In a sleepy equestrian area in the Somerset Hills of central New Jersey, the former President of the United States still comes to summer at a house with a storied history.
UPDATE: Congratulations to Present-Elect Donald John Trump on his victory. There has been tremendous demand for our New Jersey Historic wooden collectible for what is now again the Presidential Summer Whitehouse for the 47th President-Elect of the United States of America.
The Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, known as President Trump’s Summer White House, occupies 535 acres of beautiful countryside in central New Jersey. Just 45 minutes west of New York City, most of the property was once the estate of John DeLorean, the auto industry playboy whose stainless-steel car is remembered best in its role as the time machine in Back to the Future. Trump purchased the property in 2002 for about $35 million, and it opened as a golf club in 2004. The home, once known as Lamington House, has a new name, the Summer White House. Let’s learn some great local history.
The Lamington House was built in 1939. The estate was designed by Mott B. Schmidt.
Bedminster Township, New Jersey
Nestled behind New Jersey’s second Watchung Mountain, the town of Bedminster, New Jersey, was chartered by King George II in 1749. Neighbored by Bridgewater to the South and Bernards Township (Basking Ridge) to the East, Bedminster’s early settlers were Dutch, migrating mainly from New Amsterdam to seek their fortunes in farming, grist and saw milling, and spread out. Migration increased after the British took over New Amsterdam, moving from present-day Brooklyn to Queens, New York.
Settling along the banks of the North Branch of the Raritan River, the area was slow to develop. Bedminster is noted as a mecca for equestrians as the Unites States Equestrian Foundation facility is just north in Peapack. Bedminster is also cited as being one of the most densely populated areas for horses in the United States. Rich in Revolutionary War history, the hamlet of Pluckemin in Bedminster was home to America’s first military Academy during the Revolutionary War winter of 1778-1779 under the command of General Henry Knox. It was known as the Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment. General Knox stayed in what is known as the Jacobus Vanderveer House, a restored home and farm just to the west of the academy site. It is also noted that the famous spy, John Honeyman, one of George Washington’s greatest war spies, also resided in Bedminster. Honeyman is buried in the nearby Lamington Church cemetery.
Packed stone and dirt roads allow for equestrian activities to continue today. A complex horse bridal path system still exists today. And not to forget, one of the most essential institutions came to Bedminster with the Essex Hunt Club, home to the Fox Hounds, one of the most prestigious clubs in the country.
For almost a century, the Bedminster population had around 1,700 residents. One of the most significant planned developments in New Jersey, the Hills and The Hills Development, changed Bedminster forever. Dating back to 1969 when the descendants of Grant Schley (American Express) sold Schley Mountain for $2.2 million. In the mid-1990s,, Johns-Manville sold its 50 percent share to William E. Simon and Sons. This group, in turn, auctioned off huge parcels to major home builders like K. Hovnanian, Gale Wentworth & Dillon, Pulte Homes, Matzel & Munford, Toll Brothers, and several others. Today, it’s a mix of residents ranging from post-college to retirees, including 600 low and moderate-income residences. After the Bedminster portion of the hills was completed, the population grew to over 8,000.
The Lamington House and Farm
Just south of the Lamington section of Bedminster Township lies one of Bedminster’s finest pieces of real estate, dating back to the 1600s. The Duyckinck family (pronounced DIE-KIRK), a Dutch farming family, lived on the Lamington Farm property through the early 1900s, living in what was known as the “Old Dutch House.” The family made cider with their presses from apples from their orchard. They raised cattle and sheep. Legend has it there’s a ghost in the house. John Duyckinck, possibly a British sympathizer, was confined to living within the property’s boundaries after being jailed and exiled by General George Washington in 1779. The Continental Army’s artillery was stationed in Bedminster, in the Pluckemin Village section of Bedminster, during the winter of 1778-1779 under the leadership of General Henry Knox. It is still unclear if Duyckinck was a Revolutionary War hero or a British spy, but past residents claim to have heard the sounds of a man in riding boots echoing in the stairwells.
Footnote: Our friend and cartographer John C. Smith has found yet another possible owner. The name was C. Rue, and the date was c1850. We’ll do some additional digging and see what we can find.
Cowperthwaite Family – 1919 Lamington House (#presidenttrumpsummerwhitehouse)
In 1917, the property was purchased by the Morgan Cowperthwaite family. The original house was designed by New York architect James Cameron Mackenzie, who had previously designed the Gambrill estate in Peapack. In 1939, architect Mott B. Schmidt of New York City commissioned John K. Cowperthwaite, Morgan’s son, to build the Cowperthwaite residence. Schmidt was an architect who also constructed Gracie Mansion’s Susan B. Wagner wing, Sutton Place, and homes for the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts. The Cowperthwaites called it Lamington House.
The Bedminster area is part of what’s known as the Somerset Hills and had become a famous equestrian and hunting area in the late 1800s. As fox hunting grew, Charles Pfizer moved the historic Essex Hunt Club from Montclair, New Jersey, to Peapack, New Jersey. Trails were integrated into the Hamilton Far and Lamington Farms properties. The family also raised cattle on the estate, which was noted as being some of the finest in the area.
John DeLorean – 1981 thru 1999
Jock Cowperthwaite maintained the estate until John DeLorean purchased it in 1981. John DeLorean bought what was then 433 acres along with the Georgian-style red brick manor house for $3.5 million. DeLorean and his former wife, model/actress Cristina Ferrare, lived there for 19 years.
In 1978, DeLorean left General Motors to start the DeLorean Motor Company, where he built his dream car, the DMC-12, which was made famous in Stephen Spielberg’s 1985 movie Back to the Future. With a $25,000 price tag, the car didn’t sell well, but it was a cult phenom.
John DeLorean and his DMC-12 car. Photo Credit: The Detroit Bureau – After buying Lamington House in 1981, a year later DeLorean’s life changed. He owned Lamingtion house from 1981-2000.
On October 19, 1982, John Z. DeLorean was arrested and charged with conspiracy to obtain and distribute 55 pounds of cocaine. What most people don’t remember is that DeLorean was acquitted of the drug charges in August 1984, stating that DeLorean was entrapped by the FBI. It was the company’s financial trouble that made DeLorean an easy drug target for the FBI’s $24 million drug deal. Investments up to $175 million basically tanked the company due to modest reviews of the car.
FEDERALLY INDICTED: YES
VERDICT: NOT GUILTY
John Delorean – 1984
On August 16, 1984, the jury returned their verdict: not guilty, finding that DeLorean was a victim of clear government entrapment.
In 1999, DeLorean declared bankruptcy and put his Bedminster estate up for sale. Rumor had it that before the FBI seized DeLorean’s property, he buried it all over it. When Trump’s Golf Club property was being excavated, nothing turned up. But it remains a local rumor.
While living in the house, rumor existed that DeLorean’s adopted son Zachery, having a father who designed the Chevrolet Firebird, Vega, the Pontiac Grand Prix, and GTO, didn’t seem to phase him. On the other hand, it seemed to embolden him. Rumor has it that while father John returned from a business trip, he ventured upstairs to see his son Zach. After knocking on the door, he entered the teen’s room and found a full-sized poster of a Ford Mustang on his wall. A blasphemous act, John worked with Lee Iacocca, the Ford Mustang designer. But as parents know, you must know what fights you will defend. The door shut, and the poster stayed.
Donald Trump – 2000 to Present
By 2000, DeLorean’s estate expanded to 506 acres. On the western side lies Cowperthwaite Road, named after the second property owner, the Cowperthwaite family. Trump bought the property from National Fairways in 2000, a minority partner of Lamington Farm Club, LLC (now Trump National Golf Club), a Connecticut-based golf course developer who acquired it at a bankruptcy auction in early 2000. Bedminster Township, in August 2001, approved Donald Trump’s property for use as a golf course and country club.
The red brick Lamington House became Trump National’s clubhouse, and 11 single-family cottages were planned for extensive renovations around a planned pool and bistro complex. The Tom Fazio-designed golf course was opened in 2004. Located a short distance from the clubhouse in a separate “village”, there’s a 25-yard long swimming pool, hot tubs, spa, and fitness center, tennis courts, paddle tennis, basketball court, equestrian riding trails, and of course, heliport. Located next to the clubhouse and across from the pro shop, ” the locker area was and is now the ladies’ locker room; the men’s locker room having been relocated above the golf pro shop. The golf shop was DeLorean’s former garage. In 2007, permits and plans were submitted to the Bedminster Land Use Board for a cemetery on the property just off the 1st hole on the golf course, along with ten family plots. The permit was approved via Resolution 2013-16.
In 2006, struggles over planning and “gray water” issues led to the hiring of Edward Russo, the former Bedminster Planning Board Chairman. Russo worked diligently as a consultant and environmental consultant for the Trump project in Bedminster. News articles have labeled him “Trump’s Environmental Evangelist.” Russo was hired by National Fairways in 2000, and Trump continues his consultancy to this day.
Summer White House Neighbors
Former New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman and ex-presidential candidate Stephen Forbes are neighbors in the Bedminster area near the Trump National Golf Club. Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets, while not a direct neighbor, lives in the neighborhood.
Image: The Lamington Black Cemetery-just off the Summer White House grounds. Source: Brooks Betz
Many people don’t know there is a black cemetery adjoining the property just off Cowperthwaite Road on the western side. Back in the early days of the Trump Development, Cowperthwaithe Road was a public road that cut through the middle of the property. Many times, people would drive their cars past the cemetery onto a dirt path leading to River Road at the end. Trump has made arguments to close the public road. Today, Lamington Farm Club, LLC (aka Trump National owns the road, so it is no longer a public crossroad. Conditions of Approval required that the private road be kept open and available for public access.
Former Summer White House – 2016 thru 2020
The summer of 2017 is President Trump’s first year at what is being referred to as “The Summer White House“. While President Trump has had numerous visits to his Bedminster estate, Aug 5-17, 2017, was designated his first “summer working vacation. Based on news reporting, what has commonly been noted as a “Second White House”. Based on all reporting, what was once named Lamington house is now unofficially named the “Summer White House” of the 45th President of the United States.
The #trumpsummerwhitehouse is a relatively new term. Presidential summer residences have significant interest and add to local history. George H. Bush, President 41, had his Kennebunkport, Maine, summer White House, which put the sleepy Maine town on the global stage. Today, people still stop near the compound to take photos. George W. Bush had his summer White House in Texas and John F. Kennedy had his Hyannis, Massachusetts compound.
The Bedminster Summer White House is not New Jersey’s first Summer White House. New Jersey’s own Woodrow Wilson had his 1916 summer White House in Long Branch, New Jersey. The Shadow Lawn mansion, built in 1929, is now Wilson Hall and the centerpiece of Monmouth University: Joseph B. Greenhut, the head of Siegel, Cooper Co., a New York department store. Greenhut loaned the mansion to President Woodrow Wilson during the campaign of 1916 as the presidential summer home. Thereafter it was known as the Summer White House.
History Breadcrumbs
- Camp David has served as a presidential retreat if a President didn’t have a summer retreat. Camp David is located at Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont, Maryland, about 62 miles outside Washington, D.C. While a presidential retreat, it is not been coined as a “Summer White House” but more of a summer retreat or “Second White House. The White House Historical Association has cataloged what they’ve called Presidential Summer retreats: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/collections/presidential-retreats
- Also, check out The History Channel – Presidential Retreats – http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/9-presidential-retreats
- A great look at the estates of the Somerset Hills – Click Here
- History of Wilson Hall and President Wilson’s Summer White House – Click Here
- Bedminster, New Jersey’s Lamington House is honored with a New Jersey Historic Village Keepsake
The 2023 LIV Golf Invitational at Bedminster’s Trump National showcased the area’s history with the Mr. Local History Cat’s Meow New Jersey historic wooden keepsake collectible coined #president45summerwhitehouse #johndelorean estate and #lamingtonhouse. Each of the 48 world’s best golfers was given this historic collectible of Trump National, formerly the Lamington House, and will learn about this historic Bedminster landmark. Get yours today (see below).
Get The Same Limited Edition Collectible that was in every golf pro’s welcome pack.
LIV Golf at Trump National Bedminster
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