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Secondary sourceArtifact1752 (granted 1783)

Steuben House

1752 (granted 1783)

A stone house in River Edge, New Jersey, confiscated from a Loyalist family and granted to Steuben as a reward for his wartime service.

New Jersey granted Steuben this confiscated Loyalist house as a reward for his service to the Continental Army.

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Black and white photograph of a two-story stone house with a steep gabled roof, a long covered porch running across the front, and a white paneled door. Bare trees and a road are in the foreground.
Steuben House, New Bridge Road, River Edge, Bergen County, New Jersey.

About this source

What it is

The Steuben House stands at New Bridge Landing in River Edge, New Jersey. Built in 1752, it was seized from a Loyalist family in 1781 and later granted to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben by the state of New Jersey. It is now held by the Bergen County Historical Society and the State of New Jersey.

Why it matters

The house shows how American states rewarded foreign officers who served the revolutionary cause. It also reflects the harsh treatment of Loyalists, whose property could be taken and redistributed during and after the war. For Steuben, the grant was a sign of gratitude from a new nation that could not always pay him in cash.

Look closer

  • Why might a new nation reward a foreign officer with confiscated property instead of money?
  • What does the seizure of a Loyalist family's home tell us about the divisions within American society during the Revolution?
  • What does the house's current use as a historical site tell us about how this history is remembered today?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Friedrich von Steuben on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Book

Primary source

Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · 1779

Oil portrait of an 18th-century man with powdered gray hair, wearing a dark blue coat with gold epaulettes and gold-yellow waistcoat, a red sash and star-shaped order badge, against a dark background.Painting

Primary source

Baron Frederick William von Steuben

Charles Willson Peale · 1780

Large painting of a battlefield scene with a grey, stormy sky. On the left, British redcoat troops stand in lines beside a white flag. On the right, American troops in blue and buff stand beside a striped flag. In the center, a mounted commander on a white horse, with a figure in red uniform walking in front, faces the lines.Painting

Secondary source

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis

John Trumbull · 1819

Oil portrait of an older man with white powdered hair in a dark navy coat with gold epaulettes and tan high-collared lapels and waistcoat. He wears orange-and-red decorations and a star-shaped order on his chest and holds a sword hilt. Behind him are trees and a distant river with sailboats.Painting

Primary source

Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Augustus, Baron von Steuben

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl · 1786

Handwritten letter in brown ink on aged paper, dated Montpellier 12 March 1773 at top right, addressed 'Monsieur' and written in French in cursive script. It is signed at the bottom right with a closing phrase and the name 'de Steuben'.Letter

Primary source

Letter from Montpellier

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben · 12 March 1773

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