The Manse

The Manse in December 2018.

Historical Overview

Situated at 138 South Mill Road in the historic West Windsor community of Dutch Neck is a 4-bay, colonial revival-style residence with longstanding ties to the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church. A member of West Windsor's "100 Club," this building has long been called the "Manse."

The exact date of construction of this structure is unknown, but prevailing evidence suggests the late 1850s. In 1857, William and Mary-Ann Updike sold about two acres of land to the Trustees of the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church. This deed stipulated that the  buyers "shall erect and build or cause to be erected and built thereon a House for the Pastor or Preacher of the said Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church."[1],[2]

However, the same deed also mentioned an existing "premises" (interpreted through context and convention to be a building).[3] This may have been the house now at 210 South Mill Road, which is said to have been moved from behind the Manse property long ago,[4] and which township records say is from the 1790s or early 1800s.​​[5],[6]

The Manse - date unknown.

In 1916, the first heating system was installed in the Manse. Six years later, a portion of the property was sold to Fred A. Robins, who combined it with another property and erected a house there (136 South Mill Road).[7],[8] Donations of shrubs and bushes for landscaping were made in the mid-1900s by a "Mr. Flemer" of Princeton Nurseries.[9] 

At some point, the church stopped using the building as a parsonage. It is now a rental property instead, helping to fund church operations.

The Manse in the early 1900s.

Go to Dutch Neck

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Bibliography

1. Cornell, Aaron, Robbins, James D., Rossell, Isaac, Updike, Mary-Ann, Updike, William, Wiley, William. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1857. Deed from William and Mary-Ann Updike to the Trustees of the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church for the property now now called the "Manse" at 138 South Mill Road. Located in the New Jersey State Archives, Mercer County Deed Book 39 Page 419.
2.  Lake, D J, and S N Beers. Map of the Vicinity of Philadelphia and Trenton from Actual Surveys By D.J. Lake and S. N. Beers. Assisted by F. Beers, L. B. Lake and D. G. Beers. Philadelphia, PA: C.K. Stone and A. Pomeroy, 1860. https://dspace.njstatelib.org/ xmlui/handle/10929/34112?show=full.
3. Cornell, Aaron, Robbins, James D., Rossell, Isaac, Updike, Mary-Ann, Updike, William, Wiley, William. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1857. Deed from William and Mary-Ann Updike to the Trustees of the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church for the property now now called the "Manse" at 138 South Mill Road. Located in the New Jersey State Archives, Mercer County Deed Book 39 Page 419.
4. Sesquicentennial History: 1816-1966. West Windsor, New Jersey: First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, 1966.
5. "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 138 South Mill Road.
6. ​“Section IX – Conservation Plan Element – West Windsor Master Plan.” West Windsor Township, 2002.
7. Robbins, Frederick A., Trustees of the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church. “Indenture.” West Windsor, 1922. Deed from the Trustees of the Dutch Neck Presbyterian Church to Frederick A. Robbins for a property now including 136 South Mill Road. Mercer County Clerk's Office, Mercer County Deed Book 492 Page 210.
8. Sesquicentennial History: 1816-1966. West Windsor, New Jersey: First Presbyterian Church of Dutch Neck, 1966.
9. Ibid.