and is recorded in Liber B in Bergen County Clerk’s Office. It establishes the first Ackerman in the Oakland and Crystal Lake area. The “Homestead Lot” passed out of the Ackerman ownership in 1817, and was acquired in 1841 by Adam Boyd. He was a man of considerable importance, having served as Sheriff for three years, Assemblyman for two years and as Judge in the Court of Common Pleas.

The story passed down to us through Attorney Foster Freeman said that there was a log cabin on the land which had a gun rack in the back but was used as a church. The cabin stood on the north side of the pond near the grave yard. It was reported that log or wooden stepping stones were installed through the damp area leading to the building. On July 4, 1913 John Neafie of New York recorded that there 86 gravestones standing on the Crooked Pond Cemetery. The oldest was that of Samuel Romine who died in 1732. Samuel settled on his brother Jan’s plantation purchased in 1724. The latest burial took place in 1903, and the marker bears the name of Folley. Family names of those buried in the cemetery are: Romine, Dykman, Van Sile (Van Zile), Van Cleef, Van Winkle, Winters, Van Houten, Bartholf, Rutan, Springer, Colwell, Merritt, Lichtenberg, Ackerman, Conklins, Burns, Luwbach (Labagh), and Folley. 

At present there are only about 20 gravestones still standing. We have no documented proof that Pond Church was ever built there. However, the Centennial Booklet of the Ponds Church, dated 1876, states that an effort was made: “to built near the residence of Mr. Adam Boyd (Walder) upon the land now owned by Mr. Ackerman (Mortimer); and there is a large burial ground there where many of your good people await the resurrection of the just.” The stone, hexagonal shaped Ponds Church was dedicated April 7, 1736 and replaced in 1829 what is now Oakland.

The center section of the Ackerman Boyd house appears to be the oldest part. Charles Smith who owned the house prior to 1930 removed the old fireplace in the cobblestone floored kitchen but left the hand-hewn beams. This was a really small room with walls of charred hickory-oak and a very steep ladder-like staircase to the loft. After the Ackerman ownership, until the Boyd’s bought the property, it was only held for short periods, such as 2 years, without records of ownership. We therefore assume that it was Adam Boyd who added the wing and enlarged the house. Some interior changes and modernization such as removed partitions and new flooring took place.

The property also included a large frame barn with shiplap siding and gable roofs which was situated close to Franklin Lake Road directly west of the stone house. It was part of a multi-acre farm which was recently subdivided for a residential housing development. It is one of six farms in Franklin Lakes recorded by the Historic Sites Survey which are located in close proximity to stone houses. Combined with the early stone houses (c. 1785-1800) these structures are significant remnants of the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th century development in Franklin Lakes as a farming community.

Built about 1793 by James A. Ackerman on land owned by the family since 1727. The farm was then in the locality known as Ponds Neighborhood and within the old Township of Franklin. In 1841 the house was purchased by Adam Boyd who farmed the and and was also a noted lobbyist at Trenton. The farmhouse was owned by Boyd heirs until 1901 and has been remodeled over the years.

The Ackerman-Boyd House is privately owned and occupied by its present owner.

The Ackerman-Boyd house is included in the following map references: 

1. Hopkins-Corey – 1861 A. Boyd
2. Walker’s Atlas – 1876 Adam Boyd
3. Bromley – 1912 A. Boyd Estate
4. Included in the Thematic Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for Early Stone Houses in Bergen County, New Jersey
5. Map #  56 of the Erskine-De Witt collection shows the road on the north side of Crooked Pond (now Hopper’s Crooked Pond). The house on the east side of the pond and the north side of the road was marked as Abram Ackerman and Crooked Pond was called Reit Pannetus or Reed Pond on one deed

National Registry #83001452

 

William Ward House
Built 1770
105 Pulis Avenue, block 2701, Lot 2
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 

The William Ward House is situated in the northern most part of Franklin Lakes near the Mahwah border on 4 acres of land. The house sits about 15 to 20 feet from the south side of Pulis Avenue with the gable end facing the roadway and the façade is oriented eastward. A rubble stone retaining wall is along the roadway and drive entry on the north side. A picket fence continues along the roadway from the east side of the drive. A gravel drive passes about 15 feet along the east side of the house leading to a recently added three car garage.

A future road widening of Pulis Avenue would have a definite negative effect on this structure.

The William Ward House, like other late 18^th to early 19^th century homesteads in Franklin Lakes, is difficult to date because the original structure is incorporated within later additions and modifications. However, the Borough of Franklin Lakes lists the construction year as 1770.  The first remodeling possibly dates from the early 19^th century; the latest addition possibly dates from the early 20^th century. The exterior walls are mainly clap board; some of the newer additions have brick walls. The original structure has a gable with a flare, one central and one exterior end chimney, one of the newer structures has a central interior chimney in the gable while another has an interior end chimney in the gable. The earliest structure has a paneled rectangular entrance door with rectangular transom, flanked by square pilasters and recent lanterns. There are two 20^th century dormers, shingle sheathing here and the gable ends. Later owners replaced the entrance steps and it appears like the roof was reworked around the turn of the century. The first addition has three eyebrow windows in the 2^nd floor with 3/3 panes. Another addition on the south side of the house has a rectangular paneled entrance door. The most recent addition has a three-bay entrance porch with plain square posts-replacement porch floor and foundation. The central entrance door has a rectangular transom flanked by square pilasters and heavy architrave trim.

History:

The William Ward House is located along one of the earliest roadways through the Borough of Franklin Lakes and is a significant remnant of the historical development of Franklin Lakes as a farming community in the late 18^th, 19^th and early 20^th century. It is reminiscent of the farmsteads which once dotted the landscape prior to the recent suburban housing boom.

According to local tradition the house is thought to be 200 years old because the fire backs for the fireplaces were made by the Pompton Furnace which operated between 1711-1729 (Maria Braun  1976). But the successive enlargements and remodeling of this structure is architecturally significant since it illustrates the evolution from a small farmstead to a modern suburban home. Other interior architectural features include wide floor boards, large ceiling beams and sandstone fireplace mantel in the present dining room. The exact building chronology of the William Ward House is very difficult to ascertain on the basis of the exterior evidence alone and a close interior inspection is needed.

However, it is known from an old deed the William Ward and his wife Anne sold the house to Henry W. Pulis in 1852 and that he willed the 47 acre farm to his son Henry J, Pulis in 1865. Both, the Ward and Pulis families, were early settlers in Franklin Lakes and they established numerous farms and mills in the area in the early part of the 19^th century.

The William Ward House is privately owned and occupied.

The William Ward House is listed in the following references: 

1. 1861 – Hopkins Wall Map - illegible
2. 1876 – Walker’s Atlas – H. Pulis
3. 1902 – Robinsons’ Map – Rogers (H.J. Pulis)
4. 1913 – Bromley’s Atlas – Rogers
5. 1976 – Maria Braun – “Franklin Lakes History” and N.J. Historic Preservation Form
6. 1978 -  Junior League Inventory – c. 1715 oldest section, c. 1850 new section

 

Built 1760
798 Franklin Lake Road, Block 2204, Lot 1
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

The Van Winkle House probably dates to pre-Revolutionary times – pre-1761/Braun architectural evidence. It is an unusual form of stone house in Bergen County for it is the only extant example of a house with both end walls constructed of stone while the façade and rear walls are frame construction. Stories tell of a fire in the past which may be why the house is not typical in many ways. Roof and dormers are probably 20^th century.

History: 

The builder of the Van Winkle House probably was Simeon Van Winkle. The old part of the house has three bays, is one room deep and has two fireplaces, one of them may have been a salt box. The exterior walls mostly are constructed from local rubble stone. 

The Van Winkle House, while having been altered through the years, still retains a sufficient amount of its original fabric that it should be recognized and retained for its architectural significance and for its association with the exploration and settlement of the Bergen County area. As such, it is included in the Thematic Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Early Stone Houses of Bergen County, New Jersey.

The Van Winkle House is in good condition, privately owned and occupied by the present owners.

The map references are:

1. Hopkins-Corey (1861) U.V.R. Van Winkle
2. Walker’s Atlas (1876) U.V.R. Van Winkle
3. Bromley (1912) D. Usher

National Registry #84002595

William Packer House
Built 1789
600 Ewing Avenue, Block 2304, Lot 1A
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 

All the stonework on the William Packer House – except the quoins on the façade – has been stuccoed. A full shed dormer, a modern wing and kitchen in what was an added breezeway have been added, giving the house a reproduction look. The original kitchen wing fireplace has been rebuilt and exterior chimneys have been added on the north and south side. Two partitions have been moved, so that the stairway is now open to the living room, which is full depth.

The early titles to a large part of northwestern Bergen County were involved and dubious; possibly an attempt to rectified this Stevens and Company obtained a grant in 1789 of 5000 acres consisting of tracts in various localities in western Bergen County. They sold to many settlers, including the Packer. The sale may refer to this property as the first Packer arrived at about this time.

The house was probably built at different periods. While Erskine did not survey this road during the Revolution, the method of construction shows that the house belongs to an earlier period than the war. There have been reports that the kitchen wing was first built about 1730, but that is very unlikely. However, the first story of the kitchen wing is built of stone laid with a clay and straw mortar and the diminutive size of the window opening was typical of an earlier period. The main house may have been built by the first Packer shortly after the Revolution because of the stone quoins and the stone lintels left in their natural color in patterned contrast to the white-washed stone front of the building a characteristic of the late eighteens century. Yet, the size of the windows is more typical of the pre-Revolutionary era. The frame half-story was doubtless added to the wing by William Packer.

History:

It is suspected that the nameless progenitor of the Packer family could have been Coenradt Henselpacker who bought Lot 44 of the Ramapo Tract on January 30, 1787. The progenitor of the Packer family in this region came to Wyckoff from a place unknown; he died still a young man and lies buried at Wyckoff; his first name is unknown but may have been John, since his son William’s eldest son was named John. He is supposed to have had but one child, William J. Packer, born January 10, 1795. He married Peggy Micklor on September 27, 1817 (born March 13, 1799).  They had six sons and five daughters. William J. Packer died on January 26, 1863, and his wife Peggy died about 1875 – taken from the family Bible.

William Packer must have been well-to-do and had a full complement of land for he gave farms to every one of his six sons. The homestead was inherited by the son Henry W. Packer, born on January 29, 1837; he married Jane Cole and died in 1918 – taken from the family Bible. He sold the place about 1910 to the Newman’s of New York City, and they sold to Henry Barrett Crosby, the present owner at the time of Rosalie Fellows Bailey’s  Pre-Revolutionary Dutch Houses and Families in Northern New Jersey and Southern New York writing - published 1968. Presently the home is privately owned and occupied.

The following map references list the William Packer house:

1. Hopkins-Corey (1861) W.I. Packer
2. Walker’s Atlas (1876) Henry W. Packer
3. Bromley (1912) W.C. Newman
4. Erskine (1778-80) road not surveyed

National Registry #83001540

 

 

The Van Koert-Winters House is important, in spite of its alterations, as it is one of Bergen County’s few extant pre-Revolutionary War stone houses. Its stone walls are intact and visible on the exterior on the front and back. The plan of the stone section is unchanged except for the addition of a 19th century stairway to the cellar which came about when the hatchways were closed up. The ceilings are open with added rough intermediate beams, probably for extra strength when the second story was raised in the late 19th century. The interior of the stone sections has solid door frames of one-piece construction, early wide floor boards and an early fireplace with a fine mantel of the circa 1810 period. The frame wing connected to the west side appears to be of the 1830’ period.

This house, while having been altered through the years, still retains a sufficient amount of its original fabric that it should be recognized and retained. Therefore, for its architectural significance, for its association with the exploration and settlement of the Bergen County area, and for its remaining historic fabric it is included in the Thematic Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Early Stone Houses of Bergen County, New Jersey.

 

The structure remains in good condition, is privately owned and occupied.

 

 

We know that as early as 1861, Daniel C. Winters owned the house which is now the residence of the Schwartz family. But, according to the Erkshire map, architectural evidence puts the house into pre-Revolutionary era of c. 1820, and its builder probably was Van Koert.

 

It is believed that the stone half was built in the Revolutionary period. The frame upper story is believed to be added after the Civil War. The type of nails, wood and molding used in the construction of the building confirm this.

 

Mr. & Mrs. Schwartz have done meticulously accurate work in restoring the old home to its early American charm and flavor. The ceilings were removed and the beams were scraped of their numerous coats of paint. The worn flooring was replaced with old wide pine flooring.

 

Many of the beautiful antiques would be the envy of museums. The dining room furniture was discovered by Mrs. Schwartz’ s mother in Canada. The fine wood was hidden by many coats of paint. A Hackensack cupboard holds the Hi-Fi set. Another outstanding piece of furniture is a three-legged cricket table. The Bergen County ladder back chairs have elongated, rather than round, finials.

 

In the hall hangs a framed map of Franklin Township as it was in 1861. This is one of the few now in existence, and shows the many families whose names are still carried by residents of this area.

 

The following map references list the Van Koert-Winters house:

 

H. Sturr House or Blue Meadow Farm
Built 1860
378 Pulis Avenue, Block 1510, Lot 8
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417 

The Sturr House – also known as Blue Meadow Farm -is a handsome and little altered example of mid 19^th century vernacular architecture which incorporates several stylistic elements such as gable returns and frieze area of the early 19^th century Greek Revival style. 

The Borough of Franklin Lakes lists the erection year of the house as 1860. 

The façade of this 2 ½ story house consists of clapboard. The front porch has five bays with square posts and a rectangular entrance door with rectangular sidelights. Two tall 1^st story windows are on one side of the porch. A single hitching post with iron rings sits in front of the porch stairs. The building has a frieze area with linear design. Semi-circular headed louvered vents are in all gable ends. The rear of the house has a one story wing.  There is a detached garage to the west side of the house as well as a round frame well. Further west of the house is a stable which has been extensively remodeled and converted into a residence in recent times.

The house combined with associated structures is a significant remnant of the large farmsteads which ones dotted the Borough’s landscape prior to the recent suburban housing boom.

History:

This Sturr house and the nearby more altered house at 402 Pulis Avenue were duplicate structures and were probably built around the same time by members of the Sturr family. The 19^th century Sturr family was descended from Conraedt Sturr who purchased 190 acres of land in this area with John Coeter from Robert Livingston in 1793. The non-extant homestead and mill was located at present-day 930 Old Mill Road. It is known that Henry Sturr, the son of Conraedt, had a fanning mill at this location in 1850. In a will dated 1852 he bequeathed his property and mill to his grandsons John, Henry, and Daniel (Maria Braun – 1976 page 26 & 27). The property along Pulis Avenue upon which these houses are situated was probably included in this will since the homes were built around the mid-19^th century. Future deed research is recommended to identify the original builder and the construction date of the house (1861: H. Sturr, 1876 Estate of H.M. Sturr).

Presently the house is privately owned and occupied.

650 Ewing Avenue, Block 2309, Lot 2
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

The De Gray House is a stone structure with a Gambrel roof line with a sweeping overhang(both 20^th century).

While the De Gray House has been altered through the years it still retains sufficient amounts of its original fabric that it should be recognized and retained. As such it is included in the Thematic Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Early Stone Houses of Bergen County.

The structure remains in good condition, is privately owned and occupied.

History:

The oldest part of the house was built about the time of the Revolution by either the De Gray or related Geroe families. The family Bible confirms the birth of Daniel De Gray in this house in 1789. He married Mary Watson and their daughter, Hannah born in 1811, married John Snyder. Their son, William J. Snyder, was born in 1834. After the death of his mother he was raised by his grandparents, living in this house until his death ion 1904. The 1876 Bergen County Atlas lists William J. Snyder as the property owner. There was a total of 123 acres which included the stone house and a large frame ”Dutch”  barn (associated with the Dutch cultural group and the only one surviving in Franklin Lakes) that dates to c. 1785. The barn is in good condition and is in use but additions have altered the roof line of the original barn.

In 1906 the house was sold to a Philadelphia architect, Charles Merric Gay, and in 1910 Mr. Gay started to enlarge and renovate the house without it losing its charm. He built a stone cottage in the back for Mr. Pennington, who was the gardener and general caretaker of the estate. To make the estate more sufficient, and to provide for his family as well as four maids and other hired help, Mr. Gay purchased four dairy cows and built a creamery. Mrs. Gamberton, granddaughter of William and Elizabeth Winters Snyder, recalls that the skim milk was fed to chickens.

The huge walnut tree planted near the house by an old lady was only a sapling when Elizabeth Snyder was a bride. Mr. Gay thought so much of the tree that he named the estate “Juglans Farm” (juglans is Latin for walnut) and he engaged tree experts from New York to properly cut and feed the walnut tree. 

After World War I, the Gay children were grown and the family no longer needed a country home.  Juglans Farm was sold to McCutcheon who figured prominently in county government. After a few years it reverted back to the Gay family who then sold it to Dr. and Mrs. Anthony Delario.

 

The following map references list the De Gray House:

1. Hopkins-Corey (1861)
2. D. De Gray, Walker’s Atlas (1876) Daniel De Gray
3. Bromley (1912) C.M. Gay

National Registry #83001489

 

Terhune-Post House
Built 1871
552 Franklin Lake Road, Block 3208, Lot 1
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 

The East side façade of the Post-Terhune House – Section A - is a Gothic Revival and was built between 1861 – 1876, c. 1870 and a well-preserved example of the picturesque Gothic Revival Style. The façade has characteristic steeply pitched roof with cross gables, 3 interior end chimneys with recessed panels with projecting molded courses.

The South Wing – Section B – may predate Section A. It has a gable roof, a 2 bay, late 19^th century Queen Anne style porch with turned posts, plain brackets and a denticulate pattern in the cornice area. Small eyebrow type windows are located in the upper story. This wing is located lower than Section A, so that its ridge is at a lower level than Section A.

The West Wing – Section C – has a gable roof oriented so that its ridge is at a right angle to the roof of Section A at the point of attachment. It was a free-standing building and was attached to Section A in about 1940. The height at the ridge is much less than that of Section A; it has eyebrow windows and a recently added bay window on the 1^st story. 

The land of the Post-Terhune House has been subdivided. The house is in excellent condition, privately owned and occupied. 

History:

In front of three northern bays of the façade – Section A - is a two-bay porch with octagonal posts on paneled plinths, octagonal capitals and elaborate delicate scroll brackets with central pendants suggesting continuous spandrels. The slightly off center entrance has a double paneled entrance door with decorative cast iron grills, rectangular transom and heavy architrave trim. The left side of the façade has 2 French windows and the right 2 six-paned windows. Above the entrance is a projecting slightly off-center gable pavilion with verge board and a finial with drop. In the gable is a pointed-arched opening with a balcony with a scroll railing.

According to the present owner the small South Wing – Section B – is the older wing and has the remnants of a baking oven. However, Hopkin’s Map does not indicate a building on this side in 1861. The owner also stated that the rear wing - Section C – was once a detached fruit stand and store which was moved and attached to the house in the 1940’s.

The present owners have painstakingly restored the historic character of the house by replacing synthetic shingles with clapboard siding and repairing the original ginger bread trim and porch scroll brackets.

The following map references list the Post-Terhune House: 

1. 1861 – Hopkin Wall Map – not shown
2. 1876 – Walker’s Atlas pl. 122 – C.R. Post
3. 1902 – Robinson’s Map – S. Terhune
4. 1913 – Bromley’s Atlas , pl. 32 – J.J. Terhune

 

William W. Pulis House
Built 1837
290 Pulis Avenue, Block 1607, Lot 1
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417  

The William W. Pulis House is a handsome example of mid 19^th century architecture and is located in the old Campgaw section of Franklin Lakes. It is one of the larger extant residences dating to this period in the Borough. The building date in the Borough’s records is indicated at 1837. 

The William W. Pulis house of vernacular architecture is 2 ½ stories high, and has two central gables. The façade has a double pointed window and the rear a single pointed window. The central gable roof is a common architectural feature of houses from the period and is found elsewhere in Bergen County. The house façade is clapboard and has plain freeze. The recessed double paneled entrance door has a rectangular transom and paneled door surrounds. The original entrance steps and wrought iron railing have been replaced at a later time. On the North West side of the house is a one story enclosed connector passage leading to a two car garage.

History:

The William W. Pulis house is significant for its association with the Pulis family since they were early settlers, farmers and millers in the Franklin Lake area. Successive generations occupied this residence during the last half of the 19^th century until the early 20^th century.

Currently, the property is privately owned and the house is occupied.

The following map references are:

1. Hopkins-Corey 1861 – W.W. Pulis
2. Walker’s Atlas 1876 – J.W. or Jacob II Pulis
3. Bromley 1913 – J.W. Pulis

 

Built 1899

 

Built 1913

 

Lewis W. Packer House
Built 1800
525 Franklin Avenue, Block 2413, Lot 1-B
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

The Lewis W. Packer is important in the architectural history of Franklin Lakes as a well-preserved and little altered example of early to mid 19^th century plain Vernacular farmhouse. The house is located along one of the oldest thoroughfares through the Borough close to the Wyckoff border and a significant remnant of the 19^th century farmsteads which once dotted the landscape prior to the recent suburban housing boom. The main block of the house was constructed c. 1850 while the west wing possibly was constructed in the early 19^th century. The Lewis W. Packer House possibly has register eligibility.

History:

The exterior of the Vernacular style house is clapboard; it has a single bay entrance porch with gable roof and square posts.  A double rectangular entrance door with glazed tops, rectangular transom and paneled door surrounds, and semi-circular headed windows in the gable ends. Furthermore, there is a 2-bay entrance porch with a rectangular Dutch door and square posts.  The former brackets are missing.

A rectangular well is located 15 feet from the south west side of the house. A small rubble retaining wall lines the front property line and the driveway. The gravel driveway leads to a detached 2 car garage located on the north west side of the house.

More research is recommended to determine the exact building date and Construction chronology of this house.

Currently, the house is privately owned and occupied.

The map references are: 

1. Hopkins Wall Map (1861) Packer
2. Walker’s Atlas (1876) Lewis W. Packer
3. Bromley’s Atlas (1913) L. W. Packer

 

Albert Pulis House
Built 1861
322 Pulis Avenue, Block 1608, Lot 1
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 

The Albert Pulis House is a handsome and well preserved example of the early stone house form, it is significant for its architecture and its association with the exploration and settlement of the Bergen County, New Jersey area. It is a reasonably well preserved example of the Form/Plan Type of stone houses. The original section of the house have retained their 18^th century character with minimal modern alterations. A new floor was installed over the original and the structure has been shored up with new joints and lally columns. The original roof structure remains and all modern additions have been made behind the original house. The exterior walls show a mixed rubble front and rear, the sides are clapboard. The gable has the original roof framing and the eave has a sweeping overhang. The south front of the house has to split leaf Dutch style doors which were altered at a later date. The original part of the house had two bays and one room with one gable end fireplace. At a later date the west wing was added with two bays and one room with a fireplace at the end gable.

History:

A deed was executed in 1804, but not recorded until 1830, which shows Albert Pulis as the grantee in the sale of 49 acres of Lot 51. Whether he built this old house has not been determined, but the 1861 map places him here ( now 322 Pulis Avenue). In 1881 his executors sold the land to John H. Abram and Christian Carlough. Ed Carlough was born in this house while his father Abram was the owner.

This charming stone cottage has a pair of entrance doors and deeply set windows; the two enormous fireplaces have cranes; the stairway is boxed in. Cornelius Bush recalls removing a partition of hogs hair and mud ingredients giving the present living room its more generous proportions. The house was sold to Christopher Wyatt who then built a home at 940 Loch Road – now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Horace Grenell. The stone house at 935 Loch Road - now owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Boyer - was the carriage house fifty years ago. When Edward May purchased the property 30 years ago he took almost a year to finish the dam and Shadow Lake itself. The lake was a very lovely private, club membership spot. The former carriage house was then converted into the club house that housed showers, lockers and a refreshment stand. The front lawn was a sandy beach. Later it was remodeled into a caretaker’s home while the Reeve’s family owned the land. In 1960 when Shadow Lake was developed, Robert Black converted the structure into the lovely home with a view of the lake from each room.

Returning to the ownership of Christopher Wyatt, Mrs. Wyatt recalls that “they purchased this land for very little with a picturesque and ancient stone house” The house itself was used by the farm helper and his family, and barns behind the house were used for the hay and the horses the Wyatt’s kept here. The second floor of the house was given to raising chicks in incubators. Several brooders were placed in front of the farm house. One of these had red flannel flaps, and the chicks that came out after a sudden shower were a wonderful advertisement with their little red feathers.

The so called Van Heest slope was part of the property and was used by local children for sleigh-riding. Mrs. Wyatt loved children as demonstrated by her yearly partied for the children. Once while she was watching them sleigh-riding, she expressed her desire to join them but she had no sled. Miss Marie Carlough – daughter of Ed Carlough – hastened to tell her that an old fashioned wide table leaf would do. Mrs. Wyatt promptly got herself one and joined the fun. Mrs. Wyatt told Mrs. Jane Carlough – Mrs. Ed Carlough’s mother-in-law – that she named her daughter after her.

Since Mr. Wyatt used a rather rigid approach to farming which did not allow for the frailties of human nature and the unpredictability of weather, they were relieved when an offer came from Mr. Edward May to purchase the entire property.

 

The Albert Pulis House has the following map references:

1. Hopkins-Corey – 1861 Albert Pulis
2. Walker’s Atlas – 1876 Albert Pulis
3. Bromley – 1912 Christian Carlough
4. Included in the Thematic Nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the Early Stone Houses of Bergen County, New Jersey

National Registry #83001544