The House
Overview
The farmhouse, originally constructed c. 1790, has expanded through a series of additions added over numerous decades. It often housed multiple families at a time, and served as the quarters for both owners and servants.
The original portion of the house was entered to the leftmost door shown in the picture above. It consisted of only a kitchen, hearth, and loft area. Two additions were constructed going to the right of the photograph between 1790 and 1830, ending with the 1830s parlor on the easternmost side of the building. After that point, the house contained a kitchen, a dining room, a parlor, three bedrooms, a nursery, a sewing room, and servant's quarters.
Before Max Zaitz acquired the property in 1971, the farmhouse had been in the Schenck Family for three generations. John Schenck rented the farm from 1888 to when he purchased it in 1899. When he retired, Schenck sold the farm to his son, Walter. Between 1947 and 1951, Walter's younger son, Warren, lived in the three-room apartment on the second floor of the house. Walter's widow sold the farm to their son, Wilton, in 1963. In 1971, Max Zaitz purchased the farm.
The farmhouse is the main part of the museum. Most of the rooms inside have been decorated to memorialize the interior's design and functionality. In addition to a double parlor, dining room, kitchen, and entrance room on the first floor, as well as a sewing room, 2 bedrooms, lavatory, and research room on the upper floor, there is also an exhibit room that showcases an in-depth analysis of the history of West Windsor.
Much of the furniture in the house was donated to the Historical Society of West Windsor after Amelia Doherty's passing in 1998. Amelia lived in a house off of Quakerbridge Road in the now-defunct village of Clarksville, one of West Windsor's numerous small historic villages. Along with her furniture are a myriad of artifacts donated by residents of the township and surrounding municipalities over the decades. Some of these items belonged to owners of now-disappeared properties, such as an electric iron from the Coward Farmstead (where High School South now stands)!
The farmstead was originally a "handyman's special" when it was donated to the Historical Society in 1991. However, over the years, numerous restorations to this structure and the buildings surrounding it have transformed it into a well-kept memorial to West Windsor's heritage.
To tour the house and immerse yourself in the memories of centuries past, please contact us or visit us during our open house days!
The farmhouse, originally constructed c. 1790, has expanded through a series of additions added over numerous decades. It often housed multiple families at a time, and served as the quarters for both owners and servants.
The original portion of the house was entered to the leftmost door shown in the picture above. It consisted of only a kitchen, hearth, and loft area. Two additions were constructed going to the right of the photograph between 1790 and 1830, ending with the 1830s parlor on the easternmost side of the building. After that point, the house contained a kitchen, a dining room, a parlor, three bedrooms, a nursery, a sewing room, and servant's quarters.
Before Max Zaitz acquired the property in 1971, the farmhouse had been in the Schenck Family for three generations. John Schenck rented the farm from 1888 to when he purchased it in 1899. When he retired, Schenck sold the farm to his son, Walter. Between 1947 and 1951, Walter's younger son, Warren, lived in the three-room apartment on the second floor of the house. Walter's widow sold the farm to their son, Wilton, in 1963. In 1971, Max Zaitz purchased the farm.
The farmhouse is the main part of the museum. Most of the rooms inside have been decorated to memorialize the interior's design and functionality. In addition to a double parlor, dining room, kitchen, and entrance room on the first floor, as well as a sewing room, 2 bedrooms, lavatory, and research room on the upper floor, there is also an exhibit room that showcases an in-depth analysis of the history of West Windsor.
Much of the furniture in the house was donated to the Historical Society of West Windsor after Amelia Doherty's passing in 1998. Amelia lived in a house off of Quakerbridge Road in the now-defunct village of Clarksville, one of West Windsor's numerous small historic villages. Along with her furniture are a myriad of artifacts donated by residents of the township and surrounding municipalities over the decades. Some of these items belonged to owners of now-disappeared properties, such as an electric iron from the Coward Farmstead (where High School South now stands)!
The farmstead was originally a "handyman's special" when it was donated to the Historical Society in 1991. However, over the years, numerous restorations to this structure and the buildings surrounding it have transformed it into a well-kept memorial to West Windsor's heritage.
To tour the house and immerse yourself in the memories of centuries past, please contact us or visit us during our open house days!
