New Brunswick, NJ

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is the county seat, and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, 27 miles (48 km) southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population of New Brunswick was 55,181. The city is also known as “the Healthcare City,” due to the concentration of medical facilities in Central Jersey, including Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and Saint Peter’s University Hospital, as well as the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The corporate offices or production facilities of several large pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb) are also within city limits.

New Brunswick was formed by Royal Charter on December 30, 1730, within other townships in Middlesex County and Somerset County and was reformed by Royal Charter with the same boundaries on February 12, 1763, at which time it was divided into north and south wards. New Brunswick was incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on September 1, 1784.

New Brunswick is noted for its rich ethnic heritage. At one time, one quarter of the Hungarian population in New Jersey resided in the city. Today, much of that Hungarian community continues to thrive as well as a growing Hispanic community that has developed around French Street past Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

History

Origins of the name History

Originally inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans, the first white settlement at the site of New Brunswick was made in 1681. The settlement here was first called Prigmore’s Swamp (1681-97), then Indians Ferry (1691-1714). In 1714, the young village was given the name New Brunswick after the city of Braunschweig, in state of Lower Saxony, in Germany. Braunschweig was an influential and powerful city in the Hanseatic League, later in the Holy Roman Empire, and was an administrative seat for the Duchy (and later Principality) of Hanover. Shortly after the first settlement of New Brunswick in colonial New Jersey, George, Duke of Brunswick-L¼neburg, and Elector of Hanover, of the House of Hanover (also known as the House of Brunswick), became King George I of Great Britain (1660-1727).

During the Colonial and Early American periods

Early nineteenth century drawing of Old Queen’s

Centrally located between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania along an early thoroughfare known as the King’s Highway and situated along the Raritan River, New Brunswick became an important hub for Colonial travelers and traders. New Brunswick was incorporated as a town in 1736 and chartered as a city in 1784. It was occupied by the British in the winter of 1776-1777 during the Revolutionary War.

The Declaration of Independence received one of its first public readings in New Brunswick in the days following its promulgation by the Continental Congress.

The Trustees of Queen’s College (now Rutgers University), founded in 1766, voted to locate the young college in New Brunswick, selecting this city over Hackensack, in Bergen County, New Jersey. Classes began in 1771 with one instructor, one sophomore, Matthew Leydt, and several freshmen at a tavern called “The Sign of the Red Lion” on the corner of Albany and Neilson Streets (now the grounds of the Johnson & Johnson corporate headquarters). Classes were held through the American Revolution in various taverns and boarding houses, and at a building known as College Hall on George Street, until Old Queens was erected in 1808. It remains the oldest building on the Rutgers University campus. The Queen’s College Grammar School (now Rutgers Preparatory School) was established also in 1766, and shared facilities with the College until 1830, when it located in a building (now known as Alexander Johnston Hall) across College Avenue from Old Queens. After Rutgers University became the state university of New Jersey in 1956, the Trustees of Rutgers divested it of the Rutgers Preparatory School, which relocated in 1957 to an estate purchased from the Colgate-Palmolive Company in Franklin Township in neighboring Somerset County.

The New Brunswick Theological Seminary, founded in 1784, moved to New Brunswick in 1810 sharing its quarters with the fledgling Queen’s College (Queens would close from 1810 to 1825 due to financial problems, and reopen in 1825 under the name Rutgers College). The Seminary, due to overcrowding and differences over the mission of Rutgers College as a secular institution, moved to a seven acre (28,000 m²) tract of land less than one-half mile (800 m) west, which it still occupies although the land is now in the middle of Rutgers University’s College Avenue campus.

NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY

In 1730, the City of New Brunswick was so named in honor of the English royal house of Brunswick and became a colonial center for trade and commerce. Rutgers University, founded in New Brunswick in 1766, was the eighth college to be founded in the colonies and the only state university to have existed before the Revolutionary War. New Brunswick figures prominently into the history of the American Revolution and early United States.  With the turn of the century and the Industrial Revolution, the city again grew to become a center of industry and commerce, utilizing the Raritan River, the Delaware & Raritan Canal, and the rail lines. The city grew industrially and its preeminence as a pharmaceutical town dates to 1885 when the Johnson brothers moved their adhesive tape and gauze business to an old mill in New Brunswick. Johnson and Johnson is now the world’s largest health care products manufacturer and retains its world headquarters in downtown New Brunswick.

The manufacturing industry needed a workforce and to meet this need, many new Americans settled in New Brunswick. Because of this, the city today has a diverse population which can trace its origins to countries in Europe, Africa, South American, Central America and Asia. As these immigrants and their families settled in the city, New Brunswick’s spirit of community was born. This spirit is evidenced throughout the city in our churches, schools, theaters, restaurants, social clubs, and business. The rich heritage of the people helps to make New Brunswick a great place to live, work and visit. Here are some sites to see on your tour in the city of New Brunswick, New Jersey.

BUCCLEUCH MANSION

Buccleuch Park 732-745-5094

The Georgian mansion was constructed in 1739 by Anthony White and his wife, the daughter of New Jersey’s Royal Governor Lewis Morris. George Washington was a frequent visitor to the Mansion. The house was occupied by the Enniskillen Guards during the British occupation of New Brunswick in 1777. The mansion was deeded to the City in 1911. The Jersey Blue Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution now care for the mansion and administer tours and exhibits.

CHRIST CHURCH

Church and Neilson Streets

The church was built in a Gothic Revival style in 1745. The octagonal wood steeple topped by a copper spire was built in 1773 and is on the National Register of Historic Sites. In 1852, the church was rebuilt, using the original brownstones. The church is surrounded by a pre-Revolutionary cemetery and cast iron fencing. A tree standing southeast corner of the churchyard is believed to have been planted by Joyce Kilmer’s father in the 1930’s in memory of his son. The church contains a unique, hand-made 24 stop mechanical action pipe organ installed in 2001.

FIRST REFORMED CHURCH

Neilson and Bayard Streets 732-545-1005

Also known as the “Town Clock Church,” the First Reformed Church is located in the historic commercial center of 19th century New Brunswick, Hiram Market. The church, a Greek Revival structure, was built in 1812. Surrounding the Church is a pre-Revolutionary cemetery and cast iron fencing. Guided tours by appointment.

NEW BRUNSWICK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Seminary Place

Founded in 1784, New Brunswick Theological Seminary is the oldest seminary in the United States. The Seminary is a teaching institution of the Reformed Church in America, called by God to be a servant of the whole church of Jesus Christ. The Seminary’s mission is to continue the ministry of Jesus in our time and place by enabling persons to translate their calling and gifts into faithful Christian ministry. For more than 220 years it has been a center for theological education of men and women from many different backgrounds.

GARDNER A. SAGE LIBRARY

17 Seminary Place 732-247-5243

The round-arched design of the original library of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary is of Romanesque, basilica design, with clerestory windows. One of the most significant collections at the library is an international collection of bibles. A boulder on the grounds commemorates the site of a British redoubt during the occupation of New Brunswick. American troops also camped on the site in 1778 following the Battle of Monmouth.

HENRY GUEST HOUSE

Livingston Ave. & Morris St. 732-745-5116

Originally located on Carroll Place between Livingston Avenue and George Street, this Georgian stone farmhouse was built in 1760 by Henry Guest, a New Brunswick alderman and an associate of President John Adams and author Thomas Payne. Guest House is available for meetings and special exhibits. Guided tours by appointment.

JOYCE KILMER HOUSE

17 Joyce Kilmer Avenue 732-745-5117

The famed poet and war hero Joyce Kilmer, the author “Trees” was born in this Greek Revival house in 1886 and resided there until 1892. It is believed that the structure was originally a 1780 Dutch farmhouse, which underwent an expansion in 1840. The house has been maintained by American Legion Post No. 25 since 1929. The property is owned by the State of New Jersey and leased by the City of New Brunswick, which houses its Dial-A-Ride transportation service there.

NEW BRUNSWICK FIRE DEPARTMENT MUSEUM

81 Remsen Avenue 732-745-5167

Residents are invited to view memorabilia and artifacts that trace the long and illustrious history of New Brunswick’s Bravest. Included in the collection are photographs of fire fighters and fire scenes, 19th department logs, medals and authentic antique firefighting equipment. Please call Fire Director Jim Riley to arrange a guided tour.

OLD QUEENS

Somerset Street 732-932-7823

The college building, was begun in 1809, and was not completed until 1825 (the year the school took the name Rutgers College). The building has been cited as one of the finest examples of Federal architecture in the United States. Constructed of brownstone, the facade incorporates Doric pilasters, a cupola housing the Old Queens Bell and handmade glass window panes. It is now home to Rutgers’ administrative offices.

WILLOW GROVE CEMETERY

Morris Street

Adjacent to the grounds of the Henry Guest House, the cemetery was originally a graveyard for Baptist and Presbyterian Churches in the early 1800’s. Seven of the first Japanese students at Rutgers were buried at Willow Grove.

CONGREGATION POILE ZEDEK

145 Neilson Street 732-545-6123

The congregation was founded in 1901 and is presently commemorating a century of service to the Greater Middlesex County Jewish Community. The Byzantine-style orthodox synagogue was constructed in 1923 and inscribed into the National Register of Historic Places in 1955.

Site Maintained by New Brunswick City Market, 2003

Nickname(s): Hub City The Healthcare City. Location of New Brunswick in Middlesex County. Inset: Location of Middlesex County highlighted in the State of New Jersey

Census Bureau map of New Brunswick, New Jersey