Seabrook-Wilson House
|
Seabrook-Wilson House | |
 | |
    | |
| Location | 119 Port Monmouth Road, Port Monmouth, Middletown Township, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°26′21″N 74°5′35″W / 40.43917°N 74.09306°WCoordinates: 40°26′21″N 74°5′35″W / 40.43917°N 74.09306°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1663 |
| NRHP Reference # | 74001178[1] |
| NJRHP # | 2030[2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 29, 1974 |
| Designated NJRHP | July 1, 1974 |
Seabrook-Wilson House (also known as the Whitlock-Seabrook-Wilson Home and nicknamed the Spy House)[3] is located in the town of Port Monmouth, a part of Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The house was built in 1663 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 29, 1974.
History
The house was built in 1663 by Thomas Whitlock, who came to the North America in 1641, first living in Brooklyn.[4] It started out as a one-and-a-half story, one room cabin, and Whitlock lived here with his family. The house was turned into a two-story home by its second owner Thomas Seabrook, who was a patriot in the New Jersey militia. Over the years the Seabrook family added to the original structure. In 1677, the middle section of the house was added, which was occupied by Seabrook's widow in 1703. Her son Daniel Sebrook extended the home across the lawn connecting it to his mother's house. The home stayed in the Seabrook family for a total of 250 years.[5]
In 1892, the house assumed its current size and appearance. After the Seabrooks, in the early 19th century, the house was owned by Reverend William V. Wilson, leader of the New Monmouth Baptist Church and his wife Martha. From 1910 to around the early-1970s, it was a summer inn under the names, "The Bayside Manor" and the "Lighthouse Inn".[6]
For many years after, the house served as an historical museum as the "Port Monmouth Spy House Museum". It featured exhibits about the history and heritage of the bayshore. It was also open for tours, however, the museum was closed to the public in the early-2000s.[7][8]
Spy House
The house operated as a tavern during the Revolutionary War, which was frequented by British troops. It is said that when the soldiers spoke of strategic plans of attack, the tavern owner and the innkeepers overheard these conversations and would relay the messages to the Colonial troops, thus creating the nickname, "Spy House".[8]
Hauntings
The Spy House Museum, which conducted candlelit ghost tours is said to be one of the most haunted house in America that once boasted 22 active ghosts in the early-1990s to five different spirits haunting it when it closed to the public.
People have reported a female spirit dressed in white that was seen walking from room to room searching for her crying baby. Also, a small ghost of a boy has been seen peering out of the windows, the ghost of a bearded old sea captain is said to roam the grounds and halls. Legend has it that the infamous pirate Captain Morgan was known to hide treasure and conduct tortures in the houses's basement that had underground tunnels. The captain's ghost likes to threaten children visitors to the museum.[6][7]
References
- ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. April 1, 2010. p. 12. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.monmouthcountyparks.com/page.aspx?Id=2516
- ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=47194096
- ↑ http://www.janedoherty.com/ghost_spyhouse.html
- 1 2 theshadowlands.net/famous/spyhouse.htm
- 1 2 http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/9771
- 1 2 http://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/why-spy-house-nothing-but-the-truth-about-the-seabroo9992c52ae9#.VCt5nTLiiXs
