The state Department of Transportation has said that the house does not qualify as historic.
BELLMAWR -- The New Jersey Department of Transportation has told those trying to stop the demolition of the historic Hugg-Harrison-Glover House that it wasn't feasible to move the house and that it didn't qualify for historic protection.
But activists opposing NJDOT's plans may get their wish after all.
The South Jersey Observer reported that Bellmawr Mayor Frank Filipek announced Thursday that if all goes well, the house will be moved from its current spot in Saint Mary's Cemetery to a location on Anderson Avenue between Resurrection of Christ Cemetery and Bellmawr Hockey.
NJDOT had planned to demolish the house to build a noise barrier as part of the $900 million Direct Connection project involving interchanges of I-76, I-295 and NJ-42. While a spokesman said no date had been set for the demolition, the DOT website said noise barrier construction would take place by the end of the year.
The legacy of historic Bellmawr house
Filipek told the borough caucus that the department wants the property moved by Dec. 1 and the move will not cost the borough anything, the news site reported.
The house was built in phases starting in 1720. According to the Camden County Historical Society, it was owned by Captain William Harrison Jr., head of the local militia that fought British soldiers on the property in the Revolutionary War.
A NJDOT spokesman said the department determined 10 years ago that the home didn't qualify as a historic property because of later additions and modern upgrades.
U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross got involved in September, asking the Federal Highway Administration to review the house's historical and architectural significance to consider relocating the house. The administration began looking into it in October.
Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.