The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-10-11
Monmouth Historians
Meets Friday at Historic
MataWan Mansion

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The Monmouth County Historical
Association will celebrate its 25tf
Anniversary at the Burrowes House.
MatawaD, N. J., on FIR day. Oct. 12tt
at 3 p. M. A pr gram suitable to the
occasion is being arranged. among tht
pr minen features Of it will be an
address relating to the organization auc
growth Of the Association; and an thel
address by a member Of the NewJersey
State Historical Society, ais q
= escrip i've and historical sketch 81
the Burrowes House, by Miss Edith
Johnson, who is one OF three
descendants of the Burr ives fani y,
long time owners Of the histor c house,
which is situated at. 81 Main St.
Matawan, and is more than 200 wears
old and is also q OF the remarkable
houses of New Jersey.
1t is # in e est to no e that 1--WE
hundred years ago, when the old
mansion was built, Matawan, then
Middletown Poins, was a well develop
ed farming community. The house
had been lived in by others before II
be anne the home If John Burr@wes.
known as the corn king . But under
his regime it became something OF a
center Of community interest through
his activities as a produce merchant.
and his Revolutionary war activities,
which were reflected in his only son.
also named John.
The mistress of the Burrowes home
was a wild W when she married John
BuTrowes. Her first husband w2s Mr..
B%urrowe-' business partner, John
Watson, She was called "a oma Of
superior refinement anddelicate fancy.
She called the house the Enchanted
Castle, Her husband often visited
New York on business matters. more
than a days sail. with delays some
times caused by the tide. and the
townspe pie envied Mrs. Burrawes,
because her children cha the adyan-
tage of travel throu h their trips to
New York on their father boats.
When the Revolutionary wal br Ike
oar the first company of soldiers was
formed in Matawan. and they were mus
tered in and trained at the Burrowes
place. John, Jr., was made a captain
later on. One day he came home to
visit his young wife and the
Tories tr ed to capture him. He fed
by the wav of the back window, swan
the creek at the foot Of the ward and
made his way over to Staten Island
Later, he Iejoine his tr ops safely.
In the meantime, the Tories
had broken into the house.
One Of them had been hurt and the
shawl young Mrs. Burrowes was e
ing was demanded for a bandage,. She
refused and one Of the soldiers struck
her with his sword. Her death some
4 ears afterwa d was attr buted to
complications which resulted from the
wound.
The original hand ut elap-b ards,
fastened with hand wrought nails still
cover the ex erior Of the house. and b
the brick walk at the rear corner,
where the Captain escaped from the
Tories. there is an cid locust covered
with trumpet vine and Virginia C eeper.
In the front yard is a weeping elm,
which must be very cid. and the white
lilacs in the garden have probably
been there ling enough to tell the
houses history, could they
peak.
Among the many facts relating TO
this house is that slaves were hidden
in it during the days Of tn" Underground
Railway" when negroes were making
their escape from the south to
Canada.
The house has not been greatly
changed since the Revolutionary days.
There is a beautiful hand carved arch
in the front hall, and the wide mould
ings which support the ceilings are
very handsome. The partitions
through the house are Of brick or stone
and some OF the doors are still rose
wood grained. At the back of a fire
place on the second floor is ar iron
tablet set into the brick " rk which
reads wv. Lyle, Air Furnace,
1909"
Another odd thing about this fire
pace wal that it hal no stone nor
metal across the top Of the fire cha der,
only the heavy hand hewp wooden
beams which have been charred by the
eat of the fire.
The b stess will be Miss ]. Mabel
Brown, president Of the Monmouth
County Unit of the New JERSEY
Women's Republican Club. whose
home the old mansion has been for the
pas twenty years.