Early Days and Colonial Period
Carved out of the interior of Middlesex County in 1688,
Somerset County was originally home to a variety of Lenni
Lenape tribes, called the Delawares by the early European
settlers. It was settled in the south by second and third
generation Dutch from the colony of New Amsterdam who came
from across the Hudson River in search of land for their
sons. The Scots and English who also came settled primarily
in the northern hills of the county.
A prosperous agricultural heartland, no one knows exactly
where the county got its name. Some say it was named after
Somersetshire, England. Others maintain that it was named in
honor of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset, or Henry
Somerset, an overseer of American affairs.
The American Revolution
Because of its strategic location between New York and
Philadelphia, contending armies crossed and recrossed
Somerset County. George Washington twice encamped his army
at Middlebrook (June - July 1777 and the winter of
1778-1779). Five houses used by Washington and his generals
as their headquarters during the second Middlebrook
Encampment remain standing: the Wallace House in Somerville,
headquarters of the Commander in Chief; the Van Veghten
house in Finderne, occupied by Quartermaster General
Nathaniel Greene; the Jacobus Vanderveer House in Pluckemin
occupied by Artillery Commander Henry Knox; the Abraham
Staats House in South Bound Brook, occupied by the Baron von
Steuben, and finally, the Van Horne House which was assigned
to William Alexander, (Lord Stirling) Washington's
second-in-command.
The 19th Century-New Modes of
Transportation and the Growth of Industry
In the new nation's boom years, Somerset County profited
from improved transportation. Two turnpikes were built
across the county: the Georgetown-Franklin & the New
Jersey Turnpike. The latter prospered because it served
farmers with goods to ship to the New York market.
The Delaware and Raritan Canal snaked its way down the
Millstone and Raritan Valleys, allowing tonnage to be
shipped through the heart of through the heart of New Jersey
rather than going all the way around the bottom of the
state. In its heyday, the D&R Canal carried more tonnage
than the famous Erie Canal. The water power potential in
Somerset County was also realized by a thriving woolen mill
industry that continued into the 20th century.
Industrialization received another boost from the
coal-carrying Central Railroad of New Jersey which was
completed to the Lehigh Valley in 1855. The Jersey Central
Railroad made commuting to New York City easy and gave rise
to thegrowth of North Plainfield, Bound Brook and Somerville
as suburban communities.
Two other railroads fanning out from New York brought two
different sorts of expansion in the north and south of the
county. The Delaware Lackawanna and Western, famous for its
"Millionaire Express," turned northern Somerset
County into a playground for the rich and famous who built
great estates, many of which still exist today. The Delaware
and Bound Brook nurtured the growth of dairying as a
principal farming industry.
The 20th Century and Beyond
For the most part, Somerset remained essentially rural and
agricultural into the 20th century with the major industries
across its mid-section. Calco, Johns Manville and Ruberoid,
dominated the local economy. After World War II, automobiles
and super highways opened up the county to a fresh wave of
growth and development. Today, the county is home to many of
the world's major pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson
& Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, and Pfizer and other
multinational companies such as Verizon, Lucent and Avaya.
At the same time, it still appeals to the rich and famous
for its scenic beauty and convenient location. It continues
to rank as one of the nation's wealthiest counties.
