Community Corner
South Orange Group Trying To Save NJ's Oldest Building
Preservationists are trying to save the Old Stone House, part of which dates back to before 1680.
SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The house is tucked away, behind the South Orange Police Department. It is easy to pass it by and not even notice it.
That house is The Old Stone House. It is the oldest house in the state and the South Orange Historical and Preservation Society is trying to save it from a slow demise.
The society hosted a meeting at the library Thursday night. Historians, architects, and restoration experts were set to speak.
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At least part of the house was built before 1680. It is listed on the New Jersey and National registers of historic places.
The house is a victim of "architorture," an impending death by wildlife, nature taking over, and general decay, said Joel Levin, a trustee of the South Orange Historical and Preservation Society.
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"It has been years since anyone has stepped up to stabilize and preserve it during its accelerating decline," Levin said.
The township has owned the house for more than 50 years. It was slated to sell the house in 2010. It was part of a working 100-acre farm in the 1700s, NJ.com reported.
Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com
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