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.
