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Board of the Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey
proposed to construct a fine mansion worthy of serving as the residence of the Royal Governors. -
They hired the English architect and builder John Edward Pryor to design and build what they called the "Proprietary House in
Amboy." -
Construction of property.
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John Edward Pryor records in his log, "Set the labourers to digging."
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Despite over budget problems and delays that almost destroyed Pryor Property House is completed.
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Proprietary House was leased to New Jersey’s chief justice,
Frederick Smyth, and then to another lawyer. -
During the Revolution, Proprietary House had been occupied by
both Patriot and British troops and, for a time, served as
headquarters for both American General Hugh Mercer and British General Sir William Howe. -
Franklin calls the colonial assembly into session to preserve his position. Franklin is exposed as a loyalist from a letter he wrote to Lord Dartmouth in England.
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The NJ Assembly ordered the Governor William Franklin held under house arrest at Proprietary House.
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Franklin's last effort to stop New Jersey colony from joining the Continental Congress.
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The last day William was ever to see his wife, Elizabeth Franklin, and the mansion at his arrest.
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Elizabeth Franklin is forces by British troops to evacuated Perth Amboy and moved to Loyalist-held New York City.
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John Rattoone, a businessman, purchased the structure after it was left in ruins after a fire. I was believed he was a British spy.
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John Rattoone restores the mansion and lived there until 1808
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Developer Richard M. Woodhull receives possession of property.
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Richard M. Woodhull, a New York developer, transformed Proprietary House into an elegant resort hotel.
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Matthias Bruen buys property from a sheriff's sale
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Bruen and his family lived in Brighton House until his death in 1846.
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House is used as a hospital for Union officers during the Civil War.
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Admiral David D. Porter, who spent a few weeks at the house for relaxation after many months of intense fighting.
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The Bruen family allows The Presbyterian Board of Relief for Disabled Ministers and the Wives and Orphans of Deceased Ministers use of house. It is renamed Westminster House.
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Property is sold to J.D. Holm to preserve the mansion and its grounds as a historic site and musum
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Most of the property's 11.5 acres sub-divided into building lots and Kearny Avenue was cut through its once great lawn.
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Property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Dr. William Cole of New Brunswick, Chairman of the Historic Sites Committee, places a plan to turn the Westminster into a museum before the County Planning Board.
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The Proprietary House Association, initially named the Westminster Historical Society, was formed as a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving and restoring the only remaining official royal governor’s mansion still standing in the original 13 colonies.
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The State of New Jersey purchases the property under the Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program.
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The Proprietary House achieved listings in the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
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The NJ Department of Environmental Protection leases Proprietary House.
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Volunteers began to reverse decades of neglect and
deterioration at Proprietary House. -
The Association opens Proprietary House for its first public viewing with a bicentennial re-enactment of Governor William Franklin’s arrest by Patriot forces.
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The Restoration Partnership of Boston proposed a public/private partnership plan under which the Partnership leased the building and 3.5 acres of surrounding land.
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Proprietary House currently holds tours, reenactments, teas, receptions, and other events.
http://www.theproprietaryhouse.org/Upcoming_Events.html -
The home was featured on Syfy channel's Ghost Hunters and later investigated by the Jersey Unique Minds Paranormal Society (JUMPS), founded by Doug Hogate.
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On October 28th at 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm a tour of the ghost that supposedly inhabit Proprietary House.
