301 Front--Warren House/Masonic Temple

This is the oldest colonial building site in town. On this site in the 1700s, Robert Patterson built a double log house, called "Mansion House," which stood until 1838. Benjamin Depue tore it down and built the hotel Warren House in 1840 which was slightly remodeled after a 1900 fire. Warren House was remodeled and reopened by Warren Lodge, No. 13, Free and Accepted Masons in 1926. It once boasted a wrap-around full-width two story porch with square columns.

One resident of note at the Warren House was Onion John, whose story can be found in the 1960 Newbery Medal winner "Onion John" by Joseph Krumgold. The story is set in 1950s Belvidere, New Jersey, (renamed Serenity) and tells the story of 12-year-old Andy Rusch and his friendship with an eccentric onion-growing hermit who lives on the outskirts of the small town. Krumgold originally included the names of real people and locations in his manuscript but was advised by his lawyer to fictionalize this mostly true story. Onion John's grave can be found in the Belvidere Cemetery, near the fence fronting Pequest Rd.