The Bowers-Hawk House
The Bowers-Hawk house (right) and former Dutch Neck inn (left) in December 2018.
Historical Overview
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Situated at 210 South Mill Road in the historic West Windsor community of Dutch Neck is a member of West Windsor's "100 Club." According to various township records, this building might date to the 1790s or the early 1800s.[1],[2]
Uncorroborated legend says that this structure may have originally located on the "Manse" property at 138 South Mill Road, perhaps as housing for the property owner's "hired help." It was reputedly moved in the early 1900s to its current location next to the old Dutch Neck inn.[3] However, what is known is that this building was in its present location by the early 1930s.[4] At that time, the structure was owned by Lewis C. Bowers, who had purchased it from Hiram Cook in 1921. Lewis was a contractor who whose building company - Lewis C. Bowers and Sons - constructed and demolished buildings in the West Windsor area for many decades, including Old Town Hall nearby. Lewis was also one of the founders of the long-gone Dutch Neck Y.M.C.A.[5] |
The Bowers-Hawk house, likely in the late 1900s.
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In 1951, the Bowers family sold the property to Daniel Edward Hawk. Notable among the Hawk family members who lived here was Annabelle Hawke Jantz - longtime teacher at the John V. B. Wicoff school in Plainsboro, who also served as its Principal from from 1955-60. She retired in 1974 after 42 years of teaching. She was also a member of the Historical Society of West Windsor.[6]
In 1991, the property passed out of Hawke hands and has since passed through several owners, each of which maintains this house - a contributing structure to the historic community of Dutch Neck. |
Annabelle Hawke Jantz in 1989.
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Bibliography
- "West Windsor Tax Assessor Address List, 2019.” West Windsor, 2019. List of all residences in West Windsor with dates of construction, according to tax assessor. Sent to the Historical Society by Lorraine Jones and Dawn Moretti. For this specific citation, look at 210 South Mill Road.
- “Section IX – Conservation Plan Element – West Windsor Master Plan.” West Windsor Township, 2002.
- Sesquicentennial History: 1816-1966. West Windsor, New Jersey: First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, 1966.
- “ESRI ArcGIS Map Viewer - NJ 1930 Black & White Imagery,” n.d. Online interactive map viewer published by ESRI. One layer shows NJ 1930 black & white imagery - including in West Windsor. Accessed via the url: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/ mapviewer/index.html?layers=4e7de8d868c248f99c3fddc5bf8c0386. Interactive map shows that the old Bergen/Dutch Neck inn had been relocated to its present position at 212-214 South Mill Road by 1930.
- “Lewis C. Bowers Dies in 65th Year.” Trenton Evening Times, October 1, 1941.
- “Annabelle Hawk Jantz.” Town Topics, January 13, 1999.