By Richard D. Smith | Posted February 20, 2025
On June 25, 1778, a very hot day in New Jersey, George Washington and his Continental Army were marching east on the Franklin-Georgetown Road (today’s Route 518) en route to the town of Monmouth Courthouse when they came across a deep well full of refreshing, cool water. Gen. Washington’s troops lined up at Joost Duryee’s well by the Rock Brook in Skillman and “drank it dry.”
The original 1750 farmhouse had multiple additions over the years.
Did the thirsty troops indeed out-drink the well’s ability to quickly replenish itself? Well, the incident was so memorable that the property became forever known as “Washington Well Farm.” Three days later, the troops prevailed at the Battle of Monmouth (later famed in Revolutionary lore for Molly Pitcher taking over her wounded husband’s cannon crew position and for the battle’s role in forcing the British out of New Jersey).
In the 1600s and 1700s, land speculators, farmers and merchants of British and Dutch births had begun laying claim to what is now central New Jersey. John Van Horne, a wealthy Dutch New Yorker, in conjunction with his brothers Abraham and Garret, purchased what became the lower third of Montgomery Township – some 6800 acres, subsequently termed “the Van Horne Patent.”
Among those who purchased land from Abraham Van Horne was the John Blaw family who, in 1738, acquired 400 acres plus an adjacent 95 from New Brunswick-based land broker Nicholas Lake. The village of Blawenburg now bears their name. Other purchasers of land in the Van Horne Patent were John Covenhoven and his wife, Catherine. In 1758, they bought 222 acres of farmland in its southeastern corner.
Advertisement
They sold a portion to the Joost Duryee family — the property now known as Washington Well Farm. Over the years, its main house was significantly expanded, with several additions that now contain multiple bedrooms and bathrooms.
Other notable constructions were the one-story cottage, believed to have housed enslaved Black workers [Historic Cottage Relocating to Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum], a separate “out-kitchen,” further additions to the barn, a English-style carriage house and, in modern times, a swimming pool. Generations of the Duryees were interred in a family cemetery, still extant in the rear of the property. There was certainly a separate burial ground for enslaved workers, likely in the vicinity of the family plot, but its specific location is unknown.
The hand-hewn, wood-peg barn with a later addition on the right.
The farm’s history is too long and eventful to completely retell here (including land sales and public-use donations that have left the farm at 8 acres). One notable owner/resident was architect G.F. Dailey and his family, in the 1950s and ‘60s. He had a construction company that specialized in building churches and schools. The bank that holds the mortgage is now offering it for sale via multiple realty listings.
664 Route 518, Skillman, NJ
Asking price: $424,900
4 Beds, 2 1/2 baths
8 acres
Dating back to 1750 when Joost Duryee [also spelled Duryea], purchased 260 acres and established a homestead in Skillman. Joost was born in 1729, in Bushwick, Brooklyn. He married Maritie Van Liew on June 5, 1750, in Camp Alfred Vail, Eatontown, NJ. They were the parents of at least two sons and three daughters. He died on October 3, 1794, in Montgomery, at the age of 65, and was buried in Skillman.
Comments