South Branch, New Jersey

South Branch is an unincorporated community located within Hillsborough Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[2] The community is named for and is located along the South Branch Raritan River.[3] The South Branch Historic District encompassing the village was listed on the state and national registers of historic places in 1977.

South Branch, New Jersey
Unincorporated community
South Branch Reformed Church
South Branch, New Jersey
Location within Somerset county
South Branch, New Jersey
South Branch, New Jersey (New Jersey)
South Branch, New Jersey
South Branch, New Jersey (the United States)
Coordinates: 40°32′38″N 74°41′49″W
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountySomerset
TownshipHillsborough
Named forSouth Branch Raritan River
Elevation
82 ft (25 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern (EDT))
GNIS feature ID882406[1]

History

The community goes back to 1750 and was also known as Branchville. It is situated on the South Branch Raritan River near its junction with the Raritan River. The Narticong Tribe of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans lived there and called it "Tucca-Ramma Hocking." It was here that the Dutch who made their way up the Raritan to bargain for land made their deal in exchange for beads, guns, blankets, powder and jugs of rum.

Peter Dumont Vroom, the only Governor of New Jersey from Somerset County, was born in South Branch. Diamond Jim Brady once lived in the house known as the South Branch Hotel, which he purchased for his mistress, Edna Maculey in 1903 paying $68,000 for it and altering it to suit his taste, "Going down to Brady's Farm" became the fashionable thing to do and Anna Held, Flo Ziegfeld, Lillian Russell and other famous personalities of the days were frequent guests.

Historic district
South Branch Historic District
Italianate style house built c. 1870
LocationRiver Road and Orchard Drive
Area30 acres (12 ha)
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Italianate, Federal
NRHP reference No.77000908[4]
NJRHP No.2527[5]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPDecember 13, 1977
Designated NJRHPJuly 6, 1976

The South Branch Historic District is a historic district along River Road and Orchard Drive in the village. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1977 for its significance in architecture, politics / government, and religion. It includes 25 contributing buildings.[6]

  • Peter D. Vroom House
  • House with mansard roof
  • Greek Revival Temple Farm House
  • South Branch Bible Fellowship

References
  1. "South Branch". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016.
  3. Google (March 3, 2016). "Aerial view of South Branch" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  4. "National Register Information System – (#77000908)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  5. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Somerset County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. September 30, 2020. p. 9.
  6. McCabe, Wayne T. (January 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: South Branch Historic District". National Park Service. With accompanying 8 photos

Media related to South Branch, New Jersey at Wikimedia Commons

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.