Early development of Somerville

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Somerville was settled during colonial times by mostly Dutch settlers who purchased land from their English owners in the colony. The Dutch established a church near what is now Somerville, and a Dutch Reformed minister, or Dominion, lived in Old Dutch Parsonage as early as 1754. The early village grew up around a church, courthouse, and tavern built at the crossroads shortly after the American Revolution. The name "Somerville" comes from four Somerville brothers, Edward, John, and James, who were from Drishen and Castlehaven in County Cork, Ireland, and first established the town in the 1750s. Somerville was originally a sparsely populated farming community, but grew rapidly with the completion of the railroad in the 1840s and the development of hydroelectric power along the Raritan River in the 1850s. Early industries included making brick from the red clay and shale used to build Somerville. Although much of the borough has prominent Victorian architecture in its many neighborhoods and main streets, But there are other eras to explore. National Register landmarks in Somerville include the 1909 white marble Somerville Court House and the wood and stone Colonial Wallace House (now a museum), where George Washington spent winters during the American Revolutionary War. Near the Wallace House is the Old Dutch Parsonage Church, home to the Reverend Jacob Ratson Hardenberg, founder and first president of Rutgers University, then Queens College. Victorian structures on the Register include the James Harper Smith Estate (private), St John's Episcopal Church and Rectory, and the Fire Museum (an historic firehouse). Other notable structures on the Register include the Victorian Railroad Depot (private) and the former Roberts Mansion. Originally the center of local commerce, the district has evolved into a boutique retail and dining scene. Modern highways encircle and cross modern Somerville, including U.S. Route 22, U.S. Route 202, U.S. Route 202, U.S.