Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
The Soldier's and Sailors' Monument was created in 1893 to commemorate soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War after P.P. Runyon suggested to use the funds from the centennial anniversary committee.This monument reflects the importance of history and preservation to the New Brunswick community. In a letter written in 1905 by Robert Hoagland the monument was considered to be “ the first successful effort to beautify our city and anything that will cause to be remembered the long years of this effort should be preserved”. Reading Between the LandscapesAs you walk around the city of New Brunswick look for other monuments: What history do you think was considered most important to preserve?Hoagland, Robert. Robert Hoagland to E.E. Leonard, June 17, 1905. New Brunswick Free Public Library. https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/33418/.
President Roosevelt's visit to New Brunswick
President Theodore Roosevelt addressed an audience at Monument Square in June of 1912. Notice the people’s attire, what does this tell you about the fashion of the early 1900s?
State Theatre
The State Theatre originally known as Reade’s State Theatre opened its doors on December 26th, 1921. It was known then as “one of the biggest, most lavish, and modern theaters in the region”. Eventually silent films and vaudeville acts were superseded by “talkies” and the Golden Age of film where many Hollywood stars such as Gary Cooper and Houdini made personal appearances. Into the 1960s audiences began to flock to multiplex cinemas and by the late 1970s the state theatre was in ruins until it “was purchased by the New Brunswick Development Corporation (DevCo) as part of New Brunswick’s revitalization project”. The New Brunswick Cultural Center later acquired the theatre in 1986 and on April 24, 1988 the theatre reopened. In December of 2003 a $3 million project was underway to restore the theatre as closely as possible to its original appearance. Today the State Theatre is New Jersey’s “second largest not-for-profit presenting hall”. The State Theatre not only entertains the community but it also works with students and teachers for educational programs such as Scientists Exploring the Arts.Reading Between the LandscapesConsider why is it necessary to have the State Theatre easily available and accessible to the community? What may have New Brunswick been like before the theatre opened and what positive effects might it have had on the youth in the almost 100 years it has been apart of the city?"About." State Theatre New Jersey. Accessed April 17, 2017. https://www.statetheatrenj.org/about/history.
New Brunswick Free Public Library
The present day location of the New Brunswick Free Public Library first opened in 1903 on 60 Livingston Avenue. However, the library can trace its roots back to 1796 where it started as the Union Library Company. Books had to be borrowed at a cost. It became a free library to the public in 1890. New Brunswick was the first city in New Jersey to operate a free public library.The library employs more than ten professional librarians. It is open on Saturdays and evenings. The library has microfilms of several New Brunswick papers starting from 1783.The New Brunswick Free Public Library is an important source of local history. Can you think of any reason why that would be?
Bayard Street School
Formal education in the city of New Brunswick was through private schools and tutors. One of the earliest private schools was called the “Lancasterian.” Founded by William Hall the Lancasterian was to be a school for children who couldn’t afford private education.In 1851 the Bayard Street School was built as the city’s first public school. The foundation of the school was built from the stone used brom the soldiers’ barracks near the dock. The Bayard School attracted many students, and slowly led to the suspension of private schools like the Lancasterian.Reading Between the LandscapesAs you walk through the city notice the location of the elementary, middle and high schools. Are these schools easily accessible? What do you think the quality of the education is? Consider the makeup of the New Brunswick population and the distribution of resources.
First Dutch Reformed Church
Organized in 1717, the First Dutch Reformed Church was instrumental to the formation of Rutgers University. Religious leaders of the church wanted to educate Dutch Reformed ministerial candidates and thus founded Queen’s College. King George II signed a charter on November 10th, 1766.The First Dutch Reformed Church is instrumental to the history of New Brunswick because it is a primary reason why New Brunswick is such a large and important city today. Rutgers University is an integral part of the city that employs and educates tens of thousands of people and contributes significantly to the economy of the city.The First Reformed Church still holds services to this day. It is located on Neilson St. with a back entrance on Bayard St.
People's National bank
Planning for the People’s National Bank began in March 1887, and on May 16th 1887 the Bank opened for business on the corner of Neilson and Church Streets. From the very beginning the bank’s growth was rapid. In just under twenty years it had accumulated capital of $100, 000. One of its presidents was the Hon. Benjamin f. Howell who served in congress for more than seven terms. In 1969 the bank was renamed the People’s National Bank of Central Jersey and was moved to Piscataway Township. The bank closed in 2015. Today the building houses the Old Bay Restaurant, a New Orleans-style restaurant that serves Southern Louisiana dishes in an atmosphere reminiscent of New Orleans and Mardi Gras!Reading Between the LandscapesThere are a number of banks in New Brunswick, how many have you found? What benefits do you think commercial banks bring to the City? Any drawbacks?
Women's Suffrage March
New brunswick witnessed the historic movement for women’s suffrage. In 1919 there was a peaceful demonstration at the corner of George and Albany Streets near the People’s National Bank.Reading Between the LandscapesWhat other historical events do you think took place in New Brunswick?
Court Tavern
The bar was first owned by Bobby Albert but its original location was taken down in 1970 to build Ferren Parking Deck. Later relocated to 124 Church Street where it played a significant role in the 1980’s New Brunswick underground music scene hosting well known bands such as The Smithereens. The bar was shut down in 2012 but reopened later that same year operating under new owner. The Tavern is important to New Brunswick history because it is one of the few homegrown places in a city with a large corporate business presence. Reading Between the LandscapesAs you continue on the tour look out for other Mom and Pop businesses. What do these locatons contribute to the New Brunswick community and why do you believe is it important that they remain here?
New Brunswick Station
In the mid-1800s New Brunswick had a big shipping industry, it was so successful in fact that it there was a need to transport goods quicker and cheaper. In 1835 the New Jersey Railroad between New Brunswick and Jersey City began. The line not only transported goods but people as well. Due to New Brunswick's prime location between New York and Philadelphia the official train station was opened in 1903 by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The station's Colonial-era architecture is a tribute to the city's role in the Revolutionary War. The escalator was not installed until 1954 and a fire broke out on the first floor in 1980 led to restoration the following year. Today the station's main line is the Northeast Corridor and on an average weekday transports 4,976 passengers. The station represents the city’s economic history because it was an important step New Brunswick took in modernizing the shipping industry.Reading Between the LandscapesThink about the negative and positive effects that new technologies have had and continue to have on different cities. What would New Brunswick be like today if it did not have a train station?
Lincoln's visit to New Brunswick
On February 21, 1861 Abraham Lincoln stopped in New Brunswick on the way to his inauguration and addressed a group of people from his train.
Johnson & Jonhson
Founded in 1886 by brothers James Wood Johnson, Robert Wood Johnson, and Edward Mead Johnson, Johnson & Johnson first got its start making surgical dressings. Today, Johnson & Johnson is a Fortune 500 company that makes a variety of products ranging from medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods. Johnson & Johnson is very significant to the city of New Brunswick. It is a major factor in New Brunswick being known as “The Health Care City” due to its importance of the healthcare industry on the city’s economy.The first building was located in what is now known as Johnson Hall. In its place stands the headquarters of Johnson & Johnson and various company buildings. Johnson & Johnson also provided subsidized employee housing on Morell Street. Today, Morell Street is known as a popular residential area for off-campus Rutgers students.
Queen's College
Rutgers University was first founded as Queen’s College in 1766. Inspired by other religious readers who had sponsored colleges, the Dutch Reformed Church also wanted to establish a college that would educate the church's future leaders. Beginning in 1761 several ministers petitioned New Jersey governors to approve a charter for a new college in the state. On November 10, 1766, Governor William Franklin granted a royal charter for Queen's College a charter that was issued by authority of King George III in honor of the Queen Consort of Great Britain, Charlotte. There was a delay in starting the college because the Trustees could not decide where to locate it. It was finally decided that the college would be opened in New Brunswick because the city had raised the most money in support of the college. Classes began on the second Tuesday in November 1771. Old Queens was built in 1809 and is the oldest building on campus. When it was first occupied in 1811 the building held the Theological Seminary, Rutgers Grammar School, and academic work of the College.
Sojourner Truth
One of Queen’s College’s founding trustees Colonel Johannes Hardenbergh owned the parents of Sojourner Truth. Truth who was born shortly before the death of Hardenbergh was later owned by his son Charles. In her autobiography Truth describes the living conditions her family and other slaves were subjected to in the Hardenbergh hotel basement where they “slept on mud and board floor with minimal straw and blankets”. When Charles died Truth’s father Bomefree became a burden to the Hardenbergh heirs because of his old age and blindness. Instead of caring for the elderly slave the Hardenbergh family freed his wife Mau-Mau Bett to care for her husband. Unfortunately Mau-Mau passed away and it is believed that Bomefree died alone in a cabin from either cold or starvation.Reading Between the LandscapesScarlet and Black is a project undertaken by the Committee on Enslaved and Disenfranchised Populations in Rutgers History in 2015 to highlight and discuss the University's dark past with the Native American and African American community. Why is it important for Rutgers and other universities to publicly acknowledge their past with oppressed communities? What does telling these stories do for the New Brunswick community and future of the university? White, Deborah G., and Marisa J. Fuentes. Scarlet and black. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2016.
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
The New Brunswick Theological Seminary can trace its roots back to the First Dutch Reformed Church and Queen’s College. When it was first founded, Queen’s College did not have the money required for a theological school. The early focus of Queen’s College was to provide a fundamental education for young men wishing to join the ministry. Queen’s College was actually out of commission from 1794 to 1807 due to a lack of resources. In 1807, Queen’s College struck an agreement with General Synod of the First Dutch Reformed Church to revive the institution with the addition of what is now known today as the Theological Seminary. Today, the New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a prominent institution that continues a focus of religious education. The original location of the Seminary is in what is referred to as Old Queen’s. The only remaining structure that was utilized in the nineteenth century is the Gardner A. Sage Library which is still in use today. The new Seminary building is located on College Avenue.
Raritan River
Located between New York and Philadelphia, New Brunswick was the ideal location for factories to establish themselves away from the traffic and hustle and bustle of large cities. In 1834 the Delaware and Raritan canal was completed making the city accessible to trade and allowing goods to be transported easily between major cities and towns along the waterway.Reading Between the LandscapesLooking at the Raritan do you think that the river was environemntally impacted by the trading and factory operations? Is something being done about it?
