This Event has Passed
Dedication of Potters Cave Historic Marker
Dedication of Potters Cave Historic Marker
Stucile Farms Tower Property, 703 Deal Road, Ocean, NJ 07712
Sunday May 19, 2024, 1:00 pm
A Historic Marker will be placed in the area of the site of Thomas Potter’s Cave, primitive first home of Ocean Township’s earliest European settler, on May 19th at 1:00 p.m., hosted by the Museum at the Stucile Farm Water Tower.
Born in England in 1630, Thomas Potter immigrated to New England with his family as a young child. Years later, possibly drawn by land available to Englishmen under the terms of the “Monmouth Patent” after the British takeover of New Amsterdam in 1664, Thomas relocated to New Jersey. As early as 1670, records show he owned 552 acres in the area of Ocean Township known as Poplar (from today’s Poplar Road in Wayside east into Oakhurst).
Thomas arrived to an Ocean Township inhabited only by Native Americans. There was no saw mill to provide lumber, no blacksmith to forge nails, no kiln to bake bricks. He, like many other early Monmouth County settlers, carved shelter for himself in the banks of a stream. His early “cave” was dug about four feet deep. Its walls were built up with rocks. Tree limbs covered with mud and branches formed the roof. Stories of Potter’s Cave were passed down through generations. It was a point of reference in old deeds. And for years, it was the object of a quest for local historians Jim Foley and Dr. Rich Fernicola.
Following the clues from historic documents, Jim and Rich began their search along Harvey Brook. But not until they shifted their attention to Poplar Brook did their persistence pay off.
Because of the its fragility, the Museum is not revealing the site’s exact location.
Join us for the unveiling and dedication of the Potters Cave Historic Marker. Jim Foley and Dr. Rich Fernicola will speak about the site and its historical significance.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2421869-0
