where history
MIDDLESEX COUNTY’S PAST MIXES EVOLUTION, REVOLUTION AND INNOVATION!
EAST JERSEY OLD TOWN VILLAGE
1050 River Rd., Piscataway, 732-745-3030 www.middlesexcountynj.gov
Home of the Raritan Landing Exhibit
32 www.magazinevolume.com/DiscoverMiddlesex
meets innovation
Though only 318 square miles in size,
Middlesex County has left a huge footprint
on America’s history. From Revolutionary
War sites to the birthplaces of college
football, duct tape and the incandescent
light bulb, the rich and storied past of
Middlesex County has touched the lives of
people all over the planet.
Just a few examples:
• A partial feather, constituting the oldest known fossil record of a terrestrial
bird in North America, was discovered in Sayreville amber deposits.
• Thomas A. Edison obtained over 300 patents, including the phonograph
and the incandescent lightbulb, while working in his Menlo Park
laboratory.
• The Band-Aid, the forerunner to modern baby formula, the first known
antibiotics and duct tape were all developed here.
Among the most unique of Middlesex County’s historic and
cultural offerings is East Jersey Old Town, a robust livinghistory
village offering a glimpse into the County’s rich
agricultural and manufacturing past and what life was like in
Middlesex County in the 18th century.
East Jersey Old Town Village is a collection of original, replica
and reconstructed 18th- and 19th-century structures, some
of which have been relocated to the site, others constructed
on site, all representing the type of architecture found in
central New Jersey’s early farm and merchant communities.
The Village functions as an educational model dedicated to
teaching the history, traditions, folk arts and craftsmanship of
the people who lived and worked throughout the region. Public
programs with historic demonstrators practicing crafts and
skills from the 18th and 19th centuries are offered throughout
the year. Demonstrations include blacksmithing, printing,
stone carving, home and hearth skills, soldier lifestyles from
the Revolutionary War, 18th century music, tailoring and
agriculture. Visitors can even cheer on the vintage 19thcentury
home team at a Liberty Base Ball Club game. Founded
in 1857, the Liberty Base Ball Club of New Brunswick still plays
baseball according to the rules, customs, equipment, and
uniform specifications of the 1850s.
Completed renovations and restoration work have brought
twelve buildings into public use, following Americans with
Disability Act guidelines: New Brunswick Barracks, Runyon
House, Vanderveer House, Pound House, Smalleytown
Schoolhouse, Farley Blacksmith Shop, Williamson Wheelwright
Shop, Three Mile Run Church, Six Mile Run House, Jeremiah
Dunn House, Runyon Wagon House and the Indian Queen
Tavern. These historic structures have been restored to their
original beauty and preserved for future generations.
Photo by Shore Grafx
/www.middlesexcountynj.gov
/DiscoverMiddlesex