Lakeview treasures unearthed for exhibit
Tour of mansion like a stroll through Jamesburg's past
BY MARY ANNE ROSS
Correspondent

SCOTT FRIEDMAN Bill Stanley, of Jamesburg, and his dog Gretchen take a look at the coach in which Abraham Lincoln once rode, during an open house Sunday at Lakeview. A new exhibit featuring artifacts found at the historic mansion runs through November.

Modern-day residents may not be so inclined to just toss that broken teapot into the backyard or drop it under the floorboards.

But in the 19th century, before the days of regular garbage pickup, that's exactly what people did. Little did they know that a hundred years later historians would be thrilled to find those items and even make them the centerpiece for a museum display.

"Uncovering the Past: Artifacts of Lakeview Mansion" is the most recent temporary exhibit at Lakeview, also known as the Buckelew Mansion in Jamesburg. Among the featured items are bottles, iron nails, fragments of a Rockingham glazed teapot, a yellowware bowl and chinaware. The uncovered pieces, dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, were found in the house and on the grounds over the past 25 years.

PHOTOS B Y SCOTT FRIEDMAN Emine Ahmed, of Jamesburg, looks at artifacts included in the new exhibit, "Uncovering the Past: Artifacts of Lakeview Mansion," during Sunday's open house.

The exhibit, running through Nov. 11, is just one example of how the aging estate has been gradually revealing its secrets to the dedicated historians of the Jamesburg Historical Association.

Lakeview and its most famous resident, James Buckelew, are intimately connected with the history of the town. The mansion started out as a one-room home during Colonial times when the entire area was called the South Ward of Amboy. Succeeding owners expanded the building. Buckelew, a successful farmer, industrialist and businessman, moved to the house in 1832.

Six years later, Monroe Township was formed and what we know now as Jamesburg was part of Monroe.

"Mr. Buckelew owned 4,000 acres of land, including cranberry bogs," said museum curator and Borough Historian Tom Bodall. "He was a contractor for the Camden Amboy railroad. He had a stagecoach line from Freehold to Jamesburg. He also owned over 300 mules and had the exclusive towing contract for the Delaware Raritan Canal. He built a brickyard, financed a hotel and the shirt factory in town. He also created the First National Bank of Jamesburg."

But those achievements were not the reason the town was named Jamesburg. The name relates more to Buckelew's actions as a civil-rights activist.

"At the time, the school in Monroe would not take any African American students. Mr. Buckelew employed many African American servants, and that angered him," Bodall said. "In 1847, he started his own school, which was open to everyone. It was called the James B. or Jamesburg School. So people were calling the area Jamesburg long before it became a separate town in 1887."

Most of the rooms in the mansion reflect different time periods, so touring the museum is like taking a stroll through the history of Jamesburg. There is something for everyone - music lovers, for example, will find an old Victrola, antique radio and a harpsichord

"The harpsichord looks like a piano, but the strings are plucked rather than pounded," Bodall said.

Fashion aficionados might enjoy the different styles of dresses on display and may be surprised to find an antique Louis Vuitton traveling trunk from 1890 that bears the same signature logo found on the designer's handbags today. There is an extensive display of awards and memorabilia from Jamesburg High School, snuff boxes from Helmetta, Victorian furniture, and programs that reflect the important social events of a century ago.

One room is dedicated to a model train track that travels through a miniature replica of Jamesburg. Visitors will recognize Mendoker's Bakery and the Lakeview mansion, but there are also reproductions of the First National Bank of Jamesburg and the old shirt factory.

"Each of these models was custom made," Bodall said.

Another centerpiece is "the Lincoln carriage," which rests in the mansion conservatory.

"In 1861, President Lincoln was coming to New Jersey to address the Legislature," Bodall said. "He needed a way to get from the train station to the State House, which were about three miles apart. When Mr. Buckelew heard this he rushed down to Trenton. So did about 10 other people with their coaches. As the story goes, President Lincoln got off the train and looked at all the choices he had, and chose Mr. Buckelew."

Lakeview, at 203 Buckelew Ave., across from Dunkin' Donuts, is open the second and fourth Sunday of each month from 2-4 p.m. For more information, visit www.jamesburghistory.com or call (732) 521-2040 to leave a message.