From The Archives

More About This House

Morris County, New Jersey played a key role in the Revolutionary War, as George Washington's army was encamped here for the winters of 1777 and 1779-80, and its mines supplied much of the iron used for ammunition and other military uses. The Babbit-Matthews house was here for all of that, having been built by a local farmer, Elkanah Babbit, in approximately 1740 (according to family lore) or 1775 (according to the historical society). The story related to the current owner was that after Babbit's wife died from snakebite, he decided to return home to England. On his way back to a local port to board ship, he stopped on a turnpike to pay a toll, and there met a pretty toll-taker... whom he fell in love with, married, and brought back to live in his little log cabin on the banks of the river! The home at that time was a 16x16 log cabin with a sleeping loft above; that room is now the dining room of the home.
Over the centuries, the home was expanded by adding first a kitchen lean-to, in approximately 1820, and then a foyer, living room and second story. The last major addition to the home was done in approximately 1865, when the living room was expanded to enclose a porch.
Unusual for a home of this age, it still retains many original features, including a Dutch door, hand-hewn beams (supposedly harvested from the property) and wide-plank floors. Many of the doors retain their original hardware. Both the kitchen and master bedroom are also unusually large for a vintage home, and although the kitchen needs updating, it is a great, sunny space that will easily accept modernizing.
The property is an expansive 1.17 acres, and although the home is close to the road in front, the backyard is huge and private, with no immediate neighbors. There is a Wildlife Management Area across the street, for birding and nature walks, and the property is bordered on one side by the Rockaway River, a stocked trout stream!