Before it went up for sale for nearly $4 million, the 47-acre New Jersey estate was home to the man who fed George Washington’s Continental Army.
Lansdown, at 312 Hamden Road in Franklin Township, 250 years ago belonged to Charles Stewart. Appointed Commissary General of the Troubles in 1777, Stewart later hosted Washington and other key figures at the Hunterdon County estate, including the Marquis de Lafayette.
The historic property, listed in early 2026 for $3,995,000 by Robert L. Beatty of Weichert Realtors, includes a 9-bedroom, 7-bathroom home totaling 11,460 square feet. The partially graded ranch property is located along the South Branch of the Raritan River, minutes from Clinton and about an hour from New York City.
Lansdown, a 47-acre estate in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, was once the home of Charles Stewart, quartermaster general for George Washington’s Continental Army. Stewart hosted Washington at the property, which dates back to the mid-18th century.
Still a massive estate, Lansdown was originally part of an even larger plantation owned by Judge Samuel Johnston, Stewart’s father-in-law. Stewart took possession in 1763, 13 years after landing in Philadelphia from Ireland at age 21, and began building what became known as Lansdown.
At the estate, Stewart held a number of provincial posts. He was appointed assistant surveyor for the Western Division of New Jersey and later helped survey part of the New York-Pennsylvania boundary line, according to early 20th-century biographer Oscar Jewell Harvey. In April 1771, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of militia in Hunterdon County.
The property’s 2.5-story main unit is believed to date to the third quarter of the 18th century, according to the federal nomination form for its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Built of fieldstone, it was built with a four-bay front facade and a rare centrally located brick chimney. A later revision included Greek Revival alterations from the third quarter of the 19th century, transforming Stewart’s creation of oak beams with mortise and tenon joints.
Lansdown, a 47-acre estate in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, was once the home of Charles Stewart, quartermaster general for George Washington’s Continental Army. Stewart hosted Washington at the property, which dates back to the mid-18th century.
A key player in the American Revolution, Stewart represented Hunterdon County in the New Jersey Provincial Congress in Trenton in 1775, and on February 15, 1776, he was appointed colonel of a New Jersey militia battalion, according to US Congressional records.
His most significant role came on June 18, 1777, when the Continental Congress appointed him Commissary General of the Continental Army to succeed Colonel Joseph Trumbull.
Until the end of the war, Colonel Stewart was responsible for distributing food and clothing to the Continental troops. Harvey wrote that he could often be found at General Washington’s headquarters near key battlefields, including Monmouth. He also corresponded often with Washington, sometimes several times a day, to detail plans to move supplies past enemy forces. In some cases, Stewart was forced to move his supplies to avoid seizure by the developing forces, federal records show.
Lansdown, a 47-acre estate in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, was once the home of Charles Stewart, quartermaster general for George Washington’s Continental Army. Stewart hosted Washington at the property, which dates back to the mid-18th century.
On September 30, 1777, Stewart wrote to Washington from Trenton to warn that the city was defenseless despite Philadelphia’s large public stores. He temporarily kept 40 Continental troops to guard them and urged Washington to send 100 wagons to remove valuable goods, warning that their loss would be irreparable.
After the war, Stewart served as a delegate to the Confederate Congress by appointment of the governor. Harvey wrote that General Washington and his wife, during their residence in Philadelphia, “frequently visited Colonel Stewart and his family at Lansdown.” As president, Washington offered him the office of inspector general of the United States, which he declined, according to Harvey, although this claim is unconfirmed.
Stewart died in June 1800 in Flemington, on a large farm he owned there, which extended to Coxe’s Hill. He was buried at the Old Stone Church in Bethlehem Township with the epitaph: “He was an early and decided friend of the American Revolution, and performed the important office of Commissary General of Issues for universal acceptance.”
Lansdown, a 47-acre estate in Franklin Township, Hunterdon County, was once the home of Charles Stewart, quartermaster general for George Washington’s Continental Army. Stewart hosted Washington at the property, which dates back to the mid-18th century.
Years earlier, in 1796, Stewart gave Lansdown to his daughter Martha and her husband. Descendants held the property for another 125 years. Among the later owners was Donald Deskey, the renowned interior designer of Radio City Music Hall, according to Beatty. A mid-century designer, Deskey also specialized in creating packaging for household products, from Crest toothpaste and Bounty paper towels to Jif peanut butter.
Over the decades, Lansdown has evolved. A two-story fieldstone addition with a raised basement was added sometime in the mid-19th century, and a one-story garage with a fieldstone foundation followed in the 1920s. The estate underwent extensive restoration in 1979, and a new wing was added in 2003 with the same fieldstone used to build the original house, according to Beatty.
Today, a 31-by-30-foot great room commands attention with 20-foot ceilings, radiant Jerusalem marble floors and a hand-carved fireplace. The chef’s kitchen, tucked under soaring cathedral ceilings, features light oak cabinetry, granite countertops, a large center island with farmhouse sink, and state-of-the-art appliances. A sun-drenched breakfast room with exposed stone walls and French doors that open to the pool connects the kitchen to the home’s informal gathering spaces.
The home includes a wood-paneled library, an elegant master suite with a marble-floored tub and custom walk-in closet, and nine fireplaces throughout. Additional features include a two-bedroom apartment with separate entrance and a historically inspired tavern room with brick floor and hand-hewn beams.
Outside, manicured perennial gardens surround a resort-style heated pool and spa. There is a 51-by-30-foot outbuilding, plus several stone patios and walkways.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ home linked to George Washington’s army listed for sale