Weird NJ: Uncle Sam's House in Piscataway

Located at 143 School St., in the North Stelton section of Piscataway, is a house that was the brainchild of Sam Goldman, a Russian born artist, musician, paper-hanger and follower of anarchist doctrines. Built in 1915 by Goldman, the home is adorned with reliefs of Bolshevic symbolism, along with some abstract and oddly placed columns.

The area surrounding the house was once a farm commune, established as a cooperative organization called Fellowship Farms. It was a utopian enterprise based on socialist-Marxist teachings, and Sam was one of the leaders of the movement. At its center was the Modern School, conducted along progressive lines by followers of the Spanish martyr-anarchist Francisco Ferrer. The school was built on land donated by the cooperative.

The liberal-thinking socialist founders in the area decided to give the streets names like "International Avenue," "Brotherhood Street," "Voltaire Street," "Justice Street" and "Karl Marx Street" (later re-named Arlington Place by the capitalist bourgeois).

In 1934, the group organized the Anarchist Federation of America, a group of theoretical, rather than practical, revolutionaries.

"Sam was a hippie, a free spirit, a bohemian of the times," Sam's niece told Weird NJ.

"What Sam wasn't was an architect. The house was built without a level, and you could roll a marble from one end of the house to the other. I grew up here all my life and attended the Modern School. It was really something. You could learn whatever you wanted. You just told the teacher 'I want to learn printing,' and they taught you. The school had a newspaper, and some of the articles were written by four and five-year-old students — and they were very articulate."

The house was constructed of wood with a plaster facade. The windows were made from shards of glass Sam had laying around. Rather than buy square panes, he constructed the frames to fit the glass, making each a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Sam's niece had many memories of her eccentric uncle, and we asked her to describe the man behind the anarchist:

"He had the uncanny ability to paint wood grain. He would spend hours painting the knots of the wood and the lines that go around it. They still remain on the trim inside the house. He also never bought a thing in his life. He would always barter. During the 1930s, our community, because of its beliefs, had a difficult time finding work. Sam and his brother were wallpaper hangers, and his brother was a master at it. Sam was sloppy, he had little interest in proletarian pursuits, and only did it to help make ends meet for his family. They would call him a 'schmeerer,' because of the way he sloppily hung the paper. He and his brother papered some buildings at the university (Rutgers). They were always being mistaken for each other because they looked similar. He completed a full program at Cooper Union, but never received his diploma because he decided to go on a date that night with his future bride."

We were shown the spot where the Modern School once stood, now nothing more than weeds and an old foundation. Although Uncle Sam's House (as the family still calls it) has seen better days, the anarchist reliefs Sam had sculpted still inspire free-spirited thinkers when they ride through the now-bourgeois neighborhood. The Goldman House is turning 100 years old this year, and the current owners are hosting fundraisers featuring music, performances, art and history, that aim to return the house and property to its former glory and role within the community. All donations go for the renovations of the house. (For more information, visit www.facebook.com/TheGoldmanHouse.)

The first event of the season will be a St. Patrick's Day themed Irish music open mic night to be held inside Uncle Sam's House on March 21, and they are hoping to have good enough weather to have a campfire outside as well. All who play music are welcome to bring their instruments. So go raise your voices as one comrades, you have nothing to lose but your chains!

Utopian memories of Uncle Sam's House

I discussed Sam's unique hand built home with my 15-year-old granddaughter who was fascinated by its artfully rendered structure, its inhabitants, and the notion of an "anarchist" neighborhood. In fact, I lived there with my family for a full year before moving into a spiritual commune in the mountains of Southern California.

I loved the place, its history and its one-of-a-kind architecture. Did you know that the bathroom mirror was lowered to accommodate Sam's height (so he could see himself without tip-toeing? My then-2-year-old son loved to roll marbles down the slanted kitchen floor.

In case they're still there, I'm the one who put up the elaborate Styrofoam cup display on the curved dining room ceiling! I also did the colorful acrylic painting on the adjacent room wall. I think the year was 1970, well before the hippie energy had abated.

I should know since, as a war veteran and professor of psychology at Middlesex County College, I was part of the anti-war movement, which ironically was in synch with the spirit of the founding Anarchists!

I still have a small hand painted oil portrait of and by Sam Goldman hanging on the wall of my master bedroom. Sam is depicted blue faced, with silver-grey hair, hand around his chin, pondering the deeper meaning of life.

–Phil Baum

You can read about all of New Jersey's other unique properties in Weird NJ magazine, "Your Travel Guide to New Jersey's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets," which can be found on newsstands throughout the state and on online at www.WeirdNJ.com.