Cumberland County Historical Society

05/12/2026

05/10/2026

Potter’s Tavern was the home and business of Matthew Potter. It was built around 1767. The tavern was most frequented by young gentlemen, especially men who worked at the courthouse that was directly across the street. In December 1775, The Plain Dealer newspaper began to be published at Potter’s Tavern. The weekly handwritten newspaper included articles supporting independence and were critical of British rule over the colonies. Allowing for the Plain Dealer to be published within his establishment put Matthew Potter at great risk and danger. The Plain Dealer called for a revolution months before the Declaration of Independence. The newspaper was edited by Ebenezer Elmer of Fairfield, who took part in the Greenwich Tea Burning. The silhouette of Ebenezer Elmer is on the cover of the booklet for the Plain Dealer. Potter’s Tavern remained open until 1788, and then became a two-family home instead of the tavern and family home split it was originally. The building was abandoned and nearly collapsed until the city of Bridgeton purchased the property in 1958. By the 1970s, Potter’s Tavern was placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The tavern is now owned by Cumberland County and is run by the Cumberland County Historical Society. The Plain Dealer original manuscripts were given to Rutgers University in the 1930s, and they are now housed within their Rare Book Collection.

Sources:
“Potter’s Tavern - Crossroads of the American Revolution.” 2023. Crossroads of the American Revolution. November 21, 2023. https://revolutionarynj.org/sites/potters-tavern/.
Falkner, Mirna. 2025. “The Plain Dealer.” Cumberlandcountynj.gov. 2025. https://www.cumberlandcountynj.gov/plaindealer.

05/09/2026

Our Gibbon House museum will be CLOSED today, Saturday, May 9. We apologize for any inconvenience. Our Lummis Library, Maritime Museum, and Potter's Tavern will still open today.

05/08/2026

One of the most interesting stories in south jersey history… and a lot of people don’t even know it

We’re screening The Paradox of Seabrook Farms next week.
A documentary about the people who lived and worked there and what life was really like!

Film Screening: The Paradox of Seabrook Farms

May 13 | 2 PM
📍 Bayshore Center at Bivalve
🎟 free for members | $7 for non-members

05/04/2026

Check out our most recent blog post: "Little Box, Big Ballot Issue: The Greenwich Special Election of 1954" !

By Tia Antonelli, M.A.   On April 20, 1954, 286 voters in Greenwich, NJ participated in a special election. It was a mild day with clear skies as the voters shuffled in and out of their polling place: the

05/03/2026

In 1686, Bridgeton was settled by Richard Hancock when he built a sawmill there. However, originally Bridgeton was called Cohansey Bridge by the English settlers due to the bridge that was built there in 1716. The bridge became the focal point of the settlement and was the namesake for the settlement. In 1748, Cohansey Bridge was named the county seat as the governor named it the location for the court and jail. The town’s name switched to Bridgetown and finally was called Bridgeton by the early nineteenth century. Bridgeton was between two townships, Deerfield and Hopewell, and was separate from the townships in 1845 and 1848 respectively. In 1865, Bridgeton was incorporated alongside Cohansey and named the City of Bridgeton. Bridgeton industry continued to develop around the bridge as mills were built powered by the tributary of Cohansey, Mill Creek, and the construction of Tumbling Dam helped more industries such as the Cumberland Nail Works to flourish. Bridgeton also became a center for agricultural production due to its rich soil. There was also quartz and molding sand deposits in the area, which bolstered the glass industry in Bridgeton. The agricultural industry fed into the glass industry as many of the glassworks focused on crafting jars and bottles to store the food being produced locally.

Sources:
“History of Bridgeton | Bridgeton, NJ.” 2025. https://www.cityofbridgetonnj.gov/178/History-of-Bridgeton.
Watson, Penelope. “Bridgeton, New Jersey.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/bridgeton-new-jersey/.

05/02/2026

The community of Rosenhayn is within Deerfield in Cumberland County. Rosenhayn was settled with the aid of the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society of New York City in 1883. It is another Jewish agriculture based colony, and is two and a half miles northeast of Carmel. Rosenhayn is between Vineland and Bridgeton, and it is in total 1,912 acres. Originally, Rosenhayn was settled by six families and they were tasked with clearing the area to prepare the land for their plan to be an agricultural based community. The location of Rosenhayn made it difficult for the six families to clear the land due to the thick wilderness. These difficulties caused the six original families to leave the settlement. A few years later, in 1888, people came back to Rosenhayn, this time 37 families came to clear and cultivate the land. These families were successful in building their agriculture community, because they were able to sell their harvest in New York City. They mainly grew corn, grapes, and berries. Rosenhayn had the opportunity to expand the community due to their success. With this expansion, the Rosenhayn community was able to extend their ventures beyond agriculture into industrial work. The community had a clothing factory and a brick yard, and other manufactures in tinware and hosiery. The community continued to grow and by 1900 had a population of 800. Life in Rosenhayn grew around the synagogue and school. The synagogue was built in 1898 and was called Congregation Or Yisroel, which is one of the only remaining synagogues in the state from the nineteenth century. Today the synagogue is called the Congregation Beth Israel or the Garton Road Synagogue.

Sources:
“Rosenhayn.” Alliance Heritage Center. Stockton University. https://www.allianceheritagecenter.com/rosenhayn.
“Farming Communities of New Jersey.” Jewish Gen. 2018. https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/NJ_Farms/Rosenhayn.html.

05/01/2026

Due to dismal weather predictions, we have decided to reschedule the Garden Tea Party for June 7, 2026, from 4 to 6 pm. This will give the weather a chance to warm up a bit more and the back garden a bit more time to flourish! This also means that there is more time to buy tickets if you missed the deadline!

For those that have already purchased tickets, you have the option to be refunded by calling or emailing Tia at the Lummis Library (856-455-8580 / [email protected]), or rescheduling for the rain date.

We cannot wait to see you and open the garden up to you all!