On December 8, 1776, British troops reached Trenton. That same day, New Jersey's state treasurer, Samuel Tucker, carried the signed public money, more than fifteen hundred pounds, plus another thousand pounds he held in trust, to a farmhouse in what is now Hamilton Township and hid it there. Eight days earlier, on November 30, he had already moved the unsigned money to the same house. That account comes from the Historical Society of Hamilton Township. The house was the home of John Abbott. It still stands at 2200 Kuser Road, and this fall you can walk through it for free on any of fourteen weekend afternoons between October 10 and November 22.
Most Hamilton residents know Kuser Mansion first. For the next eight weeks, though, the township's historic-house calendar belongs almost entirely to two houses that are much older and much less visited.
The Calendar Gap at Newkirk Avenue
Kuser Farm Mansion at 390 Newkirk Avenue was built in 1892 as Fred Kuser's summer home. Hamilton Township describes it as a house museum. The Kuser family's business interests included Fox Film Corporation, Lenox and the Mercer Motor Car Company.
The fall tour run there was short. The township's Historical Homes calendar listed Kuser tours on September 19 and 20 and October 3 and 4, from noon to 4 p.m. The October 3 date also included the Jersey Valley Railroad Club open house. The township's November 2026 Historical Homes listing has no Kuser tours at all. Every entry that month is for the Abbott House.
That leaves one night at the mansion before December. The Kuser Mansion Ghost Hunt runs this Friday, October 9, from 7 to 10 p.m. Doors open at 6:30, and New Jersey Paranormal will share ghost stories and demonstrate its ghost-hunting equipment. According to the township flyer, admission is free, sign-up goes through the parks and recreation link, children under 13 are not admitted, and minors need an adult with them. Questions go to [email protected] or 609-890-4028.
After that, Newkirk Avenue stays quiet until December 4.
Fourteen Free Afternoons on Kuser Road
The John Abbott II House runs the opposite schedule. The township lists tours on most Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4:30 p.m. through mid-December, with the last tour starting at 3:45. Admission is free. Here are the remaining dates:
- October: 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 31
- November: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22
- December: 5, 6, 12 and 13
Between October 10 and November 22 that adds up to fourteen afternoons. Kuser Mansion has no regular tours over the same stretch.
The township's facility page says the house was built in 1730 by John Abbott's father. It originally stood on the north side of Crosswicks Creek and is now "situated in the shadow of Veterans Park." The Historical Society of Hamilton Township runs it as a public museum. Part of the Society's stated purpose is keeping period furnishings and historic objects for the house.
One practical caution. An undated township FAQ gives weekend hours of noon to 5 p.m., with a last tour at 4:15, and a season that runs through the third weekend in December. The 2026 event listings show the shorter 1 to 4:30 window, and the township's December calendar lists the last Abbott tours on December 12 and 13. If you plan to arrive near either end of the afternoon, call 609-585-1686 first.
The Second-Sunday House Above Watson's Creek
The township doesn't run Hamilton's oldest house, which is one reason it rarely shows up on local event roundups. The Isaac Watson House was built by Isaac Watson in 1708 and is recognized as the oldest house in Mercer County. The New Jersey State Society Daughters of the American Revolution uses it as its state headquarters. It sits on a bluff above Watson's Creek in John A. Roebling Park at 151 Westcott Avenue, on land that was originally an 800-acre property.
That makes it 184 years older than Kuser Mansion and roughly two decades older than the Abbott House.
The NJDAR page, last updated September 28, 2026, lists docent-guided public tours from 1 to 4 p.m. on the second Sunday of April, May, June, September, October and November. On this year's calendar, that leaves two dates, Sunday, October 11 and Sunday, November 8. NJDAR says donations support upkeep of the house and takes tour questions at [email protected]. The page doesn't list a fixed admission price.
The Watson House shares a lot with the Tulpehaking Nature Center next door at 157 Westcott Avenue. Mercer County says the center's front parking is in front of the Watson House. The center serves as the gateway to the Abbott Marshlands and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. So a Watson House visit on a second Sunday falls during the nature center's open hours.
Four Weekends That Line Up Without Trying
These houses become easy to visit once you see how their dates overlap with other events on the same roads. All four pairings below come from published 2026 schedules.
- Friday, October 9. Two evening events land on the same night. The Kuser Mansion Ghost Hunt runs 7 to 10 p.m. on Newkirk Avenue. Across the township, the Abbott Marshlands lists a Twilight Hike and Campfire from 6 to 8 p.m., and registration is required. The two overlap, so households will need to choose one.
- Sunday, October 11. This date has the most going on at Westcott Avenue. The Watson House is open 1 to 4 p.m. The Abbott Marshlands calendar lists a Halloween Costume Swap that day, plus an upcycling activity run by the Mercer County Park Commission with no registration required. The Abbott House is also open on Kuser Road that afternoon, so you could visit both colonial houses in one day.
- Sunday, October 18. Hamilton's Oktoberfest runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kuser Road side entrance of Veterans Park, 2206 Kuser Road, with live music from Big Hix. The Abbott House at 2200 Kuser Road is open 1 to 4:30 that same afternoon. Oktoberfest's rain date is October 25, which is also an Abbott tour day, so the pairing still works if the weather pushes the festival back a week.
- Sunday, November 8. This is the last Watson House tour date of the year and also an Abbott tour day. If you missed October 11, this is the final chance in 2026 to see both colonial houses on the same afternoon.
Where to Eat Between Stops
The Abbott House and Oktoberfest are on the Hamilton Square side of the township. The Watson House is out past White Horse. These three long-running spots line up with that geography:
- Porfirio's Italian Market & Cafe, 1600 Route 33 in Hamilton Square, which describes itself as Hamilton's Own and established in 1964
- Jersey Girl Cafe, 731 Route 33, which opened in August 2011 and marks 15 years in 2026
- Rossi's Bar and Grill, 2110 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road, which celebrated its 90th year in business in 2023 and takes reservations and online orders through its site
Porfirio's or Jersey Girl Cafe makes sense before an Abbott tour. Rossi's is closer if your afternoon ends at Westcott Avenue.
December Hands the Season Back to Kuser
Kuser Farm Park takes over again the first weekend of December. Winter Wonderland is set for Friday, December 4, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 5, from 2 to 7:30 p.m. The township lists Santa photos, wagon rides through the holiday light display, a Mini Candy Land Express train ride, firepits, food vendors, and mansion and model railroad tours.
Christmas tours of Kuser Mansion then run on December 4 through 6, 8 through 10, 12 and 13, and 15 through 17, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Santa visits the mansion on December 6. The township FAQ calls the December 17 evening session the final tour. The December calendar also lists a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. session that day. The mansion's Historic Homes staff can confirm at 609-890-3630.
The Abbott House stays open for part of that run too. Its listed December tour days are December 5, 6, 12 and 13, which means the first weekend of December has afternoon tours on Kuser Road and evening tours on Newkirk Avenue.
The Terebey Relocation Team keeps calendars like this one because local weekends are part of what we share with clients who live in Hamilton or are moving here. If you're settling into the township, or wondering how your Hamilton Square or White Horse home compares with the rest of the market this fall, the team at John Terebey is glad to help. Request a free market consultation and home valuation.
