116 Greenwich--Croxall Mansion

Historically known as the Croxall Mansion, this Georgian-style home was built in 1780 by Robert Morris, who owned the large tract of land south of the Pequest River that was originally surveyed by William Penn. Morris built the house for his daughter, Mary Croxall. The original front facade faces the Delaware River.

Originally from Liverpool, England, Robert Morris became a prominent member of a Philadelphia shipping and banking firm by age 20, exporting American goods and importing British cargo, even being captured by French privateers in Jamaica but escaping to Cuba with his crew.

Robert Morris signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, AND the Constitution of the United States, one of only two men to do so. He was ranked second wealthiest among the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence and raised great amounts of money to support the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, earning the title "financier of the American Revolution."

Morris served on the Second Continental Congress from 1775-1778, during which the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. He was superintendent of finance of the U.S. (1781-1784) and improved the unsettled financial condition of the post-war country by establishing the Bank of North America in 1782. Before he left office, he used over a million dollars in his own notes to feed and pay the troops. As a result of his generosity, the Continental Army had the necessary supplies and money to decisively win at Yorktown, thus ensuring the success of the revolution. His attempts to repay the debt to France after the war cost his own estate significantly.

It was Morris who nominated General George Washington to be Chairman of the Annapolis Convention in 1787. As president, Washington invited Morris to be his Secretary of the Treasury; he declined the invitation but recommended his friend, Alexander Hamilton, whose name has more ring to it as a name for a musical than "Morris," but maybe Robert Morris' story will be told next?

Following the war, Morris expanded his fortune through investments in unsettled land in the nation. Through the devious designs of his political enemies and some bad ventures, by the late 1790s his credit had collapsed and Morris was sent to debtor's prison in 1798. After release in 1801, he spent the last five years of his life in near poverty, sustained only by a stipend from fellow statesman and Articles and Constitution signer Gouverneur Morris.

Before going into debt, in 1793 Robert Morris deeded the house and all 614 acres to his daughter Mary Croxall and her heirs forever. A new Jersey legislative act in 1818 reversed the "forever" part, converting it to fee simple, and by 1825, all of Mary's children had their mortgages paid by Garrett D. Wall, converting ownership to him. In 1826, there were only seven residences south of the Pequest River. Wall donated plots of land to Warren County for a courthouse and park and more lots to churches, securing Belvidere as the county seat. He sold the rest of the lots, thereby propelling Belvidere to grow south of the Pequest. By 1841, there were 162 dwellings and nearly 1000 people in town, and in 1870, the census reflected 1,882 people. (The completion of the Belvidere-Delaware Railroad was an added boon!) Thus, through the unfortunate collapse of Robert Morris' fortune was a Victorian town established in rural NJ.

(For a more detailed account of Robert Morris' life, visit https://www.dsdi1776.com/signers-by-state/robert-morris/)