Thomas Whitney and his family are considered to be one of the glassmaking pioneers in New Jersey. In 1847, Whitney had the Holly Bush or Hollybush Mansion built for his and his family’s private use. When the glass industry began to slow down and Whitney’s descendant, George F. Whitney, passed away, the Hollybush Mansion was sold to the state government in 1920. It became the site of the New Jersey Normal School as well as the Glassboro State College. Today, it is listed on the National Register and located within the Rowan University campus.

The Hollybush Mansion also served as the venue of the 1967 summit conference between Soviet Premier Kosygiri and US President Lyndon Johnson. Since that day, many other important conferences had been held in Glassboro, hence the area’s nickname “Summit City”.