LACEY – Could placement on one of New Jersey’s most endangered historic places lists stop Lacey’s Worden House from being demolished for a future QuickChek?
That question is bringing hope to some local activists after Preservation New Jersey officially named the historic farmhouse to its 2026 list of the “10 Most Endangered Historic Places in New Jersey.” The recognition has intensified an already emotional battle over the future of the Worden House and neighboring Charles A. Smith Community Hall, two buildings preservation advocates say are deeply tied to the township’s identity and Civil War-era history.
The announcement came during a May 13 gathering in Red Bank hosted by Preservation New Jersey, where more than 55 advocates assembled to highlight threatened historic sites across the state. “This year’s list reflects the breadth of what is at stake,” Preservation New Jersey President Paul Muir said during the presentation. “These places are not relics, they are living connections to who we are.”
The organization described the Worden House as “a Civil War survivor’s homestead slated for a gas station.”
For members of Save the Worden House, the designation represents another step in a years-long effort to preserve the structure. The group has also pursued applications to place the building on both the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places. However, even if the designations are approved, there’s no guarantee they will stop plans already put in place.
According to the New Jersey Historic Preservation Office, inclusion on the state or national registers generally does not restrict private property owners from demolishing or altering a structure unless federal or state permits, funding or licenses are involved. The state notes that stronger protections typically come through local historic preservation ordinances.
That legal reality has become a central issue in the fight over the property.
Deep Ties To Civil War History
Built around 1850, the Worden House predates Lacey Township itself by more than two decades.
The home was constructed by Jacob A. Vaughn, a local shipbuilder, farmer, mariner and postmaster whose property once stretched across what was known as Vaughn Farm near present-day Forked River Elementary School. Vaughn reportedly built 39 vessels at his Forked River shipyard, specializing in three-masted schooners.
The building’s strongest historical significance, however, may stem from the Vaughn family’s Civil War story. Three of Jacob Vaughn’s sons registered for the Civil War draft. Two of them, Gustavus Augustus Vaughn and Benjamin F. Vaughn, survived imprisonment at the infamous Andersonville Prison in Georgia.
Andersonville operated for only 14 months during the Civil War, but approximately 45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned there. Nearly 13,000 died from disease, starvation, overcrowding and exposure before Union forces liberated the camp in 1865.
Save the Worden House supporters say the building remains one of the last surviving homes connected to Andersonville survivors in New Jersey.
During the Preservation New Jersey presentation, organizers described the building as “a rare surviving mid-19th century farmhouse” and “the oldest remaining structure in the township.” The organization also said the house holds “extraordinary historic importance” because the Vaughn brothers survived Andersonville and later returned to live in the family homestead.
The house itself has already survived one major relocation. In 1982, Lacey Township moved the structure to its current location at Route 9 and Jones Road as part of a proposed historic district initiative.
Engineering Report Counters Township Concerns
One of the biggest disputes surrounding the Worden House centers on whether the structure can safely be relocated again.
Preservation advocates have repeatedly pointed to a January 2024 structural evaluation prepared by Scope Engineering, Inc. that concluded the building showed no obvious structural damage preventing another move.
“The structure showed no readily visible signs of any deterioration or damage that would indicate that there has been any change in the structural integrity of the building that would affect the potential for moving the structure again,” engineer Matthew R. Martin wrote in the report.
Martin also stated the building “has no visible indications that another move would be of concern if done by professionals with the right equipment and experience.”
The engineer further noted the structure sits on a modern raised block foundation system built to accommodate the home’s previous move in 1982 and said he had “every confidence” the house could be lifted and relocated again “without any structural concerns.”
Preservation New Jersey echoed those findings during its endangered site presentation, stating engineering evaluations confirmed the structure remains sound and capable of safe relocation if preservation alternatives are pursued.
One challenge is that no one has offered an alternative location for relocation of the building. Township officials have also consistently maintained a far different position regarding the possibility of moving the structure.
Additional problems cited by local authorities include the presence of black mold. Further concerns point to water damage and deterioration that officials contend would be expensive to address.
Legal Challenges Continue
The controversy surrounding the property extends beyond preservation concerns.
The proposed redevelopment also includes the neighboring Charles A. Smith Community Hall, another structure advocates believe reflects Lacey’s history. Both buildings have become the focus of public meetings, protests and litigation since township officials moved forward with plans to sell the site for redevelopment.
The property previously housed Vetwork, a nonprofit organization serving veterans. Township officials later arranged for the organization to relocate to another municipal property as redevelopment plans advanced.
Two separate lawsuits challenging aspects of the sale and redevelopment have already been dismissed. However, one of those cases is now before the New Jersey Appellate Division. Court records show RAMDUT Seaside, LLC appealed a July 10, 2025 decision dismissing a prerogative writ complaint involving the Lacey Township Zoning Board of Adjustment and the proposed developer of the QuickChek.
Meanwhile, Preservation New Jersey acknowledges its endangered list itself carries no direct legal authority. The nonprofit says the annual designation is intended to raise awareness and act as “a catalyst for change.”
For supporters of the Worden House, the hope is that public pressure, historical recognition and ongoing legal efforts might still preserve one of the township’s oldest remaining links to its past before redevelopment plans move forward.
