Neldon-Roberts Stonehouse in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

Old Mine Road Historical Buildings

The Nelden-Roberts Stonehouse is located at the northern end of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area at 501 Route 206 in Montague, New Jersey. This is one mile south of where Old Mine Road ends and becomes River Road.

The origin and construction date of the Nelden-Roberts Stonehouse are not known with certainty. The house is attributed to George Neldon, a man who purchased a farm across the street around 1820. The house is definitely known to have served as a schoolhouse from at least 1827 through the mid-1860s. A letter from a man who taught at the school in 1827 and 1828 stated that he had a contract to teach “at the stone schoolhouse near George Neldon’s.” It does seem odd that a house supposedly built by a private citizen would be used as a school.

After a new school was built, the Stonehouse became a private residence. Records indicate that it was most likely used as a rental house, though it still remains unclear as to who the owner was.

The house was eventually owned by the Roberts Family, and it is from the Roberts that the United States government purchased it in the early 1970s in preparation for a lake that would soon flood the area when the Tocks Island Dam was completed. The project was cancelled in 1975, and the government ended up with hundreds of abandoned buildings on its hands, including the Neldon-Roberts Stonehouse, all of which became part of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

In 1981, the Montague Association for the Restoration of Community History (MARCH) signed an agreement with the National Park Service for use and maintenance of the house. The house is typically open to the public from 1 PM to 4 PM on Sundays in July and August. See the MARCH website for a current schedule and more information.

The house is furnished inside as an old schoolhouse. It was closed when I visited, but I was able to take an interior photo through the window.