This Edwardian half-timber home was originally built in the 1870s with an address of 3 Franklin Place and 11 Franklin Place, as a modest home for Francis Wood, president of the Esterbrook Steel Pen Company. Mary A. Wood was daughter of Richard Esterbrook, founder of Esterbrook Steel Pen Company, where the 313 pen would be invented and named after the house number. 

The Woods lived there for 25 years and it was then purchased by William T. Gough and transformed into the home you see today, boasting 11 bedrooms, 6 ½ baths, and 8 fireplaces. Mr. Gough was a partner in the jewelry company Carter Gough & Co. based in Newark; the company was one of the largest jewelry manufacturers in the world of enamel, gold, platinum, and diamond jewelry. They were the first company to use steam engines to mass produce jewelry. 

The entrance foyer of the home features a quarter sawn sycamore staircase, paneling, and original parquet floors throughout the home. The living room and music room feature detailed mahogany woodwork and mantles along with floor to ceiling pocket windows that open to the front porch and sunroom. The study, which was the original kitchen of the house, features an intricate brick fireplace, quarter sawn white oak paneling designed by Stickley, leaded glass windows, and herringbone wood floors. The dining room features chestnut paneling and French doors extending out to the veranda. The butler’s pantry features original ash cabinetry that has been stripped of paint and refinished, connecting the dining room to the original kitchen. The porch was partially closed off and done in an Arts and Crafts style, creating a four seasons sunroom and a concrete suspended veranda off of that, extending to the dining room. 

The Gough’s downsized from the estate and it was then sold to the Catherine Webster Foundation. After unavoidable delays due to the First World War, high building costs, and inadequate endowment to maintain a home such as Catherine envisioned, the property at 313 Franklin Place was purchased on April 1, 1927, for $34, 856.91. The Catherine Webster Home first opened in the fall of 1927.

The Ladies Home of Plainfield served as a residence until the 1990s when it was closed. The vacant building on Franklin Place was bought in August 2006 by the local Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). Their original plan to convert the building to eight apartments for women in need of transitional housing was withdrawn in March 2007, after objections were raised by area neighborhood associations.

There is no relationship between the Ladies Home and the YWCA. As of November 2009, the building is a privately-owned residence.