A Brief History of the Abram Demaree Homestead

It all started with a one-room Dutch sandstone built in the 18th century

It’s not clear exactly what year the simple stone dwelling was built, but Abram Demaree occupied it by 1769. Demaree—a grandson of David Des Marest, a French Huguenot immigrant who purchased land from the Tappan Native American tribe in 1677 and settled in Bergen County—used the building for a general store and tavern he ran at this intersection of two colonial roads beside the Hackensack River. Demaree also bought a large tract of farmland across the street, and he and his family lived in a house next to the tavern.

In 1809, his son David tore down the original family home and replaced it with the Federal-style mansion attached to the one-room building. Other parts of the homestead include what appears to be a rare surviving example of a brown “New World Dutch” wood barn, as well as a wood house possibly used by servants. Another small sandstone building contains a working blacksmith forge from the 1780s. Both Demarees were esteemed members of their community who held elected offices in and around the settlement of Closter in what was then called Old Hackensack Township (later Harrington Township).

Several sandstone houses from the 18th century are still standing in North Jersey, but the Demaree House is truly unique—a blend of Dutch colonial architecture from before the Revolutionary War and the more refined early 19th century Federal style. While the original small dwelling still has hand-hewn wood ceiling beams and is made of rough-cut stones bonded with straw and pig hair, the later house features smoother stones, fanlight and lunette windows, a sunburst door frame, and grand staircase on the entry hall that leads to the second floor.

The wide front porch and a porte-cochere were added in the late 19th century likely by the owners at the time, the Stephens family. The porch may have been used by travelers, who stopped at the house while journeying to Closter via stagecoach or the new railroads. Through much of the 20th century, the Demaree House was a renowned antique shop run by Dorothy Curtis (the telephone number in 1915 was “108 Closter”).

In the late 1970s, the future of the Demaree Homestead was uncertain. When plans emerged to convert the house into a restaurant, a group called the Friends of the Abram Demaree Homestead formed and immediately sprang into action. Spearheaded by Haworth resident Mary Crain, the Friends fought to purchase the Homestead and preserve it as a community and educational facility highlighting Dutch and English colonial life in New Jersey. In 1980, the Friends won the right to buy the Homestead, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places that same year. A decade later, the group raised enough money to purchase the 14 acres of farmland across the street (once farmed by Abram and David Demaree) and operate a working farm with the goal of donating the harvest to food banks.

Since then, the house, barn, farm field, antiques and vintage shop, and a farm cafe that cooks with ingredients grown or raised on the farm have been open to the public. All proceeds go to maintain the property as a nonprofit historical site, serene green space, and community resource.