Welcome to the Bouman-Stickney Farmstead. The property is named for two of its former owners. Dutch homesteader, Thomas Bouman, originally purchased the property sometime before 1740. The house was built in 1741 and stayed in the Bouman family until about 1855. In 1935, Broadway playwright and producer Howard Lindsay purchased the house and surrounding property as a gift for his wife, Broadway and movie actress Dorothy Stickney. Ms. Stickney and Mr. Lindsay used the house as a weekend and vacation retreat until Mr. Lindsay's death in 1968. The house and surrounding 68 acres were purchased by Readington Township from Ms. Stickney in 1997.

Thomas Bouman was a very important person in early Readington Township. He was a prosperous farmer, an elder in the Readington Dutch Reformed Church, and because he owned more than 50 acres of land, he was a Freeholder. The house is a magnificent stone bank house with Dutch and German architectural influences. The stone for the facade, as well as the timbers for the frame were harvested from nearby Cushetunk Mountain. Thomas died in 1755, leaving the homestead to his son, Cornelius. In Thomas' will, his eldest son Cornelius was also the recipient of the "grate Duch Bible", a treasured family possession. In 1935, the famous Broadway actor and playwright, Howard Lindsay (Life with Father, Sound of Music), bought the house and surrounding property for his wife, actress Dorothy Stickney.   Mr. Lindsay and Ms. Stickney treasured their weekend and holiday retreat.

Our Township is fortunate to have an example of a relatively rare farming structure - a New World Dutch Barn.  We can thank Readington Historian, Stephanie Stevens, for her vision and leadership in the the effort to save the barn from destruction.  The original barn sat on the Wade Farm property and was moved to the Bouman-Stickney property in 2000.  The barn's  skeleton was taken apart piece by piece and carefully labeled to facilitate reconstruction at the Farmstead.  The cladding is new, but the supporting structure is original.