Copyright 2005, Esther Doyle Read

New 6 April 2005

Hainesburg
Knowlton Township
Warren County, New Jersey
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Hainesburg

Mansion House

This series of photogaphs is of the Mansion House along New Jersey Route 94, the main road through the village of Hainesburg. The Mansion House is on the west edge of the village and was the home of the Andress family in the late nineteenth-century. It was known as the Hainesburg Inn through much of the twentieth century. James P. Snell in his 1881 History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey wrote that the Mansion House had been built by Andrew Smith in 1828. It is certainly possible that a portion of the house dates to the late 1820s, however there are several architectural features which were added at much later dates. The mansard roof was a popular architectural style in the United States from the 1860s through the 1880s. This roof is visible in the first photograph on the main body of the building adjacent to the tower. It has steep sloped sides with dormers set in it. In the second photograph the mansard roof is visible between the two towers topped with gold domes. The towers are characteristic of Queen Annes architecture which was popular during the period 1880 to 1910. Circular towers were usually offset with a "candle-snuffer" peaked roof and were generally set in a prominent corner of the building. In this case there were two towers. Another common feature of Queen Annes architecture was a one-story wrap-around porch, covered with "gingerbread" or bric-a-brac, that extended the full width of the house. All of these features are present in the Mansion House. These photographs were taken on 10 October 2004 around 2:30 PM on an overcast day. The first view is to the east from the parking lot of the former Mansion House Inn. The second view is to the west and was taken from a location on the opposite side of Route 94.

Hainesburg Store Front

On the north side of Route 94, almost directly across the road from the Mansion House, is a Hainesburg store and home. The building is currently occupied by an antique store. The structure served as both a business and a home. The second floor and garrett would have been the shop keeper's home. The architectural style of the building is reminiscent of Greek Revival Architecture which was in use in the United States between 1800 and 1850. Hallmarks of Greek Revival buildings which can be seen in the facade of this structure include: orientation of the gable end toward the road, a symetrical shape for the building overall, and a pedimented gable on the front with a plain frieze beneath it. Note the use of the Palladian style window in the gable end. The 1874 F.W. Beers County Atlas of Warren County New Jersey does not show a building at this location in its detail map of "Hainesburgh" but, the general overview map of Knowlton Township does show a building in the general area of this store front. The photographs presented here were taken on 10 October 2004 around 2:40 PM on an overcast day. The first photo of the building is oriented to the east and includes a view down Route 94 that terminates at the old Methodist Episcopal Church on the north side of the highway. Several smaller houses can be seen just past the church on the south side of the highway. The two story white house on the north side of the highway and adjacent to the old M.E. church is labeled as belonging to Philip Beck on the 1874 Beers Atlas. The second photo is a view of the facade which is oriented toward the north.

Hainesburg Methodist Episcopal Church

A little further to the east along route 94 is the former Hainesburg Methodist Episcopal Church. It is currently the home of the Christ Baptist Church. The building was built in 1892 on the north side of the main street through the village. It replaced an earlier church which according to Snell's 1881 History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey was built in 1842 by Andrew Smith. The church is currently covered with aluminum siding, but the stained glass windows and the wood surrounds of the windows are original to the church. These photographs were taken on 10 October 2004 around 2:45 PM on an overcast day. The first photograph of the front of the church faces to the north and east. The second photograph of the side of the building is oriented to the west.

Hainesburg Cemetery

The Hainesburg cemetery is located on the eastern edge of the village on the north side of Route 94. According to William MacKellar Kern's 1938, Kern and Ogden ancestors. Also allied families of Lanterman, Read, Crisman, etc., burial began here in the late 1700s, but none of the early stones seem to have survivied—if the graves had stone markers, it is entirely possible that the earliest markers were wooden. Kern specifically mentions John Matthews, who died in 1799, as having been buried in Sodom. His daughter Catherine Matthews Read and her family are buried in the old section. The photograph of the cemetery presented here is a view of the old section. It is oriented toward the north and west. The large monument surrounded by the low stone rail in the foreground belongs to the Andress family. They were once the owners of the Mansion House or Hainesburg Inn. A parital transcription and selected photographs of the Hainesburg cemetery are presented elsewhere in this site.

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