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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Perth Amboy City Hall
City Hall in Perth Amboy, Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, is a historic building built in the early 18th century. It is now the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States. The Perth Amboy City Hall and the Surveyor General's Office were added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 12, 1981, for their significance in architecture and politics/government.

History

Construction of the building began in 1714 and was completed in 1717. It served as the local courthouse and jail, and was also used by the Provincial Assembly until 1775. The building has twice been rebuilt after being badly damaged by fire; first in 1731, rebuilt until 1745, and again around 1765 following an arson attack believed to have been committed by a former inmate who was imprisoned on debt charges. It was rebuilt a second time in 1767.

City Hall has undergone three renovations, most recently in 2006, although some of the original structure remains. The building is now Victorian in style.

The two-room Surveyor General's Office was built adjacent to City Hall in 1867, which was used by the General Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey.

Surveyor General's Office

Notable events

On November 20, 1789, the State of New Jersey became the first to ratify the United States Bill of Rights.

On March 31, 1870 Thomas Mundy Peterson (1824–1904) became the first African American to vote in an election under the just-enacted provisions of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

On February 22, 1896, the terra cotta statue of George Washington by Nels N. Alling is dedicated in Market Square, next to the City Hall. It was a gift of the Scandinavians of Perth Amboy.

George Washington by Nels N. Alling in Market Square, next to City Hall

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System – (#81000394)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Middlesex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. December 28, 2023. p. 11.
  3. ^ "The History of Perth Amboy". City of Perth Amboy. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  4. ^ "Perth Amboy City Hall (est. 1717) - Perth Amboy, NJ - Oldest Public Building and City Hall In America". Historic Towns of America.
  5. ^ "Perth Amboy, New Jersey". citytowninfo.com. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  6. ^ "Port of Perth Amboy". World Port Service. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  7. ^ "Mr. Bloomberg, Perth Amboy Begs to Differ", The New York Times, July 24, 2007, retrieved 2011-10-11
  8. ^ Dudas, Jack (June 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Perth Amboy City Hall and Surveyor General's Office". National Park Service. With accompanying 5 photos
  9. ^ "Perth Amboy". Raritan/Millstone Guidebook. www.raritanmillstone.org. Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2011-06-06.
  10. ^ "Documentary treasures: Bill of Rights". State of New Jersey. 2003–2004. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
  11. ^ "Perth Amboy Church Is 302 And Counting". The New York Times. February 15, 1987. Retrieved 2010-11-27. The first black man to vote in America, Thomas Mundy Peterson, was a member of St. Peter's and is buried in its graveyard. He voted in the Perth Amboy mayoral election of March 31, 1870, one day after adoption of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  12. ^ "African-American Firsts Remembered". Newark Public Library.
  13. ^ "George Washington the Father of His Country, (sculpture)". Inventory of American Sculpture, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Smithsonian American Art Museum.
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