Grover Cleveland Birthplace

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace is a historic site located at 207 Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell, Essex County, New Jersey, United States.^[3] It is the only house museum dedicated to U.S. President Grover Cleveland.^[4]

Caldwell Presbyterian Church Manse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
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Location	207 Bloomfield Avenue Caldwell, NJ 07006
Coordinates	40°50′13″N 74°16′19″W
Built	1832
Architectural style	Vernacular
NRHP reference No.	77000861[1]
NJRHP No.	1070[2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 16, 1977
Designated NJRHP	December 27, 1976

History

Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in this home on March 18, 1837, the son of Rev. Richard Falley Cleveland and Ann Neal.^[5] The building, also known as the Caldwell Presbyterian Church Manse, was built in 1832 and served as a Presbyterian church parsonage for the Cleveland family while Grover's father served as a pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. The elder Cleveland had served in that role only three years before his son's birth but was only the second pastor in its establishment in 1787.^[5] The boy's first name was given in honor of the previous pastor, but he did not use the name Stephen in his adult life.^[6] Richard Cleveland found it was difficult to support his family of 11 on the $600 a year he earned in his role in Caldwell.^[7] The family moved to Buffalo, New York in 1841.

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association purchased the house in 1913 for use as a museum. In 1934, the state took over operation.^[8] It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1936.^[9] The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 16, 1977, for its significance in architecture, religion, and local history. It features vernacular architecture with touches of Federal styling^[8]

Today, the home is open to the public as a museum. Its collection of artifacts include Cleveland's cradle and fishing gear as well as his chair from the White House.^[10]

See also

• New Jersey portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey
• List of museums in New Jersey
• List of residences of presidents of the United States
• Presidential memorials in the United States

References

1. "National Register Information System – (#77000861)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Essex County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. March 23, 2022. p. 2.
3. "NJDEP-Parks and Forests-Centennial of NJ State Historic Site". State.nj.us. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
4. Grover Cleveland Birthplace, National Park Service. Accessed January 17, 2018. "The Grover Cleveland Birthplace State Historic Site is the only house museum in the country dedicated to the interpretation of President Cleveland’s life."
5. Senik, Troy. A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2022: 12. ISBN 9781982140748
6. NJ.com, Steve Strunsky | NJ Advance Media for (September 15, 2019). "That house you drove by, across from Dunkin' Donuts? A president was born there". nj. Retrieved March 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
7. Senik, Troy. A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2022: 18. ISBN 9781982140748
8. Chidley, George A. (1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Caldwell Presbyterian Church Manse". National Park Service. With accompanying photo from 1977
9. "Grover Cleveland Birthplace". Historic American Buildings Survey. 1936.
10. Epting, Chris. The Birthplace Book: A Guide to Birth Sites of Famous People, Places, & Things. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2009: 44. ISBN 978-0-8117-3533-9

External links

• Media related to Grover Cleveland Birthplace at Wikimedia Commons
• Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NJ-179, "Grover Cleveland Birthplace, 207 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell, Essex County, NJ", 2 photos, 13 measured drawings, 3 data pages
• Official Grover Cleveland Birthplace Website
• National Park Birthplace Website
• New Jersey State Birthplace
• "Life Portrait of Grover Cleveland", from C-SPAN's American Presidents: Life Portraits, broadcast from the Grover Cleveland Birthplace, August 13, 1999