Readington Village, New Jersey

Populated place in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, US

Unincorporated community in New Jersey, United States

Readington Village, New Jersey

Unincorporated community

Readington Reformed Church

Readington Village

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Readington Village

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Readington Village

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Coordinates: 40°34′07″N 74°44′16″W﻿ / ﻿40.56861°N 74.73778°W﻿ / 40.56861; -74.73778[1]
Country|  United States
State|  New Jersey
Region| Central Jersey
County| Hunterdon
Settled| 1710
Area

• Total| 0.33 km2 (0.13 sq mi)
Time zone| UTC−05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−04:00 (Eastern)
GNIS feature ID| 879627[1]

Readington Village is an unincorporated community located within Readington Township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, that is centered on the converging of Readington Road, Hillcrest Road, Centerville Road and Brookview Road. It is located on Holland Brook, originally named Amanmechunk, which means large creek in the Unami dialect. The area was inhabited by the Raritan prior to the arrival of European settlers. The Native Americans who lived near Readington Village travelled to the coast during the summer for fish and clams. Such a trip is mentioned in an Indian deed transferring lands around Holland Brook to George Willocks, an East and West New Jersey Proprietor. The deed mentions two of the natives, who lived at Readington: Metamisco and Wataminian.[2]

## History[edit]

Readington was first settled by Europeans in the early 18th century by people of Dutch descent, including Emanuel Van Etta, from Esopus, New York, and Adrian Lane, a settler who erected a mill on Holland Brook.[3][4] Nearby Van Etta Road is named for Emanuel Van Etta, whose surname means "from Etten". In 1738, the Dutch Reformed Church of North Branch was moved west to Readington Village because of the growing population. The third building on this site, pictured left, stands there today. A parsonage was built on the north side of the brook on the hill, still in Readington Township. The nearby Parsonage Hill Road in Branchburg is named for this site.

The church location before the parish was moved to Readington was three miles east. This structure was a log building just north and west of the convergence of the North and South branches of the Raritan River formerly called Tucca-ramma-hacking by the Raritan, which meant the "flowing together of waters". The church's pastor, Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen later helped to form a seminary at the Old Dutch Parsonage in Somerville. This eventually became Queen's College, now known as Rutgers University. Rutgers during the American Revolutionary War held classes at the old church at the convergence.[5] During the 19th century, Readington Village had a church, a mill, a store, a school and a tavern. One of the former school buildings is a garage between the bottom of Hillcrest and Centerville Roads on Brookview Road. A later former school building can be seen just west of there and is now being used as a barn.

The mill in Readington Village continued to run until about 1920 and was still standing until 1935.[6] A general store in the community continued to function until the 1990s. The store was eventually sold and later became a post office.

The only non-residential buildings in Readington Village today are the small post office, a volunteer fire house (also used as a polling station) and the Readington Reformed Church. The post office is on property owned by the Little Shell Band of Chippewa Indians.[7][8] The community has seen extensive flooding of Holland Brook a few times in recent years (including during Hurricane Floyd) that has closed the Hillcrest Bridge and damaged nearby houses.

Just northwest of Readington is Solberg Airport, the site of the New Jersey Balloon Festival. This annual festival began in 1983 and its hundred-plus balloons draw over a hundred thousand people. It is the largest annual event in New Jersey and the largest balloon festival in North America during the summer.[citation needed]

## Historic district[edit]

United States historic place

Readington Village Historic District

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

New Jersey Register of Historic Places

Location| Readington, Hillcrest, Centerville and Brookview roads
Area| 73 acres (30 ha)
Architect| Asa Dilts
Architectural style| Colonial, Greek Revival, Vernacular Dutch Colonial
NRHP reference No.| 91000827[9]
NJRHP No.| 1622[10]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| June 24, 1991
Designated NJRHP| May 10, 1991

The Readington Village Historic District is a 73-acre (30 ha) national historic district located along Readington, Hillcrest, Centerville and Brookview roads in the village. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 24, 1991 for its significance in architecture, exploration/settlement and community planning and development. The district includes 43 contributing buildings and 2 contributing sites.[4]

## Gallery[edit]

* Readington Reformed Church

* Village store from the 1830s

* Aaron Berger house

## See also[edit]

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Hunterdon County, New Jersey

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Readington". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
2. ^ Wittwer, Norman C. "The Dawn of Hunterdon"
3. ^ History of Readington Township
4. ^ a b Brecknell, Ursula C. (June 24, 1991). "NRHP Nomination: Readington Village Historic District". National Park Service. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help) "Accompanying 32 photos, from 1991". `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
5. ^ Vosseller, Elias (1901). Tucca-Ramma-Hacking. Flemington, N.J.: Hiram E. Deats.
6. ^ History of Branchburg
7. ^ Hunterdon County GIS
8. ^ Readington Post Office
9. ^ "National Register Information System – (#91000827)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
10. ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Hunterdon County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection \- Historic Preservation Office. October 27, 2015. p. 12.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Readington Village, New Jersey at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States

County seat: Flemington

City|

* Lambertville

Map of New Jersey highlighting Hunterdon County

Boroughs|

* Bloomsbury
* Califon
* Flemington
* Frenchtown
* Glen Gardner
* Hampton
* High Bridge
* Lebanon
* Milford
* Stockton

Town|

* Clinton

Townships|

* Alexandria
* Bethlehem
* Clinton
* Delaware
* East Amwell
* Franklin
* Holland
* Kingwood
* Lebanon
* Raritan
* Readington
* Tewksbury
* Union
* West Amwell

CDPs|

* Annandale
* Neshanic Station
* Oldwick
* Pottersville‡
* Ringoes
* Three Bridges
* White House Station

Other
communities|

* Allerton
* Amsterdam
* Anthony
* Baptistown
* Barbertown
* Barley Sheaf
* Bowne
* Bunnvale
* Byram
* Centerville
* Charlestown
* Cherryville
* Cloverhill
* Cokesbury
* Copper Hill
* Darts Mills
* Dreahook
* Everittstown
* Fairmount
* Grandin
* Hamden
* Headquarters
* Hoffmans
* Hughesville
* Jutland
* Lansdowne
* Larisons Corners
* Linvale
* Little York
* Lower Valley
* Mechanicsville
* Mount Airy
* Mount Pleasant
* Mountainville
* New Hampton
* Norton
* Pattenburg
* Penwell
* Perryville
* Pittstown
* Pleasant Run
* Potterstown
* Prallsville
* Quakertown
* Raven Rock
* Readingsburg
* Readington Village
* Reaville
* Rockefellows Mills
* Rosemont
* Rowland's Mills
* Sand Brook
* Sandy Ridge
* Sergeantsville
* Snydertown
* Spruce Run
* Stanton
* Tumble Falls
* Vanlieu Corners
* Van Syckel
* Wertsville
* West Portal
* Whitehouse

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* New Jersey portal
* United States portal

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places in Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Districts|

* Amsterdam Historic District
* Annandale Historic District
* Asbury Historic District
* Califon Historic District
* Clinton Historic District
* Clover Hill Historic District
* Cokesbury Historic District
* Covered Bridge Historic District
* Dart's Mill Historic District
* Dawlis Mill–Spring Mills Historic District
* Delaware and Raritan Canal
* Everittstown Historic District
* Fairmount Historic District
* Flemington Historic District
* Frenchtown Historic District
* Headquarters Historic District
* Imlaydale Historic District
* Lambertville Historic District
* Lebanon Historic District
* Little York Historic District
* Mount Airy Historic District
* Mount Pleasant Historic District
* Mountainville Historic District
* M. C. Mulligan & Sons Quarry
* New Hampton Historic District
* New Market–Linvale–Snydertown Historic District
* Oldwick Historic District
* Pittstown Historic District
* Pleasant Valley Historic District
* Potterstown Rural Historic District
* Pottersville Village Historic District
* Prallsville District
* Pursley's Ferry Historic District
* Quakertown Historic District
* Raritan–Readington South Branch Historic District
* Raven Rock Historic District
* Readingsburg Historic District
* Readington Village Historic District
* Reaville Historic District
* Ringoes Historic District
* Rockhill Agricultural Historic District
* Rosemont Rural Agricultural District
* Sand Brook Historic District
* Sergeantsville Historic District
* Stanton Historic Rural District
* Taylor's Mill Historic District
* Van Syckel Corner District
* Wertsville Historic District
* Whitehouse–Mechanicsville Historic District

Places of
worship|

* High Bridge Reformed Church
* Locktown Baptist Church
* Mount Salem Methodist Episcopal Church
* Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Kingwood
* St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Houses|

* J. K. Apgar Farmhouse
* Bartles House
* Bray–Hoffman House
* Case Farmstead
* Case-Dvoor Farmstead
* Charles Eversole House
* Highfields
* Kline Farmhouse
* Lambertville House
* Lansdown
* James W. Marshall House
* John Reading Farmstead
* Turner–Chew–Carhart Farm
* John Van Syckle House
* Thatcher House
* Christoffel Vought Farmstead

Buildings|

* District No. 98 Schoolhouse
* Dunham's Mill
* David McKinney Mill
* Kalmia Club
* Mechlin's Corner Tavern
* Music Hall
* Old Grandin Library
* Perryville Tavern
* Riegel Ridge Community Center
* White House Station

Structures|

* Fink-Type Truss Bridge
* Frog Hollow Road Bridge over minor tributary of the South Branch, Raritan River
* Glen Gardner Pony Pratt Truss Bridge
* Green Sergeant's Covered Bridge
* Hollow Brook Road Bridge over tributary of the Lamington River
* New Hampton Pony Pratt Truss Bridge
* Palatine Road Brige over a minor tributary of the Lamington River
* Peck's Ferry Bridge

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Hunterdon County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey
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