|
|
A Brief History of New Brunswick
With Some Facts Concerning
New Brunswick High School.
New Brunswick had its beginning in 1680 when
John Inman bought 1000 acres, on the southern side of
the Raritan River opposite Piscataway Township,
from Native Americans. The Native American set up
a ferry service where the Albany Street Bridge now
stands and the city became known as Indian's Ferry.
The settlement took on a distinct Dutch character
after the arrival of a large group of Hollanders from Albany,
New York, in 1730. A royal charter from King George II was
acquired in the same year and Indian's Ferry became the City
of New Brunswick. The name comes from the house of Brunswick
from which the reigning house of Great Britain is descended.
The population then numbered around 500.
The city became the center for trade for the Raritan Valley
and many wharves, mills, storehouses, and home of Queen's College
(later named Rutgers College).
The population increased to 1500 by the time of the Revolution.
Washington camped here in 1781. The first mayor after the war
under the new state government was Azariah Dunham.
The first Albany Street Bridge was constructed in 1795 and the
transportation image of the city grew. The New Brunswick Theological
Seminary, the oldest theological school in the United States,
was started here in 1784. The city became, after 1793, the seat
of government for Middlesex County.
The completion of the Delaware and Raritan Canal (1834) and the railroad
(1835) gave a tremendous impetus to the importance of the area as a trade
and transportation center. In the 1830's, industry began to arrive and
the making of rubber became a leading activity.
Johnson and Johnson, probably the best-known industry of the city, was
founded in 1886. It is this firm which was responsible for the sizable
Hungarian colony in New Brunswick. The immigration, started by the company
itself, ran from the early 1890's until World War II. Other workers came too:
Irish, Germans, Italians, Russians, and other people of various nationalities.
This immigration explains the cosmopolitan character of the city.
The Raritan Canal remained in operation for over 100 years and the river was,
for a long period of time, the center of life. Gradually, however, the economy
grew less dependent on water. Other sources of power grew. The twentieth
century saw more and more industry settling in the area. The city became and
is now a main station on the rail and automotive traffic route between New York
and Philadelphia. It is still the seat of Middlesex County government and as such,
is the location of many government buildings and activities. The presence of Rutgers,
the State University, makes the city an outstanding educational and cultural center.
New Brunswick provides educational facilities, including eight elementary schools (Pre-K-8),
one public high school, one parochial high school, and Health Sciences Technology High
School.
Besides being a governmental and educational center, New Brunswick is a manufacturing center
with its industrial core constantly developing and expanding. Its large center district
serves people from many surrounding areas. Read More
|
|
|
