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History of Bridgewater Township, NJ

http://www.bridgewaternj.gov/pictorial.html

Bridgewater Township is a township located in Somerset County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 42,940. Bridgewater Township is governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

Locale and history
Its zip code is 08807 and its area code is 908. Bridgewater is a relatively large township, located in the center of Somerset County, adjacent to and north of Somerville, the seat of Somerset County.

The thirty-three square mile area which is now the Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Indian tribe. Chartered by King George II of England in 1749, and incorporated in 1899, Bridgewater is a modern suburban municipality with a balance of residential and commercial uses. In the early years, Bridgewater was known as a farming town. What is now Somerville and Raritan were once part of Bridgewater Township until they broke away years after the chartering.
Bridgewater is divided into districts consisting of, in order of increasing area:

Bradley Gardens
Finderne
Martinsville
Green Knoll

BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP TIMELINE:

Its zip code is 08807 and its area code is 908. Bridgewater is a relatively large township, located in the center of Somerset County, adjacent to and north of Somerville, the seat of Somerset County. The thirty-three square mile area which is now the Township of Bridgewater was originally purchased from a local Indian tribe. Chartered by King George II of England in 1749, and incorporated in 1899, Bridgewater is a modern suburban municipality with a balance of residential and commercial uses. In the early years, Bridgewater was known as a farming town. What is now Somerville and Raritan were once part of Bridgewater Township until they broke away years after the chartering.

The Somerset County Historical Society’s offices are in the historic Van Veghten House. The organization works to discover and preserve the history of Somerset County and offers a collection of published and unpublished historical and genealogical materials. It also assists those looking for historical information about the county. In addition, the society maintains its own library with a bound-book document collection that holds maps, periodicals, photographs, census records, newspapers and genealogies. To discover more about Somerset County, the historical society offers events and tours that provide additional information.

The house in which the Historical Society keeps its information was originally built by Somerset County resident Michael Van Veghten in 1720 on the north bank of the Raritan River. It was headquarters for Quartermaster Nathanael Greene between 1778 and 1779, when Michael Van Veghten’s son offered the property for use by the Continental Army.

Written By: Bridgewater Historical Society, 2011

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