Livingston Prepares for Restoration of Old Force Home – TAPinto.net

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Old Force Home in Livingston, which is located at 366 S. Livingston Avenue in Livingston and is currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places, will receive a much-needed facelift if the township’s grant application is accepted through the New Jersey Historic Trust.

After recently meeting with members of the Livingston Historical Society and the township’s historic architect, the representative assigned to the township was looking “very favorably” at the application and preservation plan, according to Township Manager Barry Lewis.

“Based on a number of reasons, she thought it was an already preserved and well-restored building; and the fact that it’s municipally owned, you know you have an entity that’s going to be around forever,” he said. “Our architect has a lot of experience and I have a lot of experience with grants, so the only missing piece she suggested was if you can do the preservation plan before the October meeting when they consider the application…That was something we intended to do all along, but we’re just sort of moving it up.”

Lewis explained that the architect will be responsible for preparing the preservation plans at the Old Force Home, which will include repairing structural, electrical and foundation issues as well as installing a new roof, an ADA-compliant ramp and more.

He also said that the architect will have help from subcontractors such as structural engineer, a mechanical engineer and an archeologist.

“The application that we submitted, because that was based on the architect’s estimates, that could be fine tuned as some of these subs come in and come up with the actual plan, but the application was in excess of $500,000,” said Lewis. “It can be funded, at least initially, out of the Open Space Trust, which covers historic preservation. But it is then also available and eligible to be reimbursed as part of the grant because it’s after we filed the grant application.

“We’re hopeful that we will be successful on the grant, and that will include reimbursement for this. But the feeling was to do that ahead of time because she said strategically, if you have it done in advance so that they can consider it, it makes a big difference to the committee.”

The Livingston Township Council was ultimately in favor of moving forward with the application, although Deputy Mayor Shawn Klein initially questioned whether this was a feasible use of Open Space funds.

“I just wonder if there’s not a more valuable use for open space,” he said. “I don’t know how everyone else feels about it, but I don’t think the Old Force Home is that recognizable of a structure in our town.”

Mayor Rudy Fernandez, however, stated that the Force Homestead has been neglected for quite some time,” saying, “It’s about time we put a couple of bucks into it before it falls to the ground.”

“It does have a lot of historical significance,” he said. “We did spend a lot of money to acquire open space, so I know that depending on the plans are for those sites, we may need money there as well. But I’m okay with spending some money to rehabilitate the Old Force Home. It’s right there on South Livingston Avenue, and it’s been there for quite some time, obviously.”

Fernandez was echoed in turn by council members Michael Vieira, Al Anthony and Ed Meinhardt about the need to preserve the historic structure.

“It’s an historic house that’s part of Livingston and it’s falling apart,” said Vieira. “Something does need to be done to fix it. We don’t want to lose our history.”

More about the history of the Old Force Homestead can be found below.

The council also briefly acknowledged a grant recently received through the Essex County Open Space Trust Fund to assist the Township of Livingston with playground replacement projects at the Livingston Senior and Community Center and Northland Park.

“In addition to the local open space trust and tax that we assess, Essex County also assesses all properties in Essex County, and every so often they release some funding for municipalities,” said Lewis. “We did apply were awarded $150,000 that should cover probably about 70 percent of the costs to replace the playgrounds with newer ADA-safe all the safety standards playground at the community center and at Northland.”

Lewis added that these projects had already been on the township’s list prior to learning about this funding opportunity.

“We applied and were successful and that was awarded,” he said. “It’ll be done under state contracts and you should relatively soon be getting resolutions toward those contracts. Free money is always good.”

CLICK HERE to read more about the county grant or see below to learn more about the Old Force Homestead.

About Livingston’s Old Force Homestead

Built in 1745, the architecture of this historic house reflects the daily lives of the early settlers. Thomas Force, its first occupant, and his wife Hannah Smith settled in the house and became the parents of ten children. Over the years, he added a larger section to the one-room house.

Thomas Force, born in Woodbridge in 1758, was an early settler in the area, a veteran of the American Revolution, active in local affairs and one of the original township officials. He served in the Revolutionary War as a Corporal in Captain Henry Squire’s Company, the Second New Jersey Regiment, Essex County Troops; was a prisoner on the British prison ship Jersey; and was present at the winter encampment of American Troops at Valley Forge in between 1777 and 1778. He married Hannah Smith around 1780-1782 and was probably given the farmstead at that time.

In addition to operating his farm and sawmill, Force was associated with the local and religious affairs of the Canoe Brook area during his lifetime. In 1782, along with other early settlers, he helped erect the first school house in the area, a crude stone building at Northfield Center.

In 1786, Force was one of the original members who formed the Canoe Brook Baptist Society. One of the earliest meetings of this society was held in the Force home this same year. Force was a member of this church for more than 41 years and a Deacon for almost 40 years, carrying on the society’s work.

In 1800, when the Baptist Society incorporated as the Northfield Baptist Church, Deacon Thomas Force gave woodland timbers and sawed some of the lumber for the construction of the first church building at Northfield Center.

He also served as an Overseer of the Highway in 1787 and 1790, according to records of the Township of Newark. Force built the two-and-a-half-story frame addition around this time.

When the state legislature granted a charter for the formation of the Township of Livingston in 1813, Thomas Force was chosen as one of the original town officers, again serving as Overseer of the Highway. He died in 1827 and is buried in the Northfield Baptist Cemetery.

Thomas Force, by his will dated 10 April 1827, directed his executor, William B. Force, to sell “the land deeded to me by my father” if necessary to cover the debts and legacies. Accordingly, 12 years later, the executor and his wife, Livingston resident Martha Ann, conveyed the three tracts “with all and singular the houses, buildings” by deed to John Emmons of New York City for $5,000.

Some eight other families owned the property before the Township of Livingston purchased the Force Home in 1962.The inside of the house was badly in need of repair and the entire house had to be shored up. It became the purpose of the newly formed Livingston Historical Society to restore the Force Home.

Members of the society located and preserved numerous items of historical significance which are now on display: a grandfather’s clock from the Edison Foundation, an original Hitchcock rocking bench, many Victorian pieces, spinning wheels, a large mirrored clothes rack that belonged to General McClellan, and a large original desk, used in Livingston’s first Post Office. In the front of the building is an old Indian stone, used to grind corn.

Docents from the Livingston Historical Society typically lead free tours of the Force Homestead, usually on the second Sunday of the month during September, October, November, April, May and June from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Private tours can also be arranged by contacting Lorraine Palmer at 973-992-6896.