A Brief History of Covered Bridge
BY EUGENE J. GARNETT
COVERED BRIDGE HISTORIAN
The Hovnanian Brothers who built a similar community in Lake Worth, Florida, with the same name developed Covered Bridge condominium in Manalapan. We occupy 254 acres of land, which was originally a potato farm. Covered Bridge is a community of 1557 units and is occupied by a diverse group of residents representing many religions and backgrounds who are actively employed or who are active as retirees. The minimum age to move into Covered Bridge was originally set at 52 with no one under 19 years of age. Law subsequently changed the age requirement to 55, although before that change, Mr. Kevork Hovnanian tried to lower the age requirement to 48 to booster sales but was overruled by the residents. Every resident is automatically a member of CBCA. (Covered Bridge Condominium Association). A Board of Trustees comprising of seven members governs CBCA. Kevork Hovnanian, the President ofHovnanian Enterprises at that time originally appointed the Trustees. The first residents arrived in April 1972 but had to wait until April 1979 when all resident Trustees were elected to replace the Trustees appointed by Hovnanian and Covered Bridge's destiny was finally in its own hands.
HOCB (Homeowners of Covered Bridge) was formed out of necessity as a result of many disagreements with the developer among them was the 99 year lease for the use of the Clubhouse and the recreation facilities. A lawyer was hired to advise the group and help in incorporating HOCB in January 1977. To induce the group not to picket Hovnanian, the larter agreed to meet and discuss the group's complaints.
After hiring a Lawyer, it was decided to publish a magazine (The Guardian) and utilize the advertising revenue to pay the lawyer. Another reason for the magazine was to provide a forum for creative writing and to provide the residents with a magazine that is interesting and informative. All funds left after printing and mailing expenses were to be turned over to HOCB treasury to promote the good and welfare of the community and provide funds to pay the lawyer.
In May 1984, the developer proposed to sell the Clubhouse and the Recreation Facilities to CBCA relieving us of the 99 year lease, a bitter part of the original complaints, but the reluctant residents voted down the offer.
More detailed information on Covered Bridge may be obtained from the following:
20th Anniversary Issue 1992; 25th Anniversary Issue 1997 and 30th Anniversary Issue 2002.
Eugene J. Garnett, Historian
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By the time this article is printed the George Forman house will be removed from Covered Bridge and possibly dismantled for the main reason there is no money available to maintain or restore the old structure. However} this writer wishes to make the following comments:
General George Washington never slept here but another General did. His name was General David Forman. This General slept on the property that is now occupied by the residents of Covered Bridge Condominium To this writer this is an historic situation. By having this famous building on our property has made the Covered Bridge community proud to be part of history. To allow the removal and dismantling is to turn our backs on a war time hero. It is regrettable that not enough effort was expended to obtain the necessary money for the upkeep of the Forman House.
In order to fill in those unfamiliar with the background of this famous house, the following article is being reprinted for that purpose. It originally appeared in the Covered Bridge 30th Anniversary issue published in 2002:
THE FORMAN HOUSE
THE FORMAN HOUSE ALSO KNOWN AS THE ROOTY FLY FARMHOUSE
A MANALAPAN HISTORICAL SITE
The Forman house, which is one of the oldest standing historical houses in the country is located in Covered Bridge, an adult community in Manalapan, NJ. It was the birthplace of Revolutionary General David Forman and was built ca. 1700.
The developer of Covered Bridge, Kevork S.
Hovnanian, offered to assist in relocating the house to the nearby Monmouth Battlefield area.
However, the economics of such a move made it impractical. There were no funds forthcoming from the State. Hovnanian decided to preserve the structure at Covered Bridge.
Originally, he intended to repair the house and equip it with period furnishings. Thus, it would serve as a living reminder of the area's historical importance, and could also be used as a reading room for the residents of Covered Bridge. However, this did not come to pass.
On Wednesday, August 8, 1984, the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, Helen Fenske, visited Covered Bridge with members of her staff to inspect the General Forman House also known as the "Rooty Fly Farmhouse" because of the many flies that glow in the surrounding woodlands.
Ms. Fenske walked through the Forman House together with the Covered Bridge's Board of Trustees and the then State Senator S. Thomas Gagliano, who had been instrumental in arranging the meeting.
The purpose of this inspection was to obtain funding for rehabilitating the house. Ms. Fenske reported back to the trustees at a later date that funds could not be obtained because of the great expense involved.
The House was subsequently boarded up, painted, and is now to be admired from the outside only. However, it does serve as an historic and significant relic of the Revolutionary War period. The Covered Bridge community is very
proud to own this symbol of the great heritage that we all share.
The House has changed ownership a number of times and has undergone many changes. In the early 1970's, sections were removed after it became part of Covered Bridge. Of the original, all that remains is probably the framing.
The House is situated on land once referred to as "Matchaponix" (the name meaning poor wheat and poor ground) when it belonged to the Leni Lenape tribe living back of Englishtown and Manalapan on land extending and bordering on Madison Township.
General David Forman was born in this house at 3:00 a.m. on November 3, 1745 to Joseph and Elizabeth (Lee) Forman. He was to gain fame in New Jersey not only as a superb military strategist but as a distinguished member of the judiciary as well.
David Forman's father, Joseph, was a wealthy merchant of New Jersey who settled on a farm in Monmouth County. Joseph was the son of Sheriff Samuel and Mary Wilbore Forman and was a brother of Judge Jonathan.
General Forman was educated at the New Jersey College (Princeton University) and played a large role in liberating the colonies from the British. H~ was throughout the Revolution one of the most prominent men of Monmouth County.
He married Ann March on February 28, 1767. The marriage ceremony was officiated by the Rev. William Tennent. He and his wife had 11 children, but only six of them survived.
On March 5, 1777, he was chosen by the legislature as Brigadier General in the New Jersey State Militia. During the summer of 1777, he reported to the Congress the movements of Lord Howe's fleet, and of the many ships, which were transporting troops from New York to Delaware Bay as the British prepared to attack Philadelphia. On November 6, 1777, he resigned from the New Jersey Militia to accept a colonelcy in the Continental army. He was a brigade commander under General Washington and fought at the battle of Germantown, PA.
General Forman was referred to as "Devil Dave" by his enemies, but to all others, he was known as a man of great energy, great bravery, and utter fearlessness.
After resigning from the military in 1780, General Forman organized and directed a corps of "coast watchers" to report on the activities of British ships of Northern New Jersey.
At that time, a rider would carry Vital information to General Washington in less than six hours via a series of relay stations linked to Philadelphia.
After the withdrawal of the British Army folowing the Battle of Monmouth, General Forman helped organize a vigilante group called the Monmouth Associators in order to contend with the Tory sympathizers in the Englishtown area of Monmouth County who harboured robbers, arsonists and murderers. According to one historical source, "the several hundred member group, under the leadership of General Forman, was responsible for the hanging of some two-score criminals."
Forman also served Monmouth County as a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, as a Justice of the Peace, and as a member of the Council of New Jersey (later to become the Senate).
Mter the war, General Forman removed to his estate in Chesterton, Md. near his wife's family home. There, and later in Mississippi, he accumulated vast land holdings. He died from a stroke on September 12, 1797 at the age of 52.
Eugene Garnett Author's note:Much of the creditjor this article goes to Mrs. Charles (Lydia) Wykojj, Jr., who as Historian oj the Battleground Historical Society jurnished most oj the pre- Covered Bridge historical date when Covered Bridge celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1992. The Society was very much concerned that the Forman House would be torn down by the developer oj Covered Bridge, but through its untiring efforts and the jarsightedness oj Mr. Hovnanian, the Forman House is here to stay.
Bibliography: Sunday Colonial News, Freehold, June 15, 1969: An Historic Home; Asbury Park Sunday Press, July 12, 1970: Manalapan Society Seeks to Preserve Historic Sites; The Freehold Transcript, Nov. 9, 1972: Historic Forman House to Be Preserved by Hovnanian; Asbury Park Press, April 28, 1975: Heritage Isn't Always Lost; News Transcript, Nov. 9, 1988: Forman House still stands: 20th Anniversary Supplement to THE GUARDIAN, a publication of the Homeowners of Covered Bridge, Inc., 1992 Supplement editor: Eugene Garnett; The Guardian, Nov/Dee 1983: The Forman House.
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