Gibbon House

      Thursday, April 13, 2023: During the latter part of the 1600s and into the 1700s, Greenwich (pronounced “green-witch” not “gren-ish” as in Greenwich, England or Greenwich Village, New York City) in Cumberland County, New Jersey was a very busy port town along the Cohansey River off of Delaware Bay. Years later, due to other forms of transportation, Greenwich, NJ lost a lot of its population. Currently it has been a mostly quiet town containing a sizeable number of buildings dating back to the 18th- and 19th-centuries. The Cumberland County Historical Society has owned a few of the attractions that have been opened to the public in this town. After seeing Wheaton Art Center in Millville, I headed to the headquarters for the Cumberland County Historical Society in the Gibbon House, 960 Ye Greate Street, Greenwich (856-455-4055). Here, I met a very enthusiastic guide who explained the history of the area and about this 1730 house as she showed us the different rooms inside. The ground floor included the following rooms furnished with items and furniture from the 1700s and 1800s: hallway, parlor, dining room, and a kitchen with a walk-in fireplace. On the upper floor, I noticed the master bedroom and other rooms with different exhibits. One of the rooms contained one of the largest collections of Ware rushed-seated chairs, and other rooms exhibited toys, clothing from the 18th- and 19th-centuries, as well as tools used in different crafts, including spinning & weaving, and other things donated by people living nearby. On the grounds, I glanced at a red barn from 1930 and a 1650 granary. Overall, I learned quite a bit about this area of Cumberland County!