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Originally published in 1939
Some of this information may no longer be current and in that case is presented for historical interest only.
Edited by GET NJ, COPYRIGHT 2003
RAHWAY, 3.5 miles (25 alt., 16,011 pop.), has at the northern edge an
AIRPLANE RIDE, a miniature plane operating on a cable suspended between two high towers.
At 4 miles State 27 crosses the Rahway River. On both sides of the road
extends the Rahway River Parkway, which has interested landscape artists because of vistas reminiscent of Italy, towering Lombardy poplars and
shrubbery lining the slow-moving stream.
The business section of Rahway, 4.3 miles, is L. of the highway. Among
the town's industrial firms are the Wheatena Co., the Three-in-One Oil
Co., and the Merck Co., the latter operating one of the Nation's largest
plants for the manufacture of drugs and chemicals.
Rahway's first newspaper, the New Jersey Advocate, was established in
1826 and has been continuously published.
The name of Rahway has been attributed to the Lenni Lenape phrase
"na-wak-wa," meaning "in the middle of the forest." During the Revolution the settlement was known as Spanktown because a physician here had
habit of spanking his wife whenever he deemed it necessary, regardless
of local opinion. The name Spanktown was used on Washington's military
maps, but it acquired new significance when the Jersey militia gave a sound
thrashing to British raiders here in January and June of 1777.
In the old PRESBYTERIAN CEMETERY (R), 4.2 miles, St. George Ave. near
Westfield Ave., is the GRAVE OF ABRAHAM CLARK (1725-1794), a signer
of the Declaration of Independence and a delegate to the Continental
Congress. A monument marks his burial place.
Right from the center of Rahway on Lake Ave., a dirt road, to the BATTLEFIELD OF ASH SWAMP, 3.8 miles. Here, in the spring of 1777, Colonial troops
surprised British infantry and light-horse feasting at the farm of Daniel Moore. The
British countered and gave chase; unfamiliar with the ground, they fell into disorder when horses sank into the deep muck of the swamp toward which the Americans enticed them. British losses rose to 100 killed and many wounded. Only two
Americans were killed.
The highway crosses Robinson's Branch, 4.7 miles, at another attractive
park and playground and turns R. at 5.8 miles. Several elaborate private
estates (R) line the winding path of the old Colonial post road and the
original Lincoln Highway-still marked by one small brown milestone.
The tall, yellow grass that grows profusely here is called Indian grass.
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