Save Anderson Farm - Sloop Creek Road, Bayville NJ

04/04/2024

On the 25th Anniversary of the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey, SAVED OR LOST FOREVER tells the story of places that bore witness to signifi...

04/04/2024

From the Barnegat Rail Trail - Lacey mile marker 5.25 informational sign "Welcome to Ostrum Station" -

“The Revolutionary War at the shore, then part of Monmouth County, was really more of a civil war pitting Patriots against Loyalists with about equal numbers of neutrals, mostly Quakers. The Loyalist irregulars operated as privateers on both land and sea. Some of them, such as Dick Bird, were purported to live in caves along the banks of Cedar Creek and other streams. Dick Bird is said to have been found by the Patriot Militia at his girlfriend’s house near Bamber and executed. After which his girlfriend is said to have calmly picked his pockets.”

https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/WebContentFiles/0c7f7756-a50c-4bfd-b6b6-497fc0446e0b.pdf

https://www.co.ocean.nj.us/OC/ch/frmBarnegatBranchTrail.aspx

04/03/2024

From the Asbury Park Press article "A lost treasure - the Anderson Farm in Bayville" -

"At one time the farm was extensive, going from Barnegat Bay at the eastern end and stretching 250 acres in three directions. Its western point was Shore Road, now officially Route 9...The farm was been subdivided a number of times and the last 10 acres are now for sale to be split up for new homes, one which would be placed on the location of the old Anderson Farm...Richard Bird, a Tory was shot by Patriots in the kitchen area of the house as he sat on a woman’s lap in 1775...One of the newer sections played a part in the Civil War when it held runaway slaves in a concealed loft...The hidden loft would have been an excellent place to hide slaves along the Underground Railway...The oldest deed for the property that could be located was a purchase by Ephriam Potter from Nicholas Wainwright on March 1, 1704."

Musings from the NJ Maritime Museum, Beach Haven

04/03/2024

From Weird NJ #52 chapter “Endangered NJ: The Anderson Farm In Bayville” -

"This structure in Bayville is generally referred to as the Anderson Farmhouse and is thought to be, at least in part, upwards of 300 years old...The farmhouse itself has a rich history. Over the course of its existence it has been the home of slavery and the site of an assassination of a Tory, witnessed the American Revolution, rumored to have been a stop along the Underground Railroad, and welcomed many modern technologies including indoor plumbing, electricity, heating, air conditioning, telephones, television and both the ice box and refrigerator. Its occupants included many family names such as Chamberlain, Anderson, Lawrence, Veeder and Nobles, all of which are well-known and proved to be prominent in both Monmouth and Ocean Counties."

02/15/2024

For those who would like to get involved, here are some suggestions to try and STOP the sale, before it's too late: Call, email or write Lacey's Mayor; Ocean County Historical Society ; New Jersey Historical Commission ; Ocean County Commissioners ; The New Jersey Historical Society ; New Jersey Historic Preservation Office.

02/15/2024

From Images of America: Berkeley Township -

"A local story has a Revolutionary War refugee, Dick Bird, being tracked by the local militia and then killed on the hearth of the huge fireplace."

02/11/2024

Anderson Farm (Sloop Creek Rd, Bayville, NJ) 1981 historical preservation survey conducted by the New Jersey Office of Cultural and Environmental Services -

"The Lawrence House is believed to be one of the earliest structures in the township. According to the Berkeley Township booklet, the house is the place where Dick Bird, the notorious Potter’s Creek outlaw of Revolutionary Days, lost his life. Bird, a member of the Davenport gang of refugees remained loyal to England during the revolution and ravaged and plundered the shore communities. The house is also believed to have been a stop on the underground railroad, here runaway slaves sought refuge. There is still a hiding place within the attic which is said to be used for this purpose. The house was once part of a 600 acre tract."