Quality Cleaners was recently given the prodigious opportunity to work with the New Jersey State Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution at the Isaac Watson House in Hamilton, NJ.    The Isaac Watson House was built in 1708, and is recognized as the oldest house in Mercer County.  It serves as the Society’s headquarters and was restored by NJDAR in 1964, as part of the New Jersey Tercentenary Celebration.

The furniture now displayed in this fine stone house mostly antedates 1790, and several pieces were made by New Jersey craftsmen.  In addition, many articles in the home were made and/or donated by New Jersey Daughters. The Isaac Watson House is located at 151 Westcott Ave., Hamilton, NJ. Watson House is easily accessible from Route 206, heading towards Trenton.

Quality Cleaners was selected to clean the textiles in this historic location following the discovery of mold development in the home.  As the structure of the home was going through remediation, we took on the task of preserving these precious, remarkable textiles while cleaning them to the best possible outcome.

A few of the notable pieces we were entrusted with included:

This coverlet is on permanent loan to the Watson House in memory of Olivia Rich Hall (1784-1869).  Ms. Hall grew the flax, spun, and wove the coverlet in 1804.  The coverlet was presented through the Cranetown Chapter of the DAR by Grace Forster Hanchett, June Hanchett Daar, and Olivia Daar Dreikorn.

This wall hanging was hand stitched in 1829 by Catharine Smith, Age 8.  A gift of the Nova Caesarea Chapter.

A hand stitched bedskirt from approximately the late 1880’s

Beautifully hand stitched draperies from the 1960’s

This beautifully stitched quilt is most likely from the 1840s-1850s.  Though it is a style that has been embraced and copied in the  present days.

This exquisitely detailed and handstitched bedcover from the 1960’s.

For more information on the Quality Cleaners Restoration Team or the NJDAR, visit our contact page and send us a message.  For other interesting articles and notable textile restoration jobs, visit our blog page.