The east half of the Garrison-Dickinson-Genung House was built circa 1842 for Augustus Garrison, a local farmer and sexton of the New Providence Presbyterian Church, as a simple two-story structure on the west bank of the Salt Brook directly across Springfield Ave. from its current location. In 1845, Augustus sold the house to Caleb Dickinson and migrated to Indiana. Years later, a period house from another location was joined to it, and the steep gable roof was extended to create additional rooms, giving it its traditional saltbox shape. The Genung family was the last to occupy the old saltbox house. In June 1967, the newly formed New Providence Historical Society saved it from demolition by relocating it across Springfield Ave. to its current location. A community-wide effort raised funds for the move and restoration, and residents donated artifacts to furnish it as a typical mid-19th-century farmhouse. The Salt Box Museum was established and continues to educate generations about the local American experience by preserving and illuminating the past.