Mike Deak, MyCentralJersey.com
April 28, 2023
One of the oldest taverns in Hunterdon County may become one of the newest.
The Bonnell Tavern, at the intersection of Interstate 78, Route 173 and Route 513, has been a landmark in Clinton since it was established in 1767 by Lt. Col. Abraham Bonnell, who served in the Second Regiment of the Hunterdon County Militia during the Revolutionary War.
The building, once home to a tavern named Gypsy Girl and a stop on the Underground Railroad, served as a tavern until 1870. It then became a residence but has been vacant for more than a half century.
Henry Bonnell, the fifth great-grandson of the lieutenant colonel, wants to preserve the property and adapt it to become a microbrewery and tavern focusing on historic beers.
Restoration of the property has been a lifelong ambition, he said.
“This place is dripping with history,” said the 62-year-old Bonnell, who lives in New York City.
Bonnell hopes the craft brewery will serve as a gateway to both Union Township and Clinton. He said it can serve as an attraction in the county’s drive to increase tourism as a stop on the Hunterdon County Beer Trail.
The house has been vacant since 1952 when the federal government acquired the land for I-78. No one has lived in it since, Bonnell said, because of its proximity to the highway. The front corner of the farmhouse is only 35 feet from the interstate.
The present structure, listed on the National and State Historic Registries, was built in the 1860s. A stove dates to the 1800s, Bonnell said, and the brass fixtures are from the early 1900s.
The property is unique because it lies in both Union Township and Clinton Town.
In January, the Union Township Land Use Board approved the plans for the building and the Clinton Town Land Use Board is scheduled to hear the parking plans on May 2.
The first phase of the project is to renovate the single-family house into the microbrewery and a tavern that will sell the beer produced on the property. The second phase will be the reconstruction of a barn, and the third phase will be construction of access from Route 173.
Bonnell said the barn, which was owned by an ancestor, Sam Bonnell, was located on Ruppell Road and he was able to find the timbers.
The microbrewery will originally be in the basement of the house, then move to the barn once it is renovated.
Bonnell told the Union board in January that his family purchased the property in 1767, three years after the first tavern opened on the site.
Bonnell said he would display historic artifacts in the microbrewery, some from the Revolutionary War. The tavern was where the Second Regiment of the Hunterdon County Militia was formed.
Bonnell said the establishment could offer tours during closed hours for students and other groups. He said the business would be open four to five days a week, closing at 9 p.m.
The microbrewery will feature beers with Revolutionary War themes though, Bonnell admitted, experimenting with beer recipes of the era has not been successful.
Bonnell also plans to display historic artifacts, including old maps, coins from the 17th Century, a pewter sleigh bell and the original deed written on sheepskin.
Bonnell said it may take two years from the time of the approvals by both municipalities, the state Department of Transportation and the state Department of Environmental Protection for the microbrewery to open.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” he said.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com