Old Bridge, also known as the Historic Village of Old Bridge, is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located within

East Brunswick East Brunswick is a township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The suburban bedroom community is part of the New York City metropolitan area and is located on the southern shore of the Raritan River, directly adjacent to the city ...

Middlesex County, New Jersey Middlesex County is located in central New Jersey, United States, extending inland from the Raritan Valley region to the northern portion of the Jersey Shore. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was enumerated at 863, ...

. It is on the South River, a tributary of the

Raritan River Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. History Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...

. The community is named after the first bridge built here to cross the river, the South River Bridge. After other bridges were built crossing the river, it became known as the Old Bridge. The Old Bridge Historic District, encompassing much of the village, is listed on the state and national registers of historic places.

History

Located at the head of navigation of the South River, Old Bridge was at the junction of several trade routes. Settlers came to area as early as 1685. The

Bordentown and South Amboy Turnpike U.S. Route 130 (US 130) is a U.S. Highway that is a spur route of U.S. Route 30, located completely within the state of New Jersey. It is signed with north and south cardinal directions, following a general northeast–southwest diagonal path, wi ...

, a stagecoach route, went through here in 1740. A freight station was built in 1832 on the

Camden and Amboy Railroad The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a railroad company which began as the important Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A), whose 1830 lineage began as one of the eight or ten earliest permanent North AmericanList of Earliest Am ...

, which ran through the community. It had a tavern and several houses. On August 9, 1853, there was a major

head-on collision A head-on collision is a traffic collision where the front ends of two vehicles such as cars, trains, ships or planes hit each other when travelling in opposite directions, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision. Rail transpor ...

between two trains near the station, resulting in several deaths. From to 1921, the

Brookfield Glass Company Brookfield Glass Company was an American glass company based in Brooklyn, New York, from 1864 to , and in Old Bridge, New Jersey, from to 1921. it was known for producing industrial glassware such as jars, bottles, and electrical insulators. Th ...

operated a plant here producing bottles and jars.

Historic district

The Old Bridge Historic District is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from cer ...

located along several streets in the community. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on June 29, 1977 for its significance in art, education, and industry. The district includes 78

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

. With The artist James Crawford Thom lived at an

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

house at 10 Kossman Street from to his death in 1898. The Old Bridge Baptist Church at 21 Kossman Street was built in 1844 and features a gothic arched double door entrance. It was originally known as the Independent Bethel Baptist Church of Washington and Herbertsville. The Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church at 16 Maple Street was built in 1860 and named after Bishop Matthew Simpson. It was purchased in 1977 by the township to be used as the East Brunswick Museum. General Obadiah Herbert (1775–1856), businessman and entrepreneur, lived at 146 Main Street, starting in 1810. For a while, the village was known as Herbertsville in his honor. His son, Jacob V. W. Herbert (1812–1899), was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly representing Monmouth County in 1855. The Alice Appleby Devoe Memorial Library is located at 166 Main Street. File:Historic Village of Old Bridge, NJ - sign.jpg, Historic Village of Old Bridge sign File:Baptist Church, Old Bridge, NJ.jpg, Old Bridge Baptist Church File:16 Maple Street, Old Bridge, NJ.jpg, Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church File:146 Main Street, Old Bridge, NJ.jpg, General Obadiah Herbert House File:166 Main Street, Old Bridge, NJ.jpg, Alice Appleby Devoe Memorial Library

Transportation

There are several main roads in the community. County Route 527 (Old Bridge Turnpike, Old Bridge–Matawan Road) runs north-south and intersects with County Route 615 (Main Street), which runs east-west. County Route 677 (River Road) runs north from CR 615 near the South River.

New Jersey Route 18 Route 18 is a state highway in the central part of the US state of New Jersey. It begins at an intersection with Route 138 in Wall Township, Monmouth County and ends at Interstate 287 (I-287) in Piscataway Township, Middlesex County. Ro ...

can be accessed from CR 615.

Points of interest

Located to the north on Old Bridge Turnpike, the nearby Chestnut Hill Cemetery, also known as the Old Bridge Cemetery, has the remains of many of the families from the community. Tours of the cemetery have been organized by the New Jersey Cultural Alliance. South of Main Street and along the South River, Keystone Park offers hiking and natural areas.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Old Bridge include: *

T. Frank Appleby Theodore Frank Appleby (October 10, 1864 – December 15, 1924) was an American Republican Party politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1921 to 1923. He was the father of Stewart Hoffman Appleby, who also ...

(1864–1924), politicianTheodore Frank Appleby
''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fro ...

''. * George Brasno (1911–1982), vaudevillian performer * Olive Brasno (1917–1998), vaudevillian performer, sister of George * James Crawford Thom (1835–1898), artist, painter * Henrietta Christian Wright (1854–1899), author of books for children on literature, history and science

References

External links

* * {{NRHP in Middlesex County, New Jersey East Brunswick, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in Middlesex County, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in New Jersey