Road Up Raritan Historic District
Encyclopedia
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 became a main road parallel to the river. Piscataway Township itself was formed on December 18, 1666 as one of the first seven townships
in East Jersey
, and is one of oldest municipalities in the state
. The district includes nine of fourteen historic homes along an approximately l.2 miles stretch of River Road. The Metlar-Bodine House
and the Cornelius Low House
are also in the immediate vicinity.
The buildings are:
East Jersey Olde Towne Village is located at 1050 River Road 12-acre exhibition Johnson Park. The collection includes original, reconstructed, and replicated 18th and 19th century of vernacular architecture typical of farm and merchant communities of central New Jersey, and include:
Raritan Landing, New Jersey
Raritan Landing is an historical community in Piscataway Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey, which was once an inland port, the farthest upstream point ocean-going ships could reach along the Raritan River, across from New Brunswick...
, a important 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 :...
on the Raritan River during the 18th and 19th centuries. The name is taken from an earlier colonial era
Colonial history of New Jersey
European colonialization of New Jersey started soon after the 1609 exploration of its coast and bays by Sir Henry Hudson. Part of the state was settled by Dutch and Swedish as New Netherland and New Sweden. In 1664 the entire area was surrendered to the British, and given its name...
name for what was once a 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...
path, Assunpink Trail
Assunpink Trail
The Assunpink Trail was a Native American trail in what later became Middlesex, Somerset, and Mercer counties in the central and western part of New Jersey...
that became a main road parallel to the river. Piscataway Township itself was formed on December 18, 1666 as one of the first seven townships
Township (New Jersey)
A township, in the context of New Jersey local government, refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government. As a political entity, a township is a full-fledged municipality, on par with any town, city, borough, or village, collecting property taxes and providing...
in East Jersey
East Jersey
The Province of East Jersey and the Province of West Jersey were two distinct, separately governed parts of the Province of New Jersey that existed as separate provinces for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. East Jersey's capital was located at Perth Amboy...
, and is one of oldest municipalities in the state
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...
. The district includes nine of fourteen historic homes along an approximately l.2 miles stretch of River Road. The 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 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...
are also in the immediate vicinity.
The buildings are:
- John Field House, 625 River Road - circa 1743
- W. Dunham House, (Originally Field House) 649 River Road - circa 1760
- Isaac Onderdonk House, 685 River Road - circa 1750
- Lewis Onderdonk House, 701 River Road - circa 1841
- John Onderdonk House, 730 River Road, first recorded deed, 1854
- Richard Field, Jr. House, 771 River Road - circa 1832
- Matthias Hendricke Smock House, 851 River Road - circa 1720
- Jonathan Smock House, 871 River Road - circa 1850
- Hendrick Smock House, 899 River Road - circa 1865
East Jersey Olde Towne Village is located at 1050 River Road 12-acre exhibition Johnson Park. The collection includes original, reconstructed, and replicated 18th and 19th century of vernacular architecture typical of farm and merchant communities of central New Jersey, and include:
- Church of the Three Mile Run
- Jeremiah Dunn House
- Fitzrandolph House
- Indian Queen Tavern
- New Brunswick Barracks
- D. Runyon House, circa 1780
- Six Mile Run House
- Smalleytown Schoolhouse
- Vanderveer House, ca 1745
See also
- List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, New Jersey
- Kings HighwayKing's Highway (Charleston to Boston)The King's Highway is a route over in length in the eastern United States. It joins Charleston, South Carolina, to Boston, Massachusetts. It was named after Charles II of England, who in 1650 directed his colonial governors to build it. It did not become a continuous wagon road until 1735...
- Monmouth County Historical AssociationMonmouth County Historical AssociationThe Monmouth County Historical Association was established in 1898 by a group of county residents headed by professional educator Caroline Gallup Reed. They soon incorporated in order “to discover, procure, preserve and perpetuate whatever relates to the history of Monmouth County.” In 1931, the...
- Meadows FoundationMeadows FoundationThe Meadows Foundation of Somerset County, New Jersey is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1978. It oversaw the restoration of seven historic houses in Somerset. The homes are on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.-Houses:* Van Liew-Suydam...
- 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...
- 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 :...