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JAMES WILSON MARSHALL HOUSE
62 Bridge Street
Hours: Weekends, 1-4 PM, April through October
The Marshall House is on the National and the New Jersey Registers of Historic Places.
It was the boyhood home of James Wilson Marshall, discoverer of gold in California, and is now the
headquarters of the Lambertville Historical Society.
James' father, Philip, built the house in 1816.
Philip Marshall, a coach and wagon maker, was a member of one of the oldest families in New Jersey and a
relative of John Hart, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The family lived here until Philip's death in 1834, when the property was sold.
Family descendants continue to live in Lambertville and the surrounding area.
The house was constructed using bricks made of clay dug near the outskirts of town.
Now 184 years old, the building is notable for its Federal architecture, with its decorative,
Adam-style frieze, box cornice, and typical two-story structural style and size.
The period furnishings in the parlor and bedroom are based on the estate inventory the family filed in 1834,
although only one piece, the Hitchcock "potty" chair in the bedroom,
actually belonged to the Marshall family. The entry hall displays the recently refurbished 1843
friendship quilt, stamped with the names of 27 members of Lambertville's founding families.
An exhibit on the second floor traces the development of the shad fishing industry as part of
the environmental and commercial history of the Delaware River.
Also, showing continuously in the exhibit hall is the Society's 30-minute film on Lambertville's history.
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