Grovers Mill: The Brain-Macpherson House
Historical Overview
Sitting at 160 Cranbury Road is one of West Windsor's oldest houses (and thus part of the "100 Club") and a contributing structure to the historic community of Grovers Mill. This building, like its neighbors, was originally part of the Grovers Mill "Joint Tract" that also included the adjacent Mill, Barn, and Millwright's House around which the community grew. According to township records, the house likely dates to between 1758 and 1762.[1],[2] Walter S. Grover (longtime owner of the Joint Tract) was reputedly born in the house.[3] Given its age, inclusion in the Joint Tract, and proximity to the mill, this structure may have been a tenant house for mill-workers. For the remaining history of the Joint Tract (and thus this house) before 1928, click here.
Following the death of Walter S. Grover in 1928[4] his estate was subdivided into individual parcels for each building - including this house. The next owner was local farmer Charles Lawrence Dey, and his wife, Hattie May Dey. Charles formed the Grovers Mill Company, Inc. with William T. Denison, his brother-in-law. However, he sold his share of the company at some point.[5] Still, the Deys retained ownership of 160 Cranbury Road (and several other adjacent houses) until 1946, when it was purchased by a painter named George Brain and his wife, Dorothy (a waitress).[6]
Following the death of Walter S. Grover in 1928[4] his estate was subdivided into individual parcels for each building - including this house. The next owner was local farmer Charles Lawrence Dey, and his wife, Hattie May Dey. Charles formed the Grovers Mill Company, Inc. with William T. Denison, his brother-in-law. However, he sold his share of the company at some point.[5] Still, the Deys retained ownership of 160 Cranbury Road (and several other adjacent houses) until 1946, when it was purchased by a painter named George Brain and his wife, Dorothy (a waitress).[6]
In 1956, the Brains sold the house to Ronald Macpherson[7] - a longtime employee of New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and former Underwater Demolition Team-member in the US Navy during the Korean War[8] - and his wife, Vivian - longtime West Windsor Board of Education employee, real estate professional, and co-creator of the "Westwinds" residential neighborhood off of Penn-Lyle Road.[9] The MacPhersons gave the house a "face lift" in the early 1960s. They removed the old porch and had local mason Charles Aversano add a brick façade to replace the stucco that Charles Dey had added in the 1930s. The MacPhersons also added two coat closets, a porch on the backside of the house facing the Bear Brook, and, in 1972, the two-car garage. However, they kept many original elements such as the fieldstone fireplace (reputedly made with stone from Charles L. Dey's farm on Rabbit Hill Road), wide-plank floors, hand-hewn beams, and another fireplace made with brick from the old Dutch Neck inn![10]
The MacPhersons sold the house to Anthony Pizi and his wife, Kelly, in 1988. Since then, a few more owners have maintained the house as one of West Windsor's oldest buildings and a longtime familiar sight in the historic West Windsor community of Grovers Mill.
The MacPhersons sold the house to Anthony Pizi and his wife, Kelly, in 1988. Since then, a few more owners have maintained the house as one of West Windsor's oldest buildings and a longtime familiar sight in the historic West Windsor community of Grovers Mill.
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.
- “West Windsor Township Natural Resource Inventory.” West Windsor Township, NJ: Historical Society of West Windsor's archives at the West Windsor History Museum, 1978. Updated in 1991.
- “Grover’s Mills.” Essay. In Old Princeton’s Neighbors. Princeton, NJ: Graphic Arts Press , 1939. Written by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Writers’ Project.
- Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church. (n.d.). Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church graveyard. West Windsor. Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church graveyard gravestones, which often list birth dates, death dates, and ages of those buried there.
- “Grover’s Mills.” Essay. In Old Princeton’s Neighbors. Princeton, NJ: Graphic Arts Press , 1939. Written by the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Writers’ Project.
- United States Census, 1940 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1940.
- “Dutch Neck.” Trenton Evening Times, March 14, 1956.
- “George Brain.” The News-Journal. April 17, 1989.
- “Vivian Macpherson Obituary (1934 - 2017) - Wilmington, NC - ‘the Times, Trenton,".” Legacy.com. The Times, July 6, 2017. https://obits.nj.com/us/obituaries/trenton/name/vivian-macpherson-obituary?id=8750327.
- MacPherson, Ronald M, and Vivian W MacPherson. “160 Cranbury Road, Princeton Junction, NJ 08550.” West Windsor, n.d. House tour of 160 Cranbuy Road, West Windsor, NJ 08550