This house has sold. It has 3 bedrooms, 1 ½ baths, nestled on 25 acres including a cedar grove and perched above an ancient spring on a scenic rural South Jersey road. Brickyard Road, to be precise. A brickyard? Yes indeed! The remains of a claypit and source of brickmaking material lay about ½ mile across the road in an abandoned field. This claypit was useful to 18th century brickmakers in America. Since clay to make bricks was available in America, it was not necessary to transport bricks across the Atlantic from Europe.
Now, how to advertise the location of the claypit and brickmaking facilities? In this case, the owner built a 3 story house with extravagant details, in brick of course, and unabashedly used the side of his house as a billboard.
This house displays the most exuberant early pattern brick in the country. The house was built in 1754 and very likely by the owner John Dickinson, a descendant of John Fenwick. Fenwick settled a colony of Quakers in Salem, New Jersey in 1675, not far from the location of the present house.
The brick pattern was created by headers ( the ends of bricks) that were intensely heated in order to change their color to a blue/grey. The wall was built incorporating headers and bricks.
The house is beautifully maintained with 4 working fireplaces, original wide plank floors and a very usable third floor. The former owners have hosted events and tours here. The house and grounds are quite accommodating, with adequate parking across the road. Imagine the possibilities…….All this on a peaceful rural road.
The house is perched on a hillock overlooking the woods. Crushed white shells appropriately line the driveway and walkways. The house has sold and is under new ownership, but, still can easily be viewed from the country road.
