Milltown is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,000.
Milltown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 29, 1889, from portions of North Brunswick Township, based on the results of a referendum held three day earlier. The borough was incorporated by resolution of the borough council on May 2, 1896. A portion of East Brunswick Township was annexed in 1902.
As of the 2000 Census, the center of population for New Jersey was located in Milltown, at Milltown Road, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike (see
map of location).
Geography
Milltown is located at (40.452538, -74.438020).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²). 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.88%) is water.
History
History of Milltown
Published in the
Home News Tribune, August 17, 2000
1816: Jacob Bergen constructs a grist mill on the banks of Lawrence Brook to serve farmers in the area. This is the origin of a settlement known at the time as Bergen's Mill that would later become Milltown. At this point, the community claims a population of 25, the grist mill, a tavern and several houses.
1843: Christopher Meyer introduces the industrial era to Bergen's Mill with his Meyer Rubber Co. Fire destroys the factory and Meyer's home in 1845, leaving him penniless. John R. Ford advances Meyer the money to rebuild. It is in this period of time that the name Bergen's Mill begins to be replaced with Milltown, most likely stemming from people saying they are "going to the mill in town." The rubber company is the forerunner of the Michelin Company.
1848: Phillip Kuhlthau, the first in a great wave of German immigrants, arrives in Milltown from New York City. German peasants suffering from poverty and general hardship seek a new life in new surroundings, many resorting to emigration. Kuhlthau is among those to flee after his village of Oberzell experiences great hardship. After three years of working at the rubber mill, he returns to Germany to tell of the opportunity that abounds in America, leading friends and family to Milltown.
1851: Milltown Library Association organizes in order to make books available to the public. A large number of books written in German are purchased for the large German-speaking population. In June 1920, the Parent-Teacher Public Library of Milltown is organized. The library is incorporated, and on Oct. 28, 1920, the library opens its doors in the Joyce Kilmer School, which is across the street from the current library building.
1861: Kuhlthau, in the role he assumes as leader of the German wave of immigrants, makes a provision for their final resting place with the formation of Van Liew Cemetery Association.
1867: The first "official" Milltown school, called District No. 28, is constructed.
December 12, 1871: The federal government establishes Milltown's first official post office.
1878: The phone comes...
