Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-07-14
Historic Perth Amboy is Filled With Places Of Interest

all else was still. There were no
busy little tug boats snorting and
footing as they pushed their bows
through the water rufing the
surface, no big barges, schooners,
steamboats,. Perth Amboy is now a
manufacturing city where hundreds OF
men find employment. OF all this the
old mansion alone remains.
But, as has been said, the West
minister is not the only building of
historic interest in Perth Amboy. Sit
uated in New Brunswick'avenue, but
far back from the ~thoroughfare are the
historic old Barracks now used as
tenement houses-what there is left OF
them. A few years ago a portion
was destroyed by fire and the rest OF
them are in a very dilapidated condi-
ton. The erection of these buildings
was authorized in 1883 at the same
time with Others at Trenton, New
Brunswick and Elizabethtown. Those
at Trenton have recently been secured
by the city and will be preserved as
a lasting memory of the days that
have passed. The buildings were
completed in 1889.
The Barracks were first occupied
by the troops returning from Havana
in 1862, according to Whitehead's
history, and from that time until the
evacuation of New Jersey by the Brit
ish, they were seldom u|noccupied for
any length of time The ~ tn" foot
was the last to occupy them previous
to the Revolution, and left New Jersey
to participate in the battles of Bun
ker Hill and at Saratoga.
On the breaking out of the Revolu-
ton they were occupied by Captain
Conway's company of militia. When
the British took possession of Perth
Amboy the soldiers were q~uartered
there while the officers lived at the
Westminster.
Being public property, at the close
of the war, the buildings were confis-
Gated by the United States. They
we've subsequently sold to Mr.. Lloyd
who expected to realize considerable
profit from the sale Of the bricks OF
which they were built and he began
to tear them down, but finding the eX-
pense greater than the profit, he de
sisted after demolishing a part of the
central portion. They have passed
from one owner to another until the
present day.
The famous Long Ferry Tavern "
has long since been demolished. 1t
was located at the foot of High street
overlooking the river and not near
the Staten Island ferry, at the foot Of
Smith street as might be supposed.
This was the first public house open
ed in Perth Amboy. 1t was erected
sometime about the year 1854 in con.
n~ection with the ferry established by
Deputy Governor Lawrie. Little is
known of the keepers of the tavern
prior to the revolution although
Whitehead says James Emott was the
host in Lawrie's time. The sketch
shown here was taken about 1912 and
it bears evidence of change. 1t is sup
posed that the portion with the high
stoop and dormer windows was all
that was built in the time of Lawrie.
In this building many a scheme was
concocted and it was here where the
loungers met TO discuss the politics OF
the day, comment upon the time OF
the arrival Of the next ship, smoke
their big pipes and drink their grog.
The tavern is no more, but its memo
ry still lives.
The residence of Captain James
Parker in Water street, known to al
most everyone as the castle, has been
in the possession of that family for
many generations. Long before the
colonies ever dreamed of indepen-
dence the stone section of the build
ing facing Front street was built, the
wooden addition on Water street
having been erected before the revol-
ution. The Parker family and the
castle have been identified with Perth
Amboy from its beginning. White
head says it was between 1910 and
1850 that the Parkers first established
themselves in East Jersey. James
Parker, of whom the Parkers now
living here are descendants, first lived
in Woodbridge. He was a captain OF
several companies organized to fight
the French and Indians on the from
tier. He afterwards engaged in the
mercantile business in New York
and in I75o-5I made a voyage to
Jamaica 1t was about this time,
Whitehead says, that he moved to
Perth Amboy. He was Mayor of