Martinsville, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Martinsville is an affluent unincorporated area located within Bridgewater
in Somerset County, New Jersey
. Martinsville is located in northeastern Bridgewater near Warren Township
; the 08836 ZIP Code
takes in the southern extension of Bernards as well. It a predominantly residential area, though it does have its own commercial center along Washington Valley Road, and its own post office.
was a seasonal encampment of the Continental Army
during the American Revolutionary War
near Martinsville that straddled the ridge of the First Watchung Mountains
. Its position provided a natural fortress not only protecting the Continental Army, but also overlooking the plains towards New Brunswick
where the British forces were stationed in 1777.
Tradition holds that it was at the Middlebrook encampment that the first official flag of the United States
was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. By special order of Congress
, a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, in Bridgewater. Since 1889, the first hoisting of the flag is commemorated annually each July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the United States Declaration of Independence
, and the delivery of an historical address.
's upper division for grades 6 to 12 is located in Martinsville.
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. , the township population was 44,464.Bridgewater Township was originally created by Royal Charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of...
in Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
. Martinsville is located in northeastern Bridgewater near Warren Township
Warren Township, New Jersey
Warren Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 15,311....
; the 08836 ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
takes in the southern extension of Bernards as well. It a predominantly residential area, though it does have its own commercial center along Washington Valley Road, and its own post office.
History
The Middlebrook encampmentMiddlebrook encampment
The Middlebrook encampment refers to the seasonal encampment of the Continental Army during the American War for Independence near Middle Brook in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey . The site includes part of the ridge of the First Watchung Mountain...
was a seasonal encampment of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
near Martinsville that straddled the ridge of the First Watchung Mountains
Watchung Mountains
The Watchung Mountains are a group of three long low ridges of volcanic origin, between 400 ft. and 500 ft. high, lying parallel to each other in northern New Jersey in the United States...
. Its position provided a natural fortress not only protecting the Continental Army, but also overlooking the plains towards New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
where the British forces were stationed in 1777.
Tradition holds that it was at the Middlebrook encampment that the first official flag of the United States
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. By special order of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, in Bridgewater. Since 1889, the first hoisting of the flag is commemorated annually each July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the United States Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
, and the delivery of an historical address.
Points of interest
- Washington Valley ParkWashington Valley ParkWashington Valley Park is a public park between the first and second Watchung mountain ridge in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater Township, New Jersey that is administered by the Somerset County Park Commission...
, part of the Somerset County Park System, is located in Martinsville. The park offers extensive hiking and mountain biking opportunities. A notable hike in the park is an hour-long hike around the out-of-use reservoir that once served Bound Brook, New JerseyBound Brook, New JerseyBound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township...
.
- The Mount Bethel Baptist Meetinghouse, located in Martinsville, is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
- The Devil's Tree is a solitary oak located in a field on Mountain Road. Legend has it that it is the property of the DevilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, and a gateway to HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
- There is a Revolutionary War cemetery in the Spring Run section of Martinsville, where soldiers of both American and British troops are buried, along with some early settlers of the area.
Education
The Pingry SchoolPingry School
The Pingry School is a coeducational, independent, college preparatory country day school in New Jersey, with a Lower School campus in the Short Hills neighborhood of Millburn, and a Middle and Upper School campus in Martinsville. The school was founded in 1861 by Dr. John F. Pingry.Pingry's...
's upper division for grades 6 to 12 is located in Martinsville.
Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Martinsville include:- Upton SinclairUpton SinclairUpton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...
- Author of the controversial book The JungleThe JungleThe Jungle is a 1906 novel written by journalist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair wrote the novel with the intention of portraying the life of the immigrant in the United States, but readers were more concerned with the large portion of the book pertaining to the corruption of the American meatpacking...
lived in Martinsville during the later years of his life. - Andrea KaneAndrea KaneAndrea Kane is an American author of romance novels. She has resided in the Martinsville section of Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, United States, with her husband Brad and daughter Wendi.-Single novels:* Dream Castle...
- author of romance novelRomance novelThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s. - Geraldine LaybourneGeraldine LaybourneGeraldine Laybourne founded Oxygen Media and served as its chairman and chief executive officer until it was sold in 2007 to NBC Universal. Oxygen was launched in 2000 to fill a void in the television landscape—creating a television network targeted to younger women...
- founded Oxygen Media and has served as its chairman and chief executive officer since its inception. - Adam SmallAdam SmallAdam Small is an American composer, producer and instrumentalist. He attended Manhattan School of Music in New York City where he majored in jazz performance...
- composer, producer and instrumentalist with film and television credits. - Todd LevyTodd LevyTodd Levy is an American classical clarinetist.He is principal clarinet of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and, during the summer months,the Santa Fe Opera. He is also on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee....
- Grammy Award-winning clarinetist and principal of the Milwaukee Symphony OrchestraMilwaukee Symphony OrchestraThe Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its primary performing venue is the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts...
.