What's being done to save one of New Jersey's most endangered historic sites?

Paulsboro is known for rail bridges and refineries, gridiron gladiators and wrestling heroes.

It's a little less known for its history, but that's just as impressive as anything else about this small borough along the Mantua Creek. The United States' first federal purchase was here in 1776; fortifications built in Paulsboro helped delay British movements up the Delaware during the the Revolutionary War.

The Samuel Paul House, a section of which dates to 1795, is integral to preserving Paulsboro's history. But the house along the creek, which was owned by a member of the family that gave the borough its name, is in need of major repairs. The need is so great, in fact, that the site is listed among Preservation New Jersey's Most Endangered Historic Places for 2023.

And it's not just Paulsboro history that's at risk. In 2012, an archaeological dig at the site revealed Native American artifacts, including evidence of hearths and pits suggesting that the site had once been used as a seasonal encampment as long ago as 1500 B.C.E.

"The building has seen a signification trend of deterioration due to lack of maintenance and funding secured to restore it," Preservation New Jersey noted on its website. "In addition, the municipality began discussions on the redevelopment of the site and began to move forward with the creation of a community-wide recycling center along the Mantua Creek on a lot immediately adjacent to the Samuel P. Paul House both impact the house and archaeologically sensitive areas."

Dr. Walter Quint, a longtime educator in Paulsboro and vice chair of the borough's Historic Preservation Commission, called Preservation New Jersey's designation of the site on its endangered list "good news and bad news."

"The good news is, you're here," meaning the site's condition is receiving media attention. "The bad news is, well, that it has to be on the list at all."

The borough purchased the house and a parcel surrounding it in 2008, and had planned to build a library adjacent to the house. But an archaeological dig yielded more than 500 artifacts, likely from ancestors of the Lenni-Lenape and Nanticoke people. So the library was instead added to another site across Broad Street, the Gill House (which itself dates to about 1800).

At the Paul House, the land along the Mantua Creek has been acquired parcel by parcel by the borough over the last several years, Quint explained. The ultimate goal is to create a waterfront park with walking trails, native plants and signage to honor its historical (and prehistorical) significance ― while preserving the integrity of the land once used by Native Americans.

"We can't disturb it," said Quint, "but we can honor it."

Inside the house, which is locked and boarded up, it's as if time has stood still ― with the exception of a cat that came speeding downstairs before zooming outside, scaring the daylights out of Quint and a reporter.

"The borough does a very good job of keeping the place sealed," said Quint just before the encounter with the feline interloper. The borough also shored up the roof and sealed chimneys to prevent further degradation.

Samuel Paul used the site as a fishery; most of the house dates to about 1810 and the bones of the interior are all original: floors, walls, fireplaces. An upstairs room still has wallpaper commemorating the American Centennial. A doll rests on a mantel, evoking a horror-film vibe or just a little girl's well-loved memento, depending on one's sensibilities. There's an early-1900s printing press in the basement from a long-defunct business that once existed nearby and the oldest section of the house is completely intact, if very dusty, with furnishings left from its most recent inhabitants (it's been vacant since at least 2008, Quint said).

The ultimate goal, one that will require a lot of planning and fundraising, is to preserve the house as a museum and historical site, and to display Native artifacts found at the site as well as items relating to Paulsboro's Colonial, Revolutionary and industrial histories.

Quint said several small grants are being used to help protect the house for now, but the ultimate preservation and restoration of the house would cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars," not an easy proposition for a small, economically challenged municipality.

For now, the first step is creating a commission to pursue funding; Quint said the historical commission has been working alongside the borough to create an ordinance to do just that. They're also hoping to include their vision in the borough's master plan, which would facilitate more funding. The commission would also look into getting the site listed on the National Register of Historic Places, another step that would lead to additional avenues of funding.

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has called the region home since 1971. Contact her at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

Support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Paulsboro site among NJ's most endangered; how some hope to save it