Hutchinson-Roszel-Kaplan Farm

Hutchinson-Roszel-Kaplan farmhouse, date unknown. Now (in 2023) offices for the adjacent Windsor Chapel, itself a relic of the same farm.

Historical Overview

Standing at 401 Village Road East, about 100 feet from the road and behind stately trees, is a tall, T-shaped Victorian Gothic house. Behind that building is a parking lot fronting a large Evangelical chapel with a small, stucco toolshed to its east. This property, in the historic community of Dutch Neck, is a member of West Windsor's "100 Club." This entire tract was once part of a much-larger farm, hereafter called the "Hutchinson-Roszel-Kaplan" farm.

Generations ago, this area - like much of the rest of West Windsor - was part of an expanse of farmland, stretching as far as the eye could see. In 1828, Henry Applegate purchased about 120 acres from William Allen, Thomas Hooper, and James Hutchinson. This property stretched from Village Road East to present-day Conover Road and was also bound by Edinburg Road to the east.[1] A map from 1849 shows a long-gone house elsewhere on the same property - see the adjacent image.[2] The current Victorian Gothic would apparently not be constructed until much later.

Dutch Neck, 1849. Note "H. Appleget."

In the 1840s and 1850s, small sections of this property were split off and sold to various individuals. These parcels now include 407, 409, 411, 413, and 415 Village Road East.[3],[4]

Henry's will, written in 1849, shows the property being bequeathed to his wife, Rebecca.[5] The farm remained in the family until 1887, when it was purchased by William J. Hutchinson.[6] It was reputedly during the next year that a large barn - long since incorporated into the Windsor Chapel - was built. It is possible that the current house was also constructed around the same time as the barn, although it is hard to tell. However, the 1880s were indeed in the middle of the height of Victorian Gothic architecture in the United States.[7]

William was a West Windsor "Overseer of the Highways" in the 1870s, 1880s, and early 1900s.[8] The 1880 census shows him living with his wife, Mary Ann, five kids (Oliver, Richard, Ella, Lizzie, and an unnamed baby), and a 36-year-old laborer named Mary Robins.​[9]

Dutch Neck, 1905. Note "Wm J. Hutchinson."

The Hutchinsons kept this property until 1930, when they sold it to William and Addie Roszel.[10] William was a Township committeeman from the 1940s-50s[11] and also served on the West Windsor School Board.[12] The Roszels worked as an extended family to keep this as a prosperous farm for many years. In an article published in the U.S. 1 newspaper, Marcy Hafner (granddaughter of William and Addie) recalled life on the farm:

"The smell of bird seed ... dust from a pile of potatoes, or manure brings it all back: the Roszel farm in Dutch Neck ... back when air conditioning didn't exist and, with the windows wide open, I'd fall asleep to the chirp of crickets every summer night ... (We raised) turkeys from balls of fluff to full-grown toms and hens ... I also had a pet calf named Spot, a gentle soul ... she and I grew up together until she joined the herd as a mature milking cow ... the farms are all gone, but the character of tiny Dutch Neck stays intact."[13]

Turkeys on the Roszel farm, mid-1900s.

Following William's death in 1956, the farm gradually disappeared. First to go was the turkey-raising business, then William's son, Allen, bought out the dairy and Holstein cows. Other siblings soon left as well, ending with Vernon Roszel taking the potatoes with him. According to Marcy, his wife, Alberta, was a nighttime nurse in Princeton and the last person to see Albert Einstein alive when he died on her shift.[14]

One more child of William and Addie, Malcolm, stayed in West Windsor and even served an active role in town government: as Township Committeeman from 1950s-70s and Mayor from the 1960s-70s, as well as roles on the Planning Board, Zoning Board, and School Board. He also served as a bomber pilot during World War II. A carpenter, Malcolm built and lived in a house next door to the Roszel family farm.[15],[16]

Brothers Robert, Allen, Vernon and Malcolm Roszel, in front of the old Roszel barn (now the Windsor Chapel) many decades ago.

In 1966, the farm finally passed out of Roszel hands when it was sold to David and Harriet Kaplan.[17] The couple maintained this property until 1978, when they sold it to a young Evangelical congregation - the Windsor Chapel, formed in 1976.[18],[19] The rest of the farm was replaced by the "Dutch Neck Estates" suburban development in the 1980s.[20] 

Between 1979 and 1980, the congregation converted the barn into a much-bigger sanctuary for worship, with the first service being held there January 20, 1980. A portion of the barn's structure still supports the building, whose eastern half still shows some of the shape of the old barn. Meanwhile, the old Roszel house is still used as offices, a memorial to times long gone by.[21]

To explore the history of the Windsor Chapel, click here. Else, click the button lower on this page to return to Dutch Neck.

The old barn, long since incorporated into the Windsor Chapel. Newspaper: Town Topics, August 16, 1978.

Go to Dutch Neck

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Bibliography

1. Allen, William, Applegate, Henry, Hooper, Thomas, Hutchinson, James. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1828. Located in the New Jersey State Archives, Middlesex County Deed Book 21 Page 195.
2. ​Otley, J W, and James Keily. “Map of Mercer County, New Jersey.” Map. Camden, New Jersey: L. Van der Veer, 1849.
3. Applegate, Henry, Applegate, Rebecca, Bergen, Susan, Bergen, Willliam G. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1843. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book F Page 7.
4. Jewell, William D., Applegate, Rebecca, Vannest, Jane. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1851. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 56 Page 283.
5. Applegate, Henry. “Will of Henry Applegate.” West Windsor, October 20, 1849. Accessed via Ancestry.com: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8796/images/005662961_00450?treeid=&personid=&rc=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=tIC215&_phstart=successSource&pId=215112
6. Jewell, William D., Hutchinson, William J. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1887. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 152 Page 580.
7. “PHMC High Victorian Gothic Style 1860 - 1890.” PHMC > Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Accessed March 3, 2023. http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/high-victorian-gothic.html#:~:text=The%20High%20Victorian%20Gothic%20style%20did%20not%20fully%20emerge%20in,design%20of%20schools%20and%20libraries. 
8. "West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
9. United States Census, 1880 - West Windsor Township.” West Windsor Township, 1880.
10. Hutchinson, Mary A., Hutchinson, William J. Roszel, Addie L., Roszel, William E. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1930. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 661 Page 227.
11. "West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
12. ​​"Obituaries: William E. Roszel, 63." Town Topics, December 30, 1956.
13. Hafner, Marcy. “Before Suburbia, There Was Life on the Farm.” West Windsor and Plainsboro News. Community News Service, January 11, 2022. https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/coverstories/before-suburbia-there-was-life-on-the-farm/article_f8e808cd-6f83-5345-a38b-6fcfcb6646f6.html. ​
14. Ibid.
15. "West Windsor Township Meeting Minutes, 1797-2012.,” n.d. Original Township Committee meeting minute database located in the Municipal Center.
16. Hafner, Marcy. “Before Suburbia, There Was Life on the Farm.” West Windsor and Plainsboro News. Community News Service, January 11, 2022. https://www.communitynews.org/princetoninfo/coverstories/before-suburbia-there-was-life-on-the-farm/article_f8e808cd-6f83-5345-a38b-6fcfcb6646f6.html. 
17. Kaplan, David, Kaplan, Harriet, Roszel, Addie L. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1966. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 1765 Page 36.
18. Kaplan, David, Kaplan, Harriet, Windsor Chapel. “Deed.” West Windsor, 1978. Located in the Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 2078 Page 949.
19. “Our History.” Windsor Chapel | An Evangelical Christian Church in Princeton Junction, NJ. Windsor Chapel, September 19, 2019. https://windsorchapel.org/our-history/. 
    
20. “West Windsor Aerial Photography Composite Map, 1985.” Map. Historical Society of West Windsor - Map Archives. West Windsor, NJ, 1985.
21. ​“Our History.” Windsor Chapel | An Evangelical Christian Church in Princeton Junction, NJ. Windsor Chapel, September 19, 2019. https://windsorchapel.org/our-history/.