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Anderson House Home of Richard Somers         Photo Paul Kelley 1960's

Anderson House- Birth place of Richard Somers 1778-1804 Master Commandant of the US Navy. This photograph was taken in the 60's. There is a historical marker in front of the house which states that it was the birthplace of Captain Richard Somers. The house had a beautiful boxwood hedge lining the path to the front door. It is visible both in the old B&W you have (which I would guess was taken in the 20s to early 40s) and in my color photo. (60s) Facing the front of the house, there was a garage behind the house to the left. There was also a low shed behind the house which my father used as a workshop. Both can be partially seen in the B&W photo and both are visible in the color photo. The living room had a painted ceiling with very delicate drawings of urns, plants, etc in a classical style. The front of the house was originally part of a tavern. The other half of the tavern was across Bethel Rd. when we moved in, but, as I remember, it was later moved elsewhere. The tavern originally had a detached cookhouse. The kitchen and the third second floor bedroom were  added behind the half-tavern forming a T. A laundry shed was later added to the left of the kitchen. The foundation is stone and mortar. There were claims that musket balls from a British attack were discovered in the foundation, seems a bit farfetched to me. The beams in the basement are  about 1' x 1' in cross section. My parents, H. Paul and Valerie C. Kelley, purchased the house from Mrs. Anderson in 1948. My brother Mike and I lived there until we grew up. As I remember, when my parents brought the house, there was no deed to the property except for the original deed of the whole area to the Somers family which, of course, predated the revolution. Here is part of Richard Somers story: "In September, Preble conceived of another plan to run a raiding party into Tripoli Harbor. This time the Intrepid, loaded with a hundred barrels of gunpowder, would sail into the harbor with a volunteer crew. After situating herself amid the Tripolitan fleet, she was to be abandoned and exploded, possibly destroying a good number of corsair ships. Commanded by Master Commandant Richard Somers and manned by twelve volunteers, the Intrepid entered the harbor on September 4, 1804. Only moments after she approached the enemy ships, the pirates spotted the Americans, and cannon fire broke out from the Tripolitan citadel. Seconds later, the Intrepid exploded. Apparently, a direct hit had ignited the Intrepid's gunpowder, obliterating the ship and her crew."                                                                                      -------Paul Kelley 2002                                                                     RICHARD SOMERS   Richard Somers was born in the late 1770's in Somers Point. As a youth, he was remarkable for his sense of purpose. In 1798, he received his warrant as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy. It is during this period when service in the Navy was distinguished by famous frigates under John Adams administration giving the country a sense of naval power. In 1803 when Commodore Preble's squadron was dispatched to Tripoli in a war with the Barbary powers, Somers first commanded the "Nautilus". By September of 1804, he was commanding the "Intrepid" during the blockade operations off the harbor of Tripoli. American reinforcements had been expected for weeks. A plan was devised for destroying the enemy's flotilla as it lay anchored in the harbor. The plan was to fit the ketch "Intrepid" with a hundred barrels of gunpowder, 150 shells and iron. The crew was intended to sail into the harbor, ignite the combustibles and leave the ship in rowboats. Every man on the mission was a volunteer. After dark, the ketch "Intrepid" passed into the entrance of the harbor of Tripoli where three Tripolitan gunboats were at anchor. While the details are unclear, a tremendous explosion of gunpowder exploded and the "Intrepid" burst into flame sinking many pirate ships in the harbor. Somers and his men had sacrificed their lives and were buried on the beach near the walls of Tripoli. The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis has a monument in honor of Richard Somers and his men. In memory of his sacrifice, the U.S. Navy has since had a ship on line named for Master Commandant Richard Somers. A family memorial in Somers Point reads: "he perished in his 25th year, distinguished for his energy, his courage and manly sense of honor."                                                                     ------Atlantic County Historical Society

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