The Caldwell Parsonage is located along Caldwell Avenue in Union

Union Township, Union County, New Jersey

Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It was the home of the Rev. James Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister and active supporter of the Patriot

Patriot (American Revolution)

Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...

 cause during the Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War

The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

.

The war is intertwined with the early history of the building. An original parsonage dating to 1730 was burned in 1780 by a Loyalist

Loyalist (American Revolution)

Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...

 mob, and later that year Caldwell's wife Hannah was killed by British soldiers in the house during the Battle of Connecticut Farms

Battle of Connecticut Farms

The Battle of Connecticut Farms, fought June 7, 1780, was one of the last major battles between British and American forces in the northern colonies during the American Revolutionary War. Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, in command of the British garrison at New York City, made an attempt...

. Caldwell himself was shot by an American sentry a year later.

In 1782, with the war over, what is now Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church

Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church

Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church is located at Stuyvesant and Chestnut avenues in Union, New Jersey, United States, near US 22. It is the oldest church in the township....

 built the present building. It continued to serve as a home for its pastors until the 20th century, when the church built one closer to the building. In 1982 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

, as a well-preserved 18th-century farmhouse with a historical connection.

It currently serves as a historical museum, owned and operated by the Union Township Historical Society. It is open to the public on weekday mornings and afternoons. Several state grants have been made for renovations and upkeep of the aging structure.