Bordentown in Burlington County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Bordentown Friends Meetinghouse

Photographed by Kevin Vincent, September 25, 2026

1. Bordentown Friends Meetinghouse Marker

Inscription. Significance The Bordentown Friends Meetinghouse of 1740 is the second oldest surviving single room Quaker meetinghouse in New Jersey. It is also the oldest built of brick, and the oldest known extant building in the City of Bordentown. The building was documented by the Historic American Building Survey in 1937, and listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 1976 and 1982, respectively, as a contributing building in the Bordentown Historic District. The Bordentown Meetinghouse is an enduring monument to nearly three centuries of the community's growth and development.

Restoration Since acquiring the Meetinghouse in 1999, the Bordentown Historical Society has completed much exterior and interior restoration work including re-stuccoing the east elevation, replacing the roof with standing seam metal, restoring the west entrance and the window in its north, stabilizing structural movement in the south elevation, refurbishing exterior windows and shutters, upgrading building systems, removing modern finishes on the first floor, introducing barrier-free access and repainting inside and out.

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The historic building is now used as the Society's headquarters, with meetings, community events, and exhibits of the Society's collections. It is open for tours.

Architecture When built, the meetinghouse was a single room, one story in height. It measured 30 by 26 feet, a size typical of small Quaker meetinghouses erected in New Jersey throughout the eighteenth century. The brick elevations facing west and north were laid in decorative Flemish bond, whereas plainer common bond was used on the east and south elevations. The main entrance, a wide double leaf doorway, was centered on the west elevation, and flanked by two windows. The elevation facing Farnsworth Avenue today is actually the rear wall of the meetinghouse.

The interior of the meetinghouse was finished with vertical board wainscoting around its perimeter. The upper portions of the walls as well as the celling were plastered. An aisle running between the two doors would have divided simple benches into two banks facing east, while a single opposing row of benches against the east wall would have provided seating for the elders. This was a common traditional

Photographed by Kevin Vincent, September 25, 2026

2. Bordentown Friends Meetinghouse Marker

Banners apparently erected for America's 250th commemoration in front of the meetinghouse.

layout.

In 1850, the roof was raised and balconies were then installed against the south, west and north walls. To mask the different character of the new brickwork, the exterior was painted yellow ochre, still visible on the rear wall. Later it was covered with stucco that was scored to look like large rectangular blocks of stone. A standing seam metal roof covered the enlarged meetinghouse.

In 1899, the meetinghouse was repositioned on its lot to make way for the new Bordentown Banking Company building being constructed on the corner. After the Quaker meeting closed in 1904, the building was used as a wallpaper store, and then served as bank offices for over 70 years. In 1976, the stucco was removed from the east elevation in an apparent attempt at historic restoration for the American Bicentennial. Unfortunately, this abrasive stucco removal damaged the brickwork. In 1999, the bank donated the building to the Bordentown Historical Society.

The Bordentown Friends Meetinghouse was restored in 2012 – 2021 with grants from the Preserve New Jersey Preservation Fund, administered by the New Jersey Historic Trust. For more

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information on touring the building visit bordentownhistory.org.

Erected 2021 by Bordentown Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1740.

Location. 40° 8.767′ N, 74° 42.714′ W. Marker is in Bordentown, New Jersey, in Burlington County. It is at the intersection of Farnsworth Avenue and Crosswicks Street, on the right when traveling south on Farnsworth Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 304 Farnsworth Avenue, Bordentown NJ 08505, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Jersey

and in Greater Philadelphia.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Friends Meeting House (a few steps from this marker); Bordentown Female College (a few steps from this marker); The Telephone made its Bordentown Debut in 1882 (within shouting distance of this marker); World Wars I and II Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tower Clock (about 300 feet away); Thomas Paine (about 400 feet away); First Baptist Church (about 600 feet away); First movement by steam on a railroad in New Jersey (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bordentown.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Bordentown (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Bordentown History. (Submitted on October 7, 2026, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)

Credits. This page was last revised on October 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2026, by Kevin Vincent of Arlington, Virginia. This page has been viewed 38 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 26, 2026, by Kevin Vincent of Arlington, Virginia. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.