History of Cranbury, New Jersey
Cranberry – Cranbury
There have been many questions regarding the town’s name, and the origin of both the name and its spelling is unclear. The marshy land near the mill site might have grown cranberries, hence the name. On 18th Century maps, the name appears as Cranberry and Cranberry Town. In 1857, Reverend Joseph G. Symmes felt the name was incorrectly spelled and suggested it be changed to Cranbury. In Old English “bury” (connoting “burgh”) could be spelled bury, bery, or berry. In 1869, the town and the brook were renamed Cranbury.
On March 7, 1872, Cranbury Township was officially created and organized as a separate political subdivision of Middlesex County, consisting of the village of Cranbury and outlying areas, which were then parts of South Brunswick and Monroe Townships.
Early History
In 1664, King Charles II of England granted to his brother James, the Duke of York, a vast domain in North American stretching from New York to Delaware, including the land which is now New Jersey. In its earliest days Cranbury was part of the colony of East New Jersey, which was granted to Sir George Carteret by the Duke of York and controlled by a board of twenty-four proprietors, who sold the land in parcels.
Cranbury is one of the oldest towns in New Jersey. The first recorded evidence of buildings in Cranbury is March 1, 1698, on a deed of sale between Josiah Prickette of Burlington and John Harrison for land “with all improvements”. Around that same date, John Harrison also received a license to buy more land from the local Lenape Indians, a Delaware tribe.
Early Inns and Roads
Cranbury’s first roads followed the trails of the Lenape. In the 18th century, it took three days to travel between New York City and Philadelphia. At the midway point between the two major colonial cities, Cranbury proved to be a convenient stop for stagecoaches, a place where horses could be changed, and food and lodging could be found.
In 1686 George Rescarrick secured a “warrant to survey 300 acres to conduct a house of entertainment for strangers and travellers” on the Great Post Road at Cranberry Brook and Millstone River. When Rescarrick died at Cranberry in 1713, he owned among other things, a silver tankard, one dozen spoons and a cup, also seven slaves”. His tavern had “three rooms on a floor, also a barn, stable and other outhouses, a large orchard and about sixty to seventy acres of woodland.”
In 1789, Christopher Colles, by order of President George Washington, mapped the road through Cranbury Town, showing on that map 25 buildings (seven north and eighteen south of the brook); the 1745 Baptist Church, which moved to Hightstown in 1785; and the mill site.
One famous visitor who changed horses in Cranbury in 1804 was Aaron Burr when he fled south after his fatal duel with Alexander Hamilton. On this occasion Aaron Burr had been driven by Commodore Thomas Truxton.
George Washington in Cranbury
Cranberry Town during the American Revolution saw armies rest and pass on, an in the colonial village vital decisions were made. The focus was the home of Dr. Hezekiah Stites on South Main Street. Here the Marquis de Lafayette and Colonel Alexander Hamilton quartered on June 25, 1778, and here General George Washington and his staff established headquarters on June 26th. In a dispatch send on June 25th, Lafayette reported “the detachment is in a wood covered by Cranberry Creek and I believe extremely safe.”
General Washington and his main army arrived at Cranberry Town at 9 a.m. on Friday, June 26th, having marched the night before from Kingston. During that day Washington issued many orders that shaped the Battle of Monmouth. After sundown Washington marched his army, sending his last dispatch from the Stites House at 9:30 p.m.
Religious History
African Methodist Church
The African Methodist Church was located, according to an 1876 map, south of the village. By 1882 the church organization had ceased and the building was converted into a dwelling.
Baptist Church
The Baptist Church in Cranbury was founded in 1745 with John Hight (Hightstown) as one of the 17 original members. The first meeting house was built in 1748 on property occupied later by the Spice Mill. The church was used for 40 years, then sold to Dr.Stites and moved. The congregation moved to Hightstown in 1785. The front part of the church grounds was sold and the burial grounds by 1882 were neglected and contained only 4 standing headstones.
Second Presbyterian Church
The Second Presbyterian Church of Cranbury was founded in 1838. In 1935 the First and Second Church congregations were joined. The Second Church sanctuary was razed and a monument erected on the site. The sexton's house remains as a residence.