Garritse–Doremus–Westervelt House

The Garritse–Doremus–Westervelt House, also known as the Vanderhoef–Westervelt House, is a historic Dutch Colonial stone farmhouse located at 794 Park Drive in Weasel Brook Park in the city of Clifton in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. It was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1939 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 2023, for its significance in architecture. The house is one of the oldest in the county.

History and description

Gilbert Vanderhoef received the property as a gift from his father-in-law John E. Vreeland and subsequently built a farmhouse and gristmill, powered by the Weasel Brook. Garret Garritse purchased the property in 1736. After his death in 1737, the farm passed to his son Peter Garritse. He and his wife Jane, built the northeastern part of the house. They sold the property to Ralph Doremus in 1805. He sold it to Sophia Westervelt in 1825. She and her husband David added the southwestern part of the house and attached kitchen wing. Their son Richard Westervelt inherited the property in 1875. Edward Jewett bought the property in 1905 as an investment. The Passaic County Park Commission purchased the property in 1931.