Neshanic, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Neshanic is an unincorporated community within Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
in Somerset County
, New Jersey
. Neshanic is located near the South Branch Raritan River
.
tribe of Lenape
Native Americans who lived along the river. Community life for the Dutch
farmers who settled there began around 1750 and centered around a church, a school, a grist mill and a tavern owned by John Bennett, which historians say was most instrumental in forming the village. The first mill was built by Burguon Woff around 1770 and there was also a tannery
which supplied leather
to the people of the village as well as to the nearby town of New Brunswick
. At one time the area surrounding the Shirk farm and extending along the Sourland Mountains was the largest peach
producing region in the State.
in 1979, as District #79001519. Neshanic Mills was added in 1978, it is district #78001797. The original Mill was built in 1810 and the later rebuilt by Andrew Lane in 1876. It is also known as the Ammerman Mill.
It operated until the late 1940s and is now a private residence.
The mill is featured on the "Welcome to Hillsborough" signs and on the Township Website.
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,303....
in Somerset County
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....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Neshanic is located near the South Branch Raritan River
South Branch Raritan River
The South Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.The source of the South Branch is the outflow from Budd Lake, a glacial remnant located a few miles northeast of Hackettstown...
.
History
The name comes from a tribe of the RaritanRaritan (tribe)
Raritan was the name given to the Lenape Native American by Europeans who colonized the region around the Raritan River and its bay in northerneastern New Jersey and Staten Island, New York, in the seventeenth century....
tribe of Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Native Americans who lived along the river. Community life for the Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
farmers who settled there began around 1750 and centered around a church, a school, a grist mill and a tavern owned by John Bennett, which historians say was most instrumental in forming the village. The first mill was built by Burguon Woff around 1770 and there was also a tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
which supplied leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
to the people of the village as well as to the nearby town of 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...
. At one time the area surrounding the Shirk farm and extending along the Sourland Mountains was the largest peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
producing region in the State.
National Register of Historic Places
The Neshanic Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979, as District #79001519. Neshanic Mills was added in 1978, it is district #78001797. The original Mill was built in 1810 and the later rebuilt by Andrew Lane in 1876. It is also known as the Ammerman Mill.
It operated until the late 1940s and is now a private residence.
The mill is featured on the "Welcome to Hillsborough" signs and on the Township Website.