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New Jersey, Hunterson County, High Bridge History
The original area, known as West New Jersey,
was inhabited by a division of the Lenape
Indians and settled around 1700. In 1742,
William Allen leased a 300-acre site
extending from present day Califon,
New Jersey, to Pattenburg from the West
Jersey Society, on which he and his
partner, Joseph Turner, established the
first ironworks in Philadelphia's colonial
times. In 1752, Allen and Turner purchased
10,849 acres in Bethlehem and Lebanon Townships
which included our present-day High Bridge. In
early 1758, Robert Taylor came to the area from
Ireland at the age of 17. Well educated, he first
taught school in Kingwood Township, but became
bookkeeper for Allen and Turner toward the close
of 1758 having taken residence with then ironworks
Superintendent Colonel Hackett in a house now
a portion of the Taylor mansion (now Solitude
House located at 7 River Road). When Colonel
Hackett died in 1775, Robert Taylor was chosen as
his successor. Solitude House, abutting
Lake Solitude, was built in 1725 or earlier.
Although Allen and Turner held allegiance to
the English, Robert Taylor was an ardent patriot.
During the American Revolution, the foundry cast
cannonballs for the American Army. In the original
portion of the homestead known as "Solitude," Robert
Taylor was given the responsibility of holding John
Penn, the last colonial Governor of Pennsylvania and
his attorney-general, Mr. Chew. They were sent there
as prisoners of war by the American Government. The
stone "Annex" behind the "Solitude" is supposed to
have been a supply store kept by Allen and Turner
as early as 1757, and was used for trading until
the company store was moved to the center of High
Bridge near the railroad.
At the close of the Revolutionary War, Robert
Taylor purchased the forge and 366 acres of adjacent
land. Due to transportation problems, the forge was
closed until 1851, when Robert's grandson, Lewis H.
Taylor (for whom the L.H. Taylor Firehouse is named)
restored the foundry upon the arrival of the New
Jersey Central Railway. The Taylor family remained
prominent citizens in the area. L.H. Taylor's brother,
General W. Taylor, served in the Mexican War as well
as the Civil War, dying at the battle of Manassas in
1862 while in charge of the First New Jersey Brigade.
The most modern-day member of the Taylor family to
achieve local prominence was Knox Taylor, who built
"Greystone," a stone mansion on Nassau Road for his
wife Lucy in the early 1900's.
High Bridge was named for a 1,300 foot long,
112 foot high bridge built by the Central Railroad
Company across the South Branch of the Raritan River.
It was too costly to maintain and was subsequently
filled in with an earthen embankment, leaving a
double-arch culvert by which the river and Arch
Street passes through. Construction of the embankment
began in 1859 and took five years to complete.
High Bridge Township was formed in 1871
and contained a large portion of what is now Lebanon
and Tewksbury Townships as well as portions of Clinton
Township. On February 19, 1898, the Borough of High
Bridge, in its present form was established. While
the Borough will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in
1998, the community surrounding the original forge
has existed approximately 300 years. During its
history, various businesses flourished to accommodate
the needs of the residents. Settlers not engaged with
he foundry were engaged in farming and support businesses.
Other names prominent in the development of the community
during the 18th and 19th centuries were Seale, Sharp,
Apgar, Cregar, Hann, Fritts, Beavers, Lance, Philhower
and Hoffman. The "company store" was the only one until
1860 when it was purchased by Nicholas Emery. Johnson
and Lance opened another store.
Most of our non farming history centers around
the foundry. In 1912, Taylor Iron Works merged with
the William Warton Jr. Co. of Philadelphia and became
Taylor-Wharton Iron and Steel Company. Taylor-Wharton
built houses for their workers and company executives
constructed lovely Victorian homes. When the foundry
closed in the mid-1960's, High Bridge developed into
a community of commuters and a number of developments
have been constructed on the outskirts of the Borough's center.
The first school was constructed on Silverthorne
Road in 1825. In 1848, a stone school was constructed on
Dewey Avenue which was replaced in 1875 by a frame structure
on Arch Street. Although the Silverthorne structure is gone,
the other two remain and are used as residences. Our present
Middle School, on Thomas Street, was built in 1906 and later
enlarged. Until 1973 it housed grades kindergarten through
twelfth, when the elementary school was built to house grades
kindergarten through fourth and grades nine through twelve
were transferred tot he North Hunterdon-Voorhees High School
District.
Since 1898, High Bridge has operated under the
Borough form of government which calls for a six-member
council with three-year terms each that are staggered to
provide two newly elected council members each year.
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