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Griggstown, New Jersey

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Country
  
United States

County
  
Somerset

Named for
  
Griggs family

Elevation
  
31 m

Local time
  
Friday 8:41 AM

State
  
New Jersey

Township
  
Franklin

Time zone
  
Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)

Area
  
6.524 km²

Added to NRHP
  
2 August 1984

Griggstown, New Jersey

Weather
  
1°C, Wind N at 10 km/h, 97% Humidity

Griggstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 819. The area was first settled around 1733.

Contents

Map of Griggstown, Franklin Township, NJ 08540, USA

History

Many of the earliest European settlers of the area came from Gravesend, Brooklyn. Among these settlers were four sons born to John and Elizabeth Griggs: Benjamin (b. 1690), Daniel, Samuel, and Thomas. Griggstown was named after Benjamin Griggs, who established a grist mill on the Millstone River that served as a meeting place for the European farmers of the area and as such the center of the community that would become Griggstown.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 2.519 square miles (6.524 km2), including 2.447 square miles (6.338 km2) of land and 0.072 square miles (0.187 km2) of water (2.86%).

Griggstown is adjacent to the communities of Kingston, Rocky Hill, Montgomery Township, Kendall Park (in South Brunswick Township), and Franklin Park. The closest city of note is Princeton, New Jersey. The Millstone River and the Delaware and Raritan Canal both flow through Griggstown.

Griggstown is accessible via Route 27 (Lincoln Highway), County Route 518 and U.S. Route 206. The major roads in Griggstown are Bunker Hill Road and Canal Road. There is also a small access road with a one-lane bridge(at one time referred to as "twin bridges") known as the Griggstown Causeway that offers access to and from Griggstown as well. The D&R Canal State Park is located on this road in conjunction with the canal side tow-path.

Selected sites

  • Reformed Church of Griggstown
  • Griggstown Quail Farm
  • Griggstown Cemetery where nineteen Irish canal workers who died of cholera in an 1832-1833 epidemic are buried.
  • Griggstown Volunteer Fire Company
  • Griggstown Lock of the Delaware and Raritan Canal
  • Griggstown Mine
  • Norseville
  • Sunset Hill Garden
  • Census 2010

    The 2010 United States Census counted 819 people, 346 households, and 230.1 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 334.7 per square mile (129.2/km2). The CDP contained 364 housing units at an average density of 148.8 per square mile (57.5/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 86.81% (711) White, 2.81% (23) Black or African American, 0.24% (2) Native American, 4.03% (33) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 2.56% (21) from other races, and 3.54% (29) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 6.23% (51) of the population.

    Out of a total of 346 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 27.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.92.

    In the CDP, 18.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 32.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44.9 years. For every 100 females the census counted 101.7 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 101.5 males.

    National Register of Historic Places

    The Griggstown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is District #84002798.

    Notable people

    People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Griggstown include:

  • Benjamin Griggs (1690-1768), founder of the grist mill after which Griggstown took its name.
  • John Honeyman (1729-1822), American spy for George Washington. He was primarily responsible for gathering the intelligence crucial to Washington's victory in the Battle of Trenton.
  • Paul Muldoon (born 1951) writer, academic and educator, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet originally from County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
  • References

    Griggstown, New Jersey Wikipedia