A Survey of the History of Plainsboro
by Robert Yuell
10/25/1995 (Updated 1/19/2001)
[Reprinted here with the permission of
the Plainsboro Historical Society]
page 1
In the Spring of 1982 an archeological
dig was conducted at Route 1 and Scudders Mill Road, due to the
impending construction of Scudders Mill Road. In the dig, it was
discovered that an unknown group of people of the late archaic
period inhabited this site. Through carbon dating, a date of 3,700
years ago was determined for the site. Found were 25,000 objects
such as knives, charcoal, charred hickory nuts, hammers, fish
spears and various projectile points. The most exciting part of
the find was evidence of several 25 by 15 foot oval structures.
These showed post-molds -- dark columns of soil where wooden posts
have rotted away. This would imply a permanent or semi-permanent
settlement. These phenomena are, other than the artifacts, the
most important things about the past that can be recovered. These
features are very rare in central New Jersey.
Other more recent inhabitants of this area
were the Unami subtribe of the Lenape Indians, who in turn belonged
to a much larger group, named the Delaware. They were a peace
loving group and were excellent agriculturists. This section of
New Jersey has some of the most fertile soil of the state, and,
together with an ample water supply, was well suited to their
needs. Many Native American artifacts have been found along the
banks of almost all the streams, especially the Millstone River.
By the middle 1600's, Europeans began to
spread out into the region. These were the Dutch, migrating from
the original settlement of Peter Minuet in New Amsterdam and the
English from various other areas.
Historians differ as to how Plainsboro
acquired its name. An older section of the town is the area of
the Plainsboro Road intersection with Dey Road and Edgemere. On
the north-east corner was a tavern building (it is still there
and is now three apartments). This tavern was called the "Plane
Tavern" and that is how the name started. Other researchers
maintain the area was first called the "Borough of the Plains"
or simply "The Plains". No one really knows. This structure
was later known as the MacNamee Hotel. One of the collectibles
pertaining to this hotel are bottles that date from 1880 to 1910.
A United States Post Office was officially
established on June 19, 1848 and was called "Plainsborough",
which was shorted by Presidential decree in 1894 to "Plainsboro".
The first postmaster was a gentleman named John Cox. It was located
in one of the front rooms of the house located on the north-west
corner of the same intersection mentioned before.
A grist and saw mill once stood on the
sluiceway of Plainsboro Pond at Maple Avenue, and at one time
was said to have been operated by Robert Stockton, a cousin of
Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
This mill, which was damaged in the revolution, was torn down
in 1930 after not having been used for many years.
Old farm homes, most regrettably already
demolished, were along other roads. one home in particular was
the home opposite George Davison Road. This was the Davison homestead.
The first section of the home was built in 1789, additional sections
were built as needed by the growth of the family. Another house
of note was one on Dey road, built in the Georgian style, was
supposedly the oldest house in Middlesex County. It was torn down,
"by mistake", by Lincoln Properties to make way for
the Hunters Glen apartment complex. Over the years, numerous farm
houses and out-building have been torn down in the name of progress.
Aside of Lincoln Properties, aka Linpro, aka LCOR, the other organization
that has demolished the most structures in Plainsboro is none
other than Princeton University. Bill Flemer III, owner of Princeton
Nurseries, lives in a house that dates from circa 1742. It was
attacked during the Revolutionary War. When they did some refurbishing
they discovered some cannon balls near the foundations. There
is also a spot in the outside wall, where a cannon ball struck
the house.
The oldest church, since torn down, was
the Old Bethel Methodist on Plainsboro Road, built in 1812. All
that remains is the cemetery and that is owned by the Plainsboro
Historical Society who is responsible for its upkeep. We had a
fence installed around the property, a historic marker installed
and the property is maintained by one of our members. The property
was cleaned up by a boy scout as an Eagle Scout project. The Reverend
John Miller formed the First Presbyterian Church of Plainsboro
in 1879. The present church structure was erected on the site
of the original church in 1932, while the original church building
was moved to one side and has been incorporated into the new addition
of the church completed in 1984.