Ivy Hall

About this property

The Cornelius Low House, historically known as Ivy Hall, is a Georgian manor in Piscataway of Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. It was built in 1741 at Raritan Landing. The stone house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 27, 1971, for its significance in architecture. The house currently holds the Cornelius Low House/Middlesex County Museum. Cornelius Low Jr. (c. 1700–1777) was the third of fifteen children. His grandfather, Peter Cornellessen Low, left Holland for the American colonies in 1659 and settled near Kingston, New York. Peter's eldest son, Cornelius Low, moved to New York and established himself as a merchant. He married Margareta Van Borsum in 1695. During the 1720s, Cornelius Low, Jr. became a successful merchant in Newark, New Jersey. In 1729, he married Johanna Gouveneur, and they made plans to move to the emerging port community of Raritan Landing, near New Brunswick. Having shipping capabilities, Low became one of the community's most prosperous businessmen. During a great flood in 1738, Low lost his first home, located along the wharf near Landing Lane, in Raritan. Low obtained property for a new house on the bluff, opposite the Great Road (River Road) and overlooking the Landing. Low called the new home the “new house on the mountain,” referring to an entry in his family Bible. The new location allowed Low to keep a watchful eye on the activities at the wharves, and especially at his warehouse located between the river and the Great Road. Cornelius Low died in early 1777, but the British spared his house because his loyalty to the King of England remained steadfast until his death. The main portion of the home measures forty feet by thirty feet and originally included a 1+1⁄2-story kitchen wing. When it was built, it was one of the largest and most expensive in the province of East Jersey. It was built with more than 350 tons of sandstone. While most of the homes at Raritan Landing had stone foundations, this was the only house to have been built entirely out of stone. Today, the community of Raritan Landing is all but forgotten. The remains of the once-thriving village lie beneath portions of Johnson Park and River Road. The Low House is one of two remaining structures from the Landing and is a vital link to Piscataway and Middlesex County history. Low wished the front of his home to reflect his stature as one of the most influential and prosperous men of the community. To that end, a ledge, or sill course, sits approximately three feet up from the ground and encircles the house. This sill makes the house appear to be sitting on a pedestal. Low purchased large, rectangular blocks of high quality stone for the front facade (facing the river and the community of Raritan Landing), most likely quarried in the Newark area. Low was a frugal man and the only finely dressed stone is on the side of the house facing Raritan Landing. The other three sides were built of less expensive rubble stone, or irregular pieces that required minimal dressing.

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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