Named to the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 2009 as “The Boudinot/Southard Farmstead”, this property has been owned by a number of prominent families since 1717 when William Penn received title to it. For simplicity sake, most folks refer to the site as “The Ross Farm” after its last private owners whose heirs sold the property to Somerset County – which preserved the farm as public property in perpetuity.
The Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate takes its official name from three of those prominent families. These three families are linked by not only ownership of this land, but also by a record of service to our nation, and deep ties to Princeton (known as the College of New Jersey until 1896). The three couples experienced the joy of proudly raising their offspring on the property, and the terrible grief of losing a child. All three husbands out-lived their beloved wives after half century long marriages. All three families farmed this property while being financially successful in other pursuits, and the Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate are immensely proud that farming continues on site in the form of “Boudinot’s Giving Garden”.
Based on Elias and Hannah Boudinots’ letters and his accounting ledgers (in the possession of the New York Public Library), there were two dwelling units outbuildings on the farm when he purchased the farm and 100 acres from Edward and Sarah Morris Lewis in 1771. Boudinot referred to one dwelling unit as his “office”, and the other as “our cottage”. There is still original material in the house from the 1760’s, but much has changed since those colonial times. The simple rural farm transitioned over two centuries into a prosperous “gentlemen’s farm” starting with house additions by new owners Henry and Sarah Lewis Southard (Sarah as the daughter of Edward Lewis grew up on the farm in the 1760’s) to accommodate their large family. Wealthy families such as the Crosses, Banckers, Beineckes, Spooners, Burgesses and the Rosses continued to transform the property and buildings into what exists today. Click here for a link to the National Historic Register application which details the site.
Boudinot
Elias Boudinot IV, the son of a merchant and silversmith was born on May 2, 1740 in Philadelphia. As an infant, he was baptized by the famed evangelist preacher Rev. George Whitefield at Philadelphia’s Second Presbyterian Church where his father Elias Boudinot...
Southard
Born in Long Island in 1747, Henry Southard moved to Basking Ridge from Long Island as an 8 year old boy in 1755. He worked on his parents’ (Abraham and Cornelia) farm and in 1771 married his 15 year old neighbor Sarah Lewis (b 1756, d. 1831). Sarah was...
Ross
The last name represented in our “Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate” belongs to Edmund Burke Ross, and his wife of 50 years, Margaret Riker Haskell Ross. Both Edmund and Margaret came from wealthy families who led glamorous lives. Their attraction...
List of Ross Farm Owners
1717-1718: William Penn
Governor of Pennsylvania
1718-1737: John Budd (A “Gent” residing in Philadelphia)
Gave the 100 acres of land as the parsonage of Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church
1737-1769: Daniel Morris and Hannah Riggs (Their eldest daughter Sarah Married Edward Lewis)
A trustee of the Presbyterian Church, Morris assisted with the purchase of 1 ½ acres of land from John Ayers upon which was already a log church – and the Basking Ridge Oak. Historians state that Morris probably built the original structures at the Ross Farm during his ownership. Daniel’s sister Eunice was married to his wife’s brother Thomas Riggs, who sold some of his land to Elias Boudinot in 1771.
1769-1769: Garret Van Derveer
1769-1771: Edward Lewis and Sarah Morris Lewis (Their daughter Sarah married Henry Southard).
Their great grandson was William Lewis Dayton who became a U.S. Senator filling the seat of Samuel Southard who had died in office in 1842. Dayton in 1856 was chosen over Abraham Lincoln as the Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate. Lincoln named Dayton as the Ambassador to France in 1861 where he was instrumental in keeping France from recognizing and militarily aiding the Confederacy during the Civil War.
1771-1785: Elias Boudinot IV and Hannah Stockton Boudinot
In 1771 Boudinot also buys small adjoining lot from Thomas Riggs, transfers property to Henry Southard in 1785 (Southard had been renting it since 1783).
1785-1818: Henry Southard and Sarah Lewis Southard
Some time during this period 3 parcels were added to the lot, including the Thomas Riggs mill to the west.
1818-1821: George Slater
1821-1826: Samuel Perry
1826-1834: Dr. Edward Augustus Darcy and Mary McEowen
Darcy Mary was the Granddaughter of John Cross, first pastor of Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. Their daughter Ann Caroline Darcy, born in the farmhouse in 1830, married Princeton graduate and lawyer Frederick Halstead Teese who served as NJ Congressman in the 44th Congress.
1834-1839: James Van Horn
Purchased original Boudinot/Southard parcel of 102 acres.
1839-1843: William Dowden
1843-1873: John Carle Cross and Ann Barkalow Cross
John Dies Intestate 1873.
1873-1879: John C. Cross Estate
1879-1880: Daniel D. Craig
Sued Cross Estate for debts, acquired the property.
1880-1889: Ann Barkalow Cross
John Cross’s widow – Craig conveyed property to her after debt settlement.
1889-1899: Ann Barkalow Cross’s 5 Surviving Children
Upon her death – Abram, Helen, Emily, Mary, Christopher.
1899-1901: Abram, Helen, Emily, Christopher B. Cross
Mary sold her 1/5 share to Abram in 1899.
1901-1902: Abram, Helen, Mary, Christopher B. Cross
Emily died in 1901 and left her share to Mary.
1902-1904: Abram, Helen, Christopher B. Cross
Mary sold her “new” share to Abram.
1904-1913: Abram L. Cross
Helen and Christopher B. Cross sold their shares to Abram.
1913-1919: John C Spooner and Anna Main Spooner
Spooner was a Civil War Officer, and a hugely influential Republican US Senator from Wisconsin from 1885-1891 and 1897-1907. He used the farm as his weekend and summer home. A lawyer, he died on June 11, 1919 in his New York City home.
1919-1940: William Dudley Bancker, Jr. and Mary G. Johnston Bancker
The Banckers christened the farm “Willmary”. Like his father before him, William was an executive with the publisher American News Company of New York City. An avid golfer, Bancker developed Pennbrook Golf Club with prolific golf course architect Scotsman Alexander Findlay (now the Basking Ridge Country Club). William died in the house.
1940-1947: Edwin J. Beinecke, Jr and Margaret Haggerty Beinecke
Like his father before him, Edwin, Jr. rose to become the Chairman of the Sperry Hutchinson Company in NYC. The Beinecke family were prodigious benefactors of Yale University. The famous Yale Rare Book Collections and Manuscripts Library bears the Beinecke name.
1947-1952: Nathaniel Eugene Burgess and Margaret Gardner Burgess
Lived here with daughters Gwendolyn and Barbara, along with their household manager Sylvia Webber. Margaret was the daughter of North Carolina Governor Oliver Max Gardner.
1952-2005: Edmund Burke Ross and Margaret Riker Haskell Ross
After Edmund’s death in 2005, his children made his wishes of seeing the farm preserved for open space and public use a reality by selling it to Somerset County. The county acquired the property utilizing their Open Space Trust Fund.
2005-Present: Somerset County
Overall property management falls within the jurisdiction and management of the Parks Dept. Trilogy Repertory and the Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate both have use agreements with Somerset County.
National Register Nomination of the Ross Farm
The Ross Farm Mural Project
There’s no history without a story ~
This mural tells ours!
A Story in Brushstrokes
The Friends of the Boudinot-Southard-Ross Estate welcomes you to the Ross Farm, where history lives not just in the bricks and beams of the house, but on the very walls that greet you as you enter. This mural, beautifully rendered by artist Michelle Cirotti, is a colorful and imaginative timeline that captures the spirit and story of this unique property.
From the construction of the farmhouse in the mid-1700s to present-day concerts and community events, the mural blends iconic moments and figures from the past with vibrant depictions of how the Ross Farm continues to thrive today,
This guide is your companion to the mural. Whether you are a volunteer sharing the story with guests or a visitor exploring on your own, this walk-through will help bring the images to life.
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