Griggstown, New Jersey

Griggstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[5][6][7][8] As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 819.[4] The area was first settled around 1733.

Griggstown, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Griggstown, New Jersey Location of Griggstown within Somerset County. (Inset: location of Somerset County in New Jersey). Show map of Somerset County, New Jersey Griggstown, New Jersey Griggstown, New Jersey (New Jersey) Show map of New Jersey Griggstown, New Jersey Griggstown, New Jersey (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40.439868°N 74.598319°W / 40.439868; -74.598319[1][2]
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Somerset
Township	Franklin
Named for	Griggs family
Area [1]
• Total	2.519 sq mi (6.524 km^2)
• Land	2.447 sq mi (6.338 km^2)
• Water	0.072 sq mi (0.187 km^2)  2.86%
Elevation [3]	102 ft (31 m)
Population  (Census 2010)[4]
• Total	819
• Density	334.7/sq mi (129.2/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern (EDT))
Area code(s)	609/640, 732/848 and 908
FIPS code	3428470[1]
GNIS feature ID	02583995[1]

The Griggstown Causeway over the Millstone River

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%).[1][2]

Griggstown is adjacent to the communities of Kingston, Rocky Hill, Montgomery Township, Kendall Park (in South Brunswick), 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.[9]

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.[9]
• Griggstown Volunteer Fire Company
• Griggstown Lock of the Delaware and Raritan Canal
• Griggstown Mine
• Norseville
• Sunset Hill Garden

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
2010	819		—
Population sources: 2010[4]

Census 2010

The 2010 United States Census counted 819 people, 346 households, and 230.090 families in the CDP. The population density was 334.7 per square mile (129.2/km²). There were 364 housing units at an average density of 148.8 per square mile (57.5/km²). The racial makeup 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.23% (51) of the population.[4]

Of the 346 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18; 57.2% were married couples living together; 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 33.5% were non-families. Of all households, 27.2% 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.[4]

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 population had 101.7 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 101.5 males.[4]

National Register of Historic Places

Griggstown Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Bridge tender's house and bridge over the Delaware and Raritan Canal leading to Griggstown
Location	Roughly Canal Road from Old Georgetown Road to Ten Mile Run, Griggstown, New Jersey
Area	861 acres (348 ha)
NRHP reference No.	84002798[10]
Added to NRHP	August 2, 1984

The Griggstown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is District #84002798.[11]

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.[12]
• Paul Muldoon (born 1951) writer, academic and educator, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet originally from County Armagh, Northern Ireland.[13]

Images

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  Griggstown, NJ
• 
  Griggstown, NJ
• 
  The Griggstown Causeway over the Millstone River

References

1. Gazetteer of New Jersey Places, United States Census Bureau. Accessed July 21, 2016.
2. US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990, United States Census Bureau. Accessed September 4, 2014.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Griggstown Census Designated Place, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed August 28, 2012.
4. DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Griggstown CDP, New Jersey Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 28, 2012.
5. GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Somerset County, New Jersey Archived 2020-02-12 at Archive.today, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 11, 2013.
6. 2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 11, 2013.
7. New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed February 11, 2013.
8. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 18, 2015.
9. William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3
10. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
11. New Jersey - Somerset County - Historic Districts, National Register of Historic Places. Accessed September 22, 2007.
12. History of Franklin Township, NY-NJ-CT Botany Online. Accessed September 22, 2007. "1777:... In Griggstown John Honeyman (with a home that still stands at the foot of Bunker Hill Road and Canal Road) posed as a cattle-trader sympathetic to the British in order to spy on them. Honeyman's information helped Washington plan the surprise attack on Trenton."
13. "Making history in Griggstown". Princeton Packet. November 27, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2008. Two presentations by John Allen, president of the Griggstown Historical Society, were made. Mark Alan Hewitt, project architect, received an autographed copy of Moy Sand & Gravel by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, a Griggstown resident.