Whitall House Gets State Restoration Grant

Visitors to the Whitall House in can look forward to a more accessible and historically-restored building after National Park was awarded a capital preservation grant for work on the building, part of $10 million in legislation signed by Gov. Chris Christie Monday.

The 263-year-old Georgian home, which is listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places and is a designated National Historic Landmark, was granted $136,254 for restoration work, and was one of 58 sites across the state to receive a grant from the New Jersey Historic Trust.

“From the Revolutionary War and the Underground Railroad to Thomas Edison and Alice Paul, New Jersey has been the nucleus of many of our nation’s most significant historical events,” Christie said at a signing ceremony at Paulsdale, the residence of suffragette and noted New Jerseyan Alice Paul, in Mt. Laurel. “Preserving these cultural and historic sites is critical to ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to learn more about New Jersey’s place in history.

Originally part of James and Ann Whitall's 400-acre plantation, the Whitall House was used a field hospital during the Battle of Red Bank during the Revolutionary War. The grant will be used to build an earthen ramp to the front door, which will make the majority of the first floor accessible to everyone.

Part of the grant will also be used for work on the second floor, where historic finishes will be restored so they can be used as part of exhibitions.

This year’s grant recipients were previously approved by the New Jersey Historic Trust Board of Trustees and the Garden State Preservation Trust. Including today’s announced projects, the Historic Trust has awarded more than $135 million in 697 matching grants since 1990.