Raritan Landing, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Piscataway Township, New Jersey
The township consists of the following historic villages and areas: New Market, known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century, Randolphville, Fieldville and North Stelton...
, Middlesex County, New Jersey
Middlesex County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 750,162 people, 265,815 households, and 190,855 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,422 people per square mile . There were 273,637 housing units at an average density of 884 per square mile...
, which was once an inland port
Inland port
The term inland port is used in two different but related ways to mean either a port on an inland waterway or an inland site carrying out some functions of a seaport.- As a port on an inland waterway :...
, the farthest upstream point ocean-going ships could reach along the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
, across from 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...
. Begun in the early 18th century it remained vital until the mid 19th century, when most of the port was abandoned.
The remains of the community now reside buried beneath Johnson Park on the south side of River Road, Remnants of the era, mostly the bluff overlooking the Raritan, include the Cornelius Low House
Cornelius Low House
The Cornelius Low House is a Georgian manor in Piscataway, New Jersey built for Cornelius Low II in 1741 at Raritan Landing. The Cornelius Low House is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places, and was surveyed in 1937 for the Historic American...
, Metlar-Bodine House
Metlar-Bodine House
The Metlar/Bodine House is an historical home and museum in Piscataway, New Jersey. It is also believed to be haunted. In 2003 a fire badly damaged the house. It is now closed to be repaired.-History:...
, and the Road Up Raritan Historic District
Road Up Raritan Historic District
The Road Up Raritan Historic District is located in Piscataway, New Jersey, nearby the site of Raritan Landing, a important inland port on the Raritan River during the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is taken from an earlier colonial era name for what was once a Lenape path, Assunpink Trail that...
and an archeological site.
History
Raritan Landing emerged as a vital port community during the 1720s. It was situated at the farthest inland point on the Raritan River that could be navigated by merchant ships of the day. In its heyday, the Landing was the center for local trade and, along with New Brunswick, served as a hub for imports and exports to and from the Raritan Valley. Agricultural goods and lumber brought to Raritan Landing from throughout central New Jersey were stored in warehouses here, awaiting shipment to either New York or sometimes the Caribbean. Imported goods were off-loaded and taken by traders to stores and merchants throughout the area. The majority of the community existed between present-day River Road and the Raritan RiverRaritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...
, near the intersection of Landing Lane and River Road. By the 1740s, there were approximately 70 structures and more than 100 inhabitants.
By the early days of the American Revolution the community was occupied by British troops. The bluffs provided safe haven for the troops, and an unobstructed lookout toward New Brunswick, enabling clear views of approaching Patriot forces.
Timeline
- 1700 (circa): Raritan Landing community first occupied.
- 1740: Raritan Landing community included 70 structures and more than 100 inhabitants.
- 1741: Cornelius Low HouseCornelius Low HouseThe Cornelius Low House is a Georgian manor in Piscataway, New Jersey built for Cornelius Low II in 1741 at Raritan Landing. The Cornelius Low House is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places, and was surveyed in 1937 for the Historic American...
is built. - 1825: Landing Lane was lined with blacksmith shops, cooper shops, stores and warehouses.
- 1830: Construction of Delaware and Raritan CanalDelaware and Raritan CanalThe Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
begins. - 1834: Delaware and Raritan CanalDelaware and Raritan CanalThe Delaware and Raritan Canal is a canal in central New Jersey, United States, built in the 1830s that served to connect the Delaware River to the Raritan River. It was intended as an efficient and reliable means of transportation of freight between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City,...
completed. - 1870: Most of the community is dismantled and converted to pastureland.
- 1936: Cornelius C. Vermeule, a Piscataway resident, creates a map of Raritan Landing based on his research. The numbers on the map correspond to houses and are keyed to a list of owners included in an article published in the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society. His publication draws others into researching the history of the area. Some of the Vermeule designations are later updated with wills, deeds, newspaper reports, and other paper record.
- 1970s: Cornelius Low HouseCornelius Low HouseThe Cornelius Low House is a Georgian manor in Piscataway, New Jersey built for Cornelius Low II in 1741 at Raritan Landing. The Cornelius Low House is listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and National Register of Historic Places, and was surveyed in 1937 for the Historic American...
, Metlar-Bodine HouseMetlar-Bodine HouseThe Metlar/Bodine House is an historical home and museum in Piscataway, New Jersey. It is also believed to be haunted. In 2003 a fire badly damaged the house. It is now closed to be repaired.-History:...
, and Road Up Raritan Historic DistrictRoad Up Raritan Historic DistrictThe Road Up Raritan Historic District is located in Piscataway, New Jersey, nearby the site of Raritan Landing, a important inland port on the Raritan River during the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is taken from an earlier colonial era name for what was once a Lenape path, Assunpink Trail that...
are added to the New Jersey Register of Historic PlacesNew Jersey Register of Historic PlacesThe New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the Historic Preservation Office of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.The register was...
and 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...
Raritan Landing Archeological Site
The Raritan Landing Archeological Site includes the Upper Van Rants House Site, the Bluff Prehistoric Site, and areas just downriverDownriver
Downriver is the unofficial name for a collection of 18 suburban cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan south of Detroit along the western shore of the Detroit River....
in what has become today's Highland Park
Highland Park, New Jersey
Highland Park is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 13,982....
as well as in Johnson Park. The site was originally listed in 1979 and expanded in 1980 and 1984. Work was begun by Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1979 and was continued under the auspices of the New Jersey Department of Transportation
New Jersey Department of Transportation
The New Jersey Department of Transportation is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey. It is headed by the Commissioner of Transportation...
as part of the planned extension of Route 18
Route 18 (New Jersey)
Route 18 is a long state highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It begins at an intersection with Route 138 in Wall Township and ends when the road disseminates into Hoes Lane in Piscataway. Much of the route is a limited-access freeway, including the entire portion in Monmouth County and the...
, planned for completion in 2012.
Residents
- Margaret DeGroot and Benjamin Field
- Jeremiah Fieldbutt
- Lena Suydam and George Boice
- Peter Levis Boice
- Abraham Van Ranst
- Isaac Wilson
- Edward Antill, merchant
- Catherine LaBoyteaux and John Bodine, trader
- Jean Blair
- Daniel and John Bray
- John Castner
- William Dugdale, merchant
- Effie Hardenbrook and Evert Duyckinck, trader
- Adolphus Hardenbrook, merchant
- Duncan Hutchison, physician
- John Neilson, physician
- Bernardus LaGrange, merchant
- Elizabeth Henry and Paul LaBoyteaux (1699-after1766)
- Gabriel LaBoyteaux
- Cornelius Low I (1691-1783), merchant
- Isaac Smalley
- Catheryntje and Johannes TenBrook, merchant
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey
- East Jersey Olde Towne Village
- Six Mile RunSix Mile Run, New JerseySix Mile Run has been used to name several different but related features in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.-Historic district on the National Register of Historic Places :...
- New Bridge LandingNew Bridge LandingNew Bridge was a prosperous mill hamlet, centered upon a bridge strategically placed at the narrows of the Hackensack River. In the American Revolution New Bridge Landing was the site of a pivotal bridge crossing the Hackensack River, where General George Washington led his troops in retreat from...