The Opdykes, a Dutch family from New York, were the first recorded settlers on the site of Glencairn in 1697. The present stone wing of the manor house was likely built in the early 1700s. The property was in the Opdyke family until 1762 when it was sold to Daniel Hunt.
The sale to the Hunts marked the transition of Glencairn from Dutch to English proprietorship. During this period, the center hall frame was built and served as an excellent example of Georgian architecture.
In 1776, while the British army was quartered in Princeton, Glencairn was believed to have been confiscated as British quarters and even served as a Hessian Hospital for a brief period during the Revolutionary War.
The house remained in the Hunt family passing from the Gulicks to the Connahs until the 1940s when it was sold to the Perot family, at which time it was divided into three apartments and even lay vacant for several years until 1976.
During the peak of bi-centennial fever, the house was purchased by brothers Clifford and Stephen Zink and Alex Greenwood with the goal of returning Glencairn back to its 18th century splendor as documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey. During this time, the red frame barn was relocated to the back of the property from a farm in Dutch Neck. As a result of the red frame barn relocation, Alex Greenwood and Elric Endersby went on to form the New Jersey Barn Company.
For the next twenty years, Glencairn was again a private residence. In 2005 Glencairn began a new chapter as a bed and breakfast, with the help of Ford3 Architects. For the first time in its rich life, this important historic structure is being shared and enjoyed with the public.
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