While peaches were never grown on the property, Peachfield was the name that John Skene, the first Freemason resident on record in the colonies, dubbed his purchase of 300 acres in Westampton, New Jersey. When he passed away, Henry Burr purchased the property, added 300 more acres and built a home in 1725. The west section was an addition built by Henry’s son, John Burr, in 1732.

For the next 200-plus, years, the Burr family occupied the farm and home. It was sold to the Clark family who lived on the property until 1928 when a fire roared through the home.

In 1931, at the height of the Depression, Miriam Harker and her husband Norman bought the home and 135 acres in the hope of preserving it. They worked with noted Philadelphia architect R. Brognard Okie, to restore the home. Okie was known as a leader behind the Colonial Revivalist movement and took great care in using materials and construction that were authentic to the period. The result is a look at Colonial life in West Jersey with much of the furnishing from the period.

Miriam and Norman had a hand in the restoration as well. Miriam’s garden still greets visitors today as they tour the home and grounds.