406 SWEDESBORO ROAD

Extraordinary opportunity to own a piece of American history! This property includes the historic C.A. Nothnagle log house built in 1638-43 as part of the New Sweden Colony. This was before William Penn came to America in 1682 and founded Pennsylvania. The property is on the National Registry of Historic Properties and the New Jersey Historical Properties list. It is reported to be the oldest log cabin in North America and the oldest home of its type, still standing on its original site, in the Western hemisphere. The cabin was built of bricks carried to America as ship ballast, and square hewn logs with Finnish style double dovetailed ends and wooden trundle pins. Built without a single nail. Tunnel pins secure rafters permitting construction without a ridge pole. The wood flooring was built over the dirt floor in about 1750, and recent work on the cabin unearthed historic relics under the flooring. The cabin measures 16 x 22, which shows that the original owners were well-off since most cabins of the period were 12 x 12. The corner fireplace was a Swedish design and the fireplace ironware dates from 1590. The cabin was occupied as a residence until 1918 and in 1922 was first designated as historic. The current owners operate the cabin as a museum and offer regular tours. Gloucester County has the property on their map of historic sites so they get regular visitors. Visitors have included the ambassadors, congressman, governors, authors, historians, professors, archeologists and ordinary people from all over the world. The property consists of 1.3 acres and includes five buildings. The historic portion of the property has the log cabin, a machine shop and a dairy and meat processing shed added to the rear of the cabin. The two-story home was added in the early 18th Century and had later additions. There is also a four-car garage with additional storage and a utility shed. The garage and shed were built by the Amish and were recent additions. This property has not been on the market for over 100 years and offers many possibilities. It has 300 feet of frontage on Swedesboro Road and is less than a mile off I-295. It has a country setting but is close to Philadelphia, Wilmington and on a popular route to the Jersey Shore. It is next door to the Greenwich Public Library and the Nehaunsey Middle School. Although the property can be sub-divided into building lots, the owners are hoping to find a buyer that loves the history of the home and the area. Doris Rink has lived in the home almost 50 years and is willing to share both her knowledge of the property and her passion for the history. She tells me that if she were younger, she would maintain the museum, operate a tourist information center and open a bed & breakfast and tea room. She is also willing to part with many of the historic artifacts and antiques that she and her husband collected over the years.