About This Place
The Hopper-Goetschius House is a colonial-era sandstone dwelling that witnessed the daily violence of the Revolution in Bergen County. The house served variously as a private residence, a site of interrogations, and a shelter for families displaced by the conflict. Its sturdy Dutch Colonial architecture — built with local sandstone in the style characteristic of Bergen County's Dutch settlement — reflects the building traditions of the community that was torn apart by the war.
The house has been preserved as a museum and is maintained by local historical organizations. Visitors can view the period architecture and learn about daily life in Bergen County during the Revolutionary era.
Revolutionary Significance
The Hopper-Goetschius House is one of the surviving colonial structures in the Hackensack area that was directly involved in the Revolutionary conflict. Houses like this one served as the settings for the intimate violence that characterized the civil war in Bergen County — interrogations of suspected Loyalists or patriots, sheltering of refugees, and quartering of soldiers from both sides.
Location
Hackensack, NJ 07601
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Events at This Location
1774
Bergen County Divided: Loyalties SplitReverend Dirck Romeyn, Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack
1775
Formation of the Bergen County Committee of SafetyJudge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack
1775
Militia Musters on the GreenMajor John Mauritius Goetschius, Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack
1775
Enslaved People Seek Freedom During the RevolutionSam of Hackensack
1776
Fall of Fort LeeSam of Hackensack
1776
Washington's Retreat Through HackensackReverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack
1776
British Occupation of Bergen CountyReverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack
1776
Desecration of the First Dutch Reformed ChurchReverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack
1776
Loyalist Raids and Partisan Warfare in Bergen CountyMajor John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack
1777
Capture of Judge John Fell by Loyalist RaidersJudge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack
1777
Oath of Allegiance ControversiesJudge John Fell
1778
Continental Army Foraging Expeditions in Bergen CountyBrigadier General Anthony Wayne, Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack
1778
Confiscation of Loyalist PropertyJudge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack
1778
Washington's Headquarters at the HermitageTheodosia Prevost Burr
1778
Baylor Massacre at River ValeMajor John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack
1783
End of the War and Return of the DisplacedReverend Dirck Romeyn, Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack