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Identifier
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NJS-PLC-00026
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Place Type
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Region
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Description
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The Raritan River runs through the central part of New Jersey and empties into the Raritan Bay near Staten Island. Middlesex, Somerset, and Hunterdon Counties are the main parts of the Raritan River Valley, and the river's watershed also reaches into the surrounding counties of Mercer, Morris, Union, and Monmouth.
Throughout New Jersey's history, several different towns and villages along the river have used the name "Raritan," and care must be taken not to confuse the locations that mention this name.
The modern-day borough of Raritan is a small municipality in Somerset County, New Jersey, located on the north side of the Raritan River just west of Somerville. This municipality was originally formed as Raritan town in 1868 and then became a borough in 1948. It's important to note that this modern borough of Raritan, as we know it, did not exist during the era of slavery. At that time, this area was part of Bridgewater Township. References to "Raritan" in documents from the colonial era or the early 19th century may actually pertain to other places in the Raritan River Valley. For example, the present-day neighborhood of Finderne in Bridgewater was commonly called Raritan in the colonial era and was the location of the Reformed Dutch Church of Raritan that was famously pastored by the Rev. Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen. There was also a different place called Raritan Landing, which refers to a river landing in Piscataway, Middlesex County.
In the modern era, there is another municipality called Raritan Township located up the river in Hunterdon County. Additionally, present-day Hazlet Township in Monmouth County used to be known as Raritan Township from 1848 until 1967, when it was renamed Hazlet.
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Country
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United States of America
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Latitude
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40.555556
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Longitude
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-74.687222
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Record Contributor
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Jesse Bayker