Weston, New Jersey
| Weston, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| Census-designated place | |
 Weston, New Jersey
Weston, New Jersey
Weston, New Jersey
|
|
| Coordinates: 40°31′37″N 74°34′02″W / 40.527045°N 74.56718°WCoordinates: 40°31′37″N 74°34′02″W / 40.527045°N 74.56718°W | |
| Country |
 United States
|
| State |
 New Jersey
|
| County | Somerset |
| Township | Franklin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.447 sq mi (3.748 km2) |
| • Land | 1.395 sq mi (3.614 km2) |
| • Water | 0.052 sq mi (0.134 km2) 3.58% |
| Elevation | 95 ft (29 m) |
| Population (Census 2010) | |
| • Total | 1,235 |
| • Density | 885.0/sq mi (341.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 609 and 732/848 |
| FIPS code | 3479715 |
| GNIS feature ID | 02584040 |
Weston is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 1,235.
Situated on the east side of the Millstone River north of East Millstone and south of Zarephath (which has grown to include some of the area once considered Weston), early names used for the area were Schenck's Mill, Van Neste's Mill and Frogtown. Historically, an area on the west side of the river in what is now part of the borough of Manville was also referred to as Weston. The Weston Causeway is the only bridge across the Millstone River between East Millstone and the confluence with the Raritan River near South Bound Brook.
Heinrich/Henry Schenck built a grist mill on the east bank of the Millstone here, probably in the 1740s. His brother, Peter, built a mill upstream at Blackwells Mills about the same time and both were called Schenck's Mill. Three of Henry's sons, Abraham, John and Henry were in the second graduating class of 14 students of the newly founded Queen's College that later became Rutgers University.
The second owner of the mill was Abraham Van Neste, from 1771-1797. During his tenure, on January 21, 1777, there was a skirmish at the mill, known as the Battle of Millstone or the Battle of Van Nest's Mill, between a British foraging party of about 600 troops, sent out of New Brunswick by General Cornwallis, seeking the large quantity of flour they believed was stored there and a party of about 450 militia, commanded by General Philemon Dickinson. With the bridge at Weston guarded by the British, the American force had to wade across the waist deep, ice-filled river. Nevertheless, they so surprised the foraging party the British retreated without ever firing a single one of their three field pieces. In their haste, the British left behind 43 wagons, 164 horses, 118 cattle, 70 sheep and 12 soldiers who became prisoners. In the skirmish, 5 Americans were lost but the British lost about 30 men.
...
Wikipedia