The Collins House is a rare surviving example of an East Jersey cottage, retaining its one-and-one-half stories, three bays and gable roof, with an entrance in a side bay. The oldest section dates to 1790 and the northern section dates to 1820. The house has direct ties to the Morris Canal and Inclined Plane 11 East as the Collins Family played a key role in the construction of the Morris Canal. As an Irish immigrant, John Collins fought in the American Revolution. His son Isaac is credited with building the larger northern section of the house around 1820, that retains its Federal-style detailing. The Morris Canal Company purchased a section of the property from the Collins family to construct Inclined Plane 11 East. The property was later sold to a paper manufacturing company around 1891 and a mill was constructed adjacent. The paper mill retained ownership of the Collins House until it was purchased by the municipality in 1982, though an employee of the paper mill lived in the house as a caretaker until 2005. The house was placed on Preservation New Jersey’s Ten Most Endangered list in 2013 and listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places in 2017. 

The Trust grant will help fund interior and exterior restoration at the Collins House.