Benjamin Cooper House

Benjamin Cooper House is a historic building in the Pyne Point neighborhood of North Camden, New Jersey, at Erie Street. Although the supplied subject is presented as a brand, the authoritative Wikipedia entity is a historic eighteenth-century structure rather than a commercial brand or operating company. The building was originally constructed in 1734 as a two-story Dutch Colonial farmhouse and ferry house. Its location near the Delaware River made it useful as both a residence and a stopping point for ferry traffic connecting Camden with Philadelphia and the surrounding region. The house developed in stages. Its principal section was built of stone, while a later addition, dating from the late eighteenth century, was constructed in brick. This combination reflects the building's growth from a private colonial-era residence into a more public and commercially oriented property. During the American Revolutionary War, when Philadelphia was occupied by British and Hessian forces, the house served as headquarters for British Lieutenant Colonel Abercromby, giving it a documented connection to the military history of the Delaware Valley. In the early nineteenth century, Benjamin Cooper House operated as a pleasure garden open to the public during the spring and summer seasons. It subsequently became associated with hospitality and waterfront travel, serving as the last ferry tavern in Camden. In later years it functioned as a saloon known as the Old Stone Jug. These successive uses illustrate the building's changing role as transportation patterns, recreation, and commercial activity evolved around Camden's riverfront. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the property was purchased by the John H. Mathis Company. The available reference material does not establish the company's precise relationship to the building after the purchase or document a continuous modern operating business under the Benjamin Cooper House name. The structure suffered extensive damage in a fire on Thanksgiving Day in 2012. No reliable information in the supplied material establishes its current ownership, operating status, restoration status, or use. The house is significant primarily as a surviving historic site associated with colonial architecture, Revolutionary War history, ferry transportation, public leisure, and Camden's changing commercial landscape. It should not be conflated with unrelated businesses or brands using the name Benjamin Cooper.

Benjamin Cooper House is an eighteenth-century stone-and-brick building in Camden, New Jersey. It stands on Erie Street in the Pyne Point neighborhood of North Camden and originated as both a farmhouse and a ferry house. Construction began in 1734, when the site served residential and transportation functions in a region closely connected to the Delaware River and Philadelphia. The original structure was a two-story Dutch Colonial home built primarily of stone. A brick addition was attached later in the eighteenth century, creating the form associated with the historic property. The house's location made it more than a private dwelling: it served travelers using the ferry and became part of the local network of river crossings and roadside hospitality. During the American Revolutionary War, Philadelphia was occupied by British and Hessian forces. In that period, Benjamin Cooper House was used as the headquarters of British Lieutenant Colonel Abercromby. This episode links the building to the military geography of the Philadelphia-Camden area during the conflict. By the early nineteenth century, the property had acquired a recreational role. It operated as a pleasure garden and was open to the public during the spring and summer. Later, it became the last ferry tavern in Camden, continuing to serve travelers and local patrons as ferry activity remained part of the area's commercial life. In its later saloon period, the building was known as the Old Stone Jug. Near the end of the nineteenth century, the John H. Mathis Company purchased the property. The supplied material does not identify the company's subsequent plans or provide a complete ownership chronology. It likewise does not establish whether the building continued operating as a hospitality venue for the entire twentieth century. The property suffered extensive fire damage on Thanksgiving Day in 2012. The reference material does not provide a verified account of the fire's cause, the extent of later stabilization, or its present condition. The house remains historically notable for its architecture and for the succession of roles it played: colonial residence, ferry stop, military headquarters, pleasure garden, tavern, hotel or entertainment venue, and saloon. Because the authoritative subject is a historic structure rather than a commercial brand, commercial fields such as products, executives, campaigns, and financial decisions are not applicable on the available evidence.

• 2012

  Thanksgiving Day fire

  [1]Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org

  The building sustained extensive damage in a fire on Thanksgiving Day.

• 1890

  Purchase by the John H. Mathis Company

  [1]Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the John H. Mathis Company purchased the property. The exact transaction year is not given in the reference.

• 1800

  Pleasure-garden period

  [1]Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org

  In the early nineteenth century, the property operated as a pleasure garden open to the public during spring and summer. The reference does not specify an exact year.

• 1777

  Use as a British military headquarters

  [1]Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org

  During the British and Hessian occupation of Philadelphia in the American Revolutionary War, the house served as headquarters for British Lieutenant Colonel Abercromby. The exact beginning year of this use is not specified in the reference.

• 1734

  Construction of the house

  [1]Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Benjamin Cooper House was built as a two-story Dutch Colonial farmhouse and ferry house in what is now Camden, New Jersey.

Historic architectural and cultural site associated with colonial settlement, ferry transportation, hospitality, and Camden history.

• 2012

  Fire extensively damages Benjamin Cooper House[1]Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Benjamin Cooper House suffered extensive damage in a fire on Thanksgiving Day in 2012. The available reference does not provide details about the cause, casualties, ownership response, restoration work, or the building's subsequent condition.

1. 1Benjamin Cooper Houseen.wikipedia.org