The National Park Service has awarded the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection $750,000 for the rehabilitation of the Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Site in Somerville, Somerset County, Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced today.
Funds were made available through the Semiquincentennial Grant Program, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The grant will fund the restoration of the building’s exterior, installation of stormwater drainage and provide ADA access. Additional funding for the project is provided through the American Rescue Plan.
“One of the primary goals of RevolutionNJ, the state’s official 250th commemoration committee, is to uplift heritage tourism sites, like the Old Dutch Parsonage, in New Jersey,” said Lieutenant Governor Tahesha Way, who oversees RevolutionNJ in her capacity as Secretary of State. “We believe that these physical connections to the past are critical to understanding our shared history, and we thank the National Park Service for their support of the Old Dutch Parsonage. Their investment will allow residents and visitors to enjoy and learn from the site for generations to come.”
“Historic sites such as the Old Dutch Parsonage are treasures that deepen our understanding of U.S. history and remind us of the important role New Jersey played in the founding of our nation,” said Commissioner LaTourette. “My DEP colleagues and I thank the National Park Service for their continued commitment to preserving sites such as the Old Dutch Parsonage for future generations.”
“There is a reason New Jersey is considered the most important colony in America’s War of Independence and the Crossroads of the American Revolution,” said Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. “As we approach the United States’s Semiquincentennial, these investments will allow visitors to fully appreciate our place in our nation’s founding.” Congresswoman Watson Coleman is a Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the America 250 Caucus which was founded in 2020 to assist in the planning of congressional activities surrounding America’s semiquincentennial commemoration. She also serves as a commissioner on the America250 Commission.
“Thank you to the National Park Service for the continued investment in New Jersey’s historic sites as we approach the nation’s 250th anniversary,” said John Cecil, Assistant Commissioner for State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites. “By investing in projects such as the restoration of the Old Dutch Parsonage, we ensure that New Jersey’s historic sites and contributions to the founding of the United States continue to connect visitors with the diverse stories that shaped the nation.”
“Since its founding, our nation has been shaped by an exceptionally diverse collection of cultures, events and places,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “The Semiquincentennial Grant Program supports our efforts to present a more complete telling of our country’s history as we approach its 250th anniversary in 2026, and beyond.”
The Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Site was the home of ministers of the Dutch Reformed Church including the founder and first president of Queen's College, known today as Rutgers, the State University. In addition, two delegates from the Parsonage served in the Provincial Congress of New Jersey, adopting New Jersey's first Constitution and declaring New Jersey's independence on July 2, 1776.
Protecting Historic Sites from Climate Threats
The grant funds will serve to protect the historic site from future climate threats, most notably the increasing frequency and severity of rainstorms in New Jersey as a result of climate change. The installation of new gutters, leaders and flashing for this project incorporates precipitation frequency estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to protect the structure from stormwater, anticipating the increasing threat of precipitation over the next century. In 2023, the DEP adopted the Inland Flood Protection Rule which recognized this new data from NOAA and anticipates a nearly 50 percent increase in rainfall amounts for the 100-year, 24-hour storm in Somerset County.
250th Anniversary Readiness
The DEP has been working diligently to implement enhancements and ensure the state’s Revolutionary War sites fully shine as part of America’s 250th anniversary. This includes implementing Governor Murphy’s $25 million dollar investment in 10 signature Revolutionary War sites across the Garden State -
- Washington Crossing State Park in Mercer County
- Princeton Battlefield State Park in Mercer County
- Old Barracks Museum in Mercer County
- Trenton Battle Monument Historic Site in Mercer County
- Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Monmouth County
- Proprietary House Historic Site in Middlesex County
- Rockingham Historic Site in Middlesex County
- Indian King Tavern Historic Site in Camden County
- Wallace House Historic Site in Somerset County
- Boxwood Hall Historic Site in Union County
Additionally, a separate FY25 state budget appropriation of $111,000 will go to the Washington Crossing Park Association for the restoration of the historic Nelson House in Washington Crossing State Park. Another FY25 state budget appropriation of $1.3 million will go to the American Battlefield Trust for rehabilitation and interpretive improvements at Princeton Battlefield State Park.
Semiquincentennial Grant Program
Created by Congress in 2020, the Semiquincentennial Grant Program’s third round of funding includes $10 million to support 19 cultural resource preservation projects across nine states.
In 2022, the DEP received a combined $1 million in the inaugural round of funding for restorative work to the Indian King Tavern Historic Site in Camden County, and to the Wallace House Historic Site in Somerset County. The Indian King Tavern project is in the pre-construction bid phase. The Wallace House project is in final design and construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2025.
Congress appropriated funding for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program through the Historic Preservation Fund. The fund uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf, assisting with a broad range of preservation projects without expending additional tax dollars. The intent of these projects is to mitigate the loss of nonrenewable resources to benefit the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.
The New Jersey State Park Service manages more than 50 historic sites and districts across the Garden State. For more information about New Jersey’s State Parks, Forests & Historic Sites, visit njparksandforests.org
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