|
Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being southwest of Manhattan and west of Staten Island. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 27,346,〔〔〔 reflecting an increase of 846 (+3.2%) from the 26,500 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 1,175 (+4.6%) from the 25,325 counted in the 1990 Census.〔(Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 ), New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed July 6, 2012.〕 ==History== Rahway and the surrounding area were once the home of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, and tradition states that the city was named after Rahwack, a local tribal chief.〔"Rahway" from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition of 1911, accessed January 3, 2007.〕〔Gannett, Henry. (''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States'' ), p. 25. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 21, 2015.〕〔Hutchinson, Viola L. (''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names'' ), New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 21, 2015.〕 Formal European settlement began in 1664 with the purchase by the English from the Lenape of the Elizabethtown Tract, which encompassed lands from the mouth of the Raritan River and included all of present-day Union County as well as parts of Somerset, Middlesex, Morris and Essex counties. The Seventeenth Century Clark House is one of the oldest buildings in the state.〔(History ), Dr. Wm. Robinson Plantation Museum. Accessed May 22, 2013.〕 Rahway saw action during the American Revolutionary War because of its proximity to Staten Island, Elizabethtown and Perth Amboy. In January 1777, rebels were victorious against the British in the Battle of Spanktown, which resulted in the death of some 100 British troops.〔(History ), City of Rahway. Accessed November 20, 2012. "In January 1777, the Battle of Spanktown was fought on St. Georges Avenue in the vicinity of Robinson’s Branch and the North Branch of the Rahway River. The battle lasted twelve hours with the rebels getting the best of the British, who lost almost one hundred men."〕 The battle was named this after Rahway's original name given to it by the first settlers, Spanktown,〔 which is said to have been chosen "because an early settler publicly took his spouse across his knee and chastised her".〔Staff. ("The Battle of Spanktown; Early History of Rahway and Its Environs" ), ''The New York Times'', February 21, 1897. Accessed November 20, 2012. "The Rahway of to-day is what was known in the last century as Spanktown, the name having been given because an early settler publicly took his spouse across his knee and chastised her."〕 The Merchants' and Drovers' Tavern resides at the corner of St. Georges and Westfield Avenues. The earliest buildings at the site date to 1795 and the property remains one of Rahway's most prominent historical landmarks.〔(The Merchants and Drovers Tavern: Historical background ), Merchants' and Drovers' Tavern. Accessed June 7, 2006.〕 George Washington visited Rahway during his travel to New York City prior to his presidential inauguration in 1789. A marker across the street from the tavern reads:〔(Tavern - Merchants & Drovers Tavern, Rahway ), Art & Architecture of New Jersey, Stockton University. Accessed May 20, 2012.〕 :''Here, on April 23, 1789, on his way to New York City, Washington'' :''was received by troops from Elizabethtown and Newark. He was'' :''entertained at the inn kept by Samuel Smith by gentlemen of the town.'' Following the Revolution, Rahway became the home of the first national mint to create a coin bearing the inscription ''E pluribus unum''.〔Hill, Raven. ("Colonial coin found at old home in Franklin" ), ''Home News Tribune'', April 13, 2003. Accessed May 20, 2012. "It turned out to be a New Jersey Copper, minted in Rahway or Morristown between 1786 and 1790, the first coins to bear the national motto, 'E Pluribus Unum.'"〕 A United States Post Office established in Rahway was one of only six in the entire state in 1791. Rahway grew due to its location along the major stagecoach and railroad lines between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The navigable Rahway River, which flows through the city, also aided the city's commercial growth. As immigrants from Britain, Ireland and Germany streamed into what was then Rahway Township in the 1850s, Rahway became incorporated as a city by an act of the State Legislature on April 19, 1858, from portions of Rahway Township in Union and Woodbridge Township in Middlesex County. In 1860, the portion of Rahway that had been part of Middlesex County was transferred to Union. On March 13, 1861, the remainder of Rahway Township became part of Rahway City. Clark Township was formed from portions of the city on March 23, 1864.〔Snyder, John P. (''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968'' ), Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 194. Accessed May 20, 2012.〕 The first municipal elections for the Mayor and Council were conducted on April 19, 1858, and the Council held its first meeting on May 3, 1858. The city's police department and its initial group of four constables were created at that first council meeting.〔(History ), Rahway Police. Accessed May 22, 2013. "The Rahway Police Department was officially established on May 3, 1858, at the first meeting of the city council."〕 The city became home to dozens of major manufacturers, including the Regina Music Box Company, Wheatena, Mershon Bros. and, most importantly, Merck & Co., which was established in Rahway in 1903, when George Merck moved his small chemical company to Rahway from New York City.〔Staff. ("Suitable Site: Albany Merck Plant Targeted for Growth" ), ''The Albany Herald'', June 14, 1987. "The company launched a manufacturing operation in Rahway, in 1903 where the company headquarters is located today."〕 The company remained in Rahway through the presidency of George W. Merck and after. The national decline in industry after World War II led to the closure of most of Rahway's major manufacturing facilities (except for Merck) and a general deterioration of the city's central business district. Beginning in the late 1990s, the city launched a plan to revitalize the downtown area and authorized the construction of hundreds of new market-rate housing units, a hotel, art galleries and additional retail space. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rahway, New Jersey」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|