Clinton Township Newsletter

2 1 n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 9 A w A R d w i N N i N g p h o t o g R A p h e R m A t t h e w l o s C i A l o w i l l h A v e A p h o t o g R A p h y s h o w i N g A t J u s t C h i l l Award Winning Photographer Matthew Loscialo will be having a showing at Just Chill on Main Street Clinton from Nov 4 to November 11. Matthew Loscialo grew up with Asperger Syndrome ands found his passion in Photography. As a member of Professional photographers of American and also Professional photographers of New Jersey, he has won awards for both state and national. Don't miss it! Within Clinton Township are four State and National registered Historic Districts and three other identified districts. A historic district typically consists of several properties that are united in the same area and comprised of individual elements that are geographically distinctive by historic association. The four New Jersey and National Register Historic Districts include: Annandale Historic District, Cokesbury Historic District, the Potterstown Historic District, the Turnpike District and, at the center of Clinton Township, the Readingsburg Historic District. Other identified Historic Districts include the Allerton Historic District, formerly known as Clinton Station, and the Hamden Historic District. Annandale: The Annandale Historic District is in the center of Clinton Township (State Route 31 and County Road 633 and 626). This village grew as Clinton Station, a depot of the New Jersey Central Railroad. Named for a town in Scotland, the population reached 380 people by 1880. A fairly dense and well- defined village, it is composed of 12 blocks and approximately 150 structures. The one church in town is the Reformed Church, located on the corner of Beaver Avenue and West Street. Most of the structures are single-family, detached homes dating from 1840-1910. Cokesbury: The Cokesbury Historic District is located on the boundary line between Tewksbury and Clinton Township on County Road 639. There was an iron furnace constructed in 1754. Local historians claim the town was named after two Methodist bishops, Coke and Ashbury. By 1881, Cokesbury included a hotel, store, blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, two churches and fourteen dwellings. Potterstown: The Potterstown Historic District is located on the border between Clinton and Readington Townships, off U.S. Route 22. A map dated 1872 indicated over a dozen dwellings and a store existed in this section of Clinton. Readingsburg: The Readingsburg Historic District is located in northern Clinton Township at the mouth of Lockwood Gorge. The town of High Bridge is located about a mile south of Readingsburg and the village of Cokesbury lies several miles to the east. The district contains six principal buildings, all houses, and encompasses the entire hamlet, as well as some surrounding open space. Allerton: The Allerton Historic District is located at the intersection of County Road 623 and Allerton Road. It was named for the Aller family, which maintained mills there as early as 1834. In 1860, the settlement was called Allerville. Eight years later the town constructed a Baptist Church, steam sawmill, store, chair factory and a few dwellings. Hamden: In the southwestern part of Clinton Township, along the banks of the South Branch of the Raritan River in an area now occupied by the YMCA's Camp Carr, lies a sleepy little hamlet called Hamden. Other than a road by this name that runs through it, there is little to remind us that this area was once a bustling little community. The Hamden Historic District was part of the 100- acre Hamden tract purchased by two brothers, Philip and John Grandin, in approximately 1760. The brothers started a thriving mill enterprise in Hamden along the Raritan River in about the year 1760. Their mills flourished for many years and continued afterwards under several different owners. Over the ensuing decades, a community grew up around these mills. An 1873 map shows a store, blacksmith shop, three mills and five dwellings. There are a few 18th century houses in this Hamden area that survive today. They are, by the name of their original owners: (1) John Grandin in the center of Hamden, (2) John Shader to the north, (3) Peter Van Buskirk Sr. and Abraham Shurt to the east, (4) Capt. Jacob Gearhart to the south and the (5) Col. Charles Stewart site to the west. New Jersey Turnpike: The New Jersey Turnpike Historic District is a small village sandwiched between U.S. Route 22 and Interstate 78 in the center of Clinton Township. It contains an outstanding farm complex including individual structures, a primary dwelling unit, tenant house, out-kitchen springhouse, a frame wagon house and a barn. We're always interested in learning more about the history of our community! If you have stories, photos or artifacts depicting the Township's history, please contact the Clinton Township Historical Preservation Commission at 1225 Route 31 South, Suite D, Lebanon NJ 08833. You can also email us at: historic.clintontownshipnj@gmail.com. c l I n t o n t o w n s h I p h I s t o r I c a l p r e s e r V a t I o n c o m m I s s I o n Getting to Know your Township – Clinton Township Historic Districts

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