*The celebration of the Peter Mott House in 1845 is featured on this date. Built before the American Civil War, the house was the residence of Peter Mott, a free Black abolitionist and preacher; the Peter Mott House is the oldest known house in the city.
This was also a station along the Underground Railroad in the historically Black town of Lawnside, N.J. Mott was the first Sunday school superintendent at Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lawnside. Mott was born around 1810 and was one of the agents of the Underground Railroad. The size of his house in what was then called Snow Hill or Free Haven reflects Mott's status as a respected community member. He was married, and his wife’s name was Eliza.
The Borough of Lawnside, located eight miles north of Camden, is the only historically African American incorporated municipality in the northern United States. It dates to Colonial times as a settlement of people of color. Through the abolition of slavery in New Jersey, the dangers of the Underground Railroad, the ravages of the Civil War, and the grinding poverty of the Depression era, Lawnside has emerged as a viable, modern community. The Lawnside Historical Society has worked to preserve, acquire and maintain the Peter Mott House.
In February 1992, the Society handed the deed to the property. The house was restored as a museum and opened to the public in October 2001. The property is now listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.
Lawnside Historical Society, Inc.
P.O. Box 608
Lawnside, NJ 08045-0608
