HISTORY OF THE VILLAGE OF WEST FREEHOLD

Freehold Township began in the late seventeenth century. From that time until sub urbanization brought great economic and spatial change in the mid twentieth century, agriculture dominated the landscape. For most of its history, the Township was made up principally of farmsteads; open fields, and wooded areas. There were a few small settlements occurring around a mill, store, tavern, or crossroads (such as Mount’s Corner or West Freehold). These pages will give you a general overview of this one particular part of Freehold Township and its impact on history.

The intersection of Route 537 and Stillwell’s Corner Road/Wemrock Road. is now known as West Freehold. However, during the early days of settlement of the Township it was known as the Village of West Freehold or Mount’s Corner, and some of its original structures are still here

On the southwest corner the structure we now know as Moore’s Tavern and Restaurant was originally known as Mount’s Tavern. Moses Mount, who served as a private in the American Revolution, is believed to have been the first tavern keeper. However, it is conjecture that the Solomon Family may have been the original owner. Mount’s petition (dated c.1798) for renewal of his tavern license is on file at the Monmouth County Historical Association, 70 Court St., Freehold. Mr. Mount owned the tavern until 1835 when his grandson, John Mount became Landlord. In 1855 the property became known as the West Freehold Hotel and was run by William. H. Strong. The tavern has had several owners since that time including Samuel V. Hankinson in 1862. In 1908 John C. Moore purchased the property and renamed it Moore’s Inn. The Moore family continued to operate it until 1979. During the 1990’s the inn was moved back from the road and incorporated into the restaurant complex now known as Moore’s Tavern and Restaurant. The bar area of the restaurant still houses part of the original tavern.

Part of the Burlington Path, which was the main stagecoach path between Burlington and Long Branch (with a side trip to Sandy Hook) during the early days of Freehold Township, is located directly behind Moore’s Inn, which was a frequent stop for passengers in need of lodging or food. The path itself ran in a diagonal from the Smithburg line (corner of Siloam Road and Route 537) to this point in the township. From there it continued across the township through what is now Freehold Borough to Burlington Road. and into Colts Neck ending in Long Branch and Sandy Hook.

On the northwest corner, now known as Mount’s Corner Shopping Plaza, was the site of the Levi Solomon Farm, the first Jewish farm settlement in Monmouth County. This eighteenth-century farm was located on the periphery of the Battle of Monmouth, which took place on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolution. When the British marched into Freehold from Allentown, they burned all the houses and buildings along the way. However, the owner Hannah Solomon, along with members of her family, saved their home and barn. In spite of the fact that the house was damaged, they repaired it and continued living there. Later Levi Solomon owned and enlarged the farmstead.

About 1820 Mr. Solomon and Elija Combs were in possession of much of the land in the area of the Solomon farm, including the property across Wemrock Road, now known as the Oakley Farm. The present owner, of the Solomon Farm, Bernard Hochberg, moved the barn and farmhouse of the Solomon tract to the rear of this property in the 1990’s. It is hoped that they will be opened as an historic center in the near future. When the structures were moved, an archeological search was done at the site and some artifacts from the Revolution were discovered near the original foundations. These are now in the possession of the Freehold Township Historic Preservation Commission.