We had the opportunity to pop into the Gibbon House here in Greenwich and speak with Tia Antonelli, curator.
Welcome back to the https://BridgetonBeacon.com
Hi, Tia.
Hello, it is so lovely to have you here. Welcome to the Gibbon House. This is probably the most impressive room in the house. This is our hearth, which basically means kitchen. So this is where all of the cooking, all of the magic in the house would happen. This was used as a home from 1730 until the 1960s by various owners, but it was built by a man named Nicholas Gibbon, who was a maritime merchant.
How many rooms are in this house?
So we have a parlor room a study and library is one room the hearth, downstairs upstairs we have a bedroom two smaller rooms on the front and then Three smaller rooms in the back and an attic and a basement. So a lot of space Nicholas Gibbon was a very wealthy man. So he Didn't have to worry about spending too much on his house He got all the works made it beautiful brickwork and it's most famous for being a
good representation of Georgian style architecture in the 1700s.
How did the Cumberland County Historical Society come in possession of the house?
So it was part of fundraising program in the 1960s. It was being sold in 1969, 1968 by the last owner, Mr. John Eskalespy. He actually used this space as a study, interestingly enough, but back to the Historical Society. To raise some money, they ended up making some paperweights and different things like that with photos of the Gibbon House. And over a year, they raised enough money to buy the property and we've owned it ever since.
If local residents want to come in and get a tour, can they do that and when?
Absolutely, you can come in Wednesday, Saturday, Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. Or you can call or email to schedule an appointment any other day. All of that information is on our website. Nope, absolutely no fee, but we do accept donations to continue all of this work and preserving.
Is there any fee to tour the house?
Great, well Tia, thank you so much for telling us a little bit about the Gibbon House here in Greenwich and tell us the address.
960 Ye Great Street, G-R-E-A-T-E Street in Greenwich, New Jersey.
Wonderful. And is there a phone number if anyone has any questions or wants to make an appointment outside of your regular hours?
give you an email address just to be easier.
Great. Tia, thank you so much. Thank you a great day and we'll stop in another time and get a tour perhaps of the outside. Thank you.
Absolutely. Thank you for joining.