Bound Brook, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Bound Brook is a borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....

, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.

Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town
Town (New Jersey)
A Town in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government...

 by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...

 on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township
Bridgewater Township, New Jersey
Bridgewater Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. , the township population was 44,464.Bridgewater Township was originally created by Royal Charter on April 4, 1749, from portions of the Northern precinct, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of...

. On February 11, 1891, it was incorporated as a borough, based on the results of a referendum held on the previous day.

History

The town was first settled in 1681 and was established near the Bound Brook
Bound Brook (New Jersey)
Bound Brook is a tributary of the Raritan River in Middlesex County, New Jersey in the United States.Its name comes from a boundary in an Indian deed. The stream is referred to as Sacunk, a Native American name meaning "slow sluggish stream", on early maps of the area.It rises in Edison and flows...

 stream of the same name, which flows into the Raritan River via the Green Brook on the eastern side of the borough.

A wooden bridge over the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...

 was erected as early as 1761 and named Queen's Bridge in 1767. Later, it became a covered bridge
Covered bridge
A covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...

. During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

 the bridge was used repeatedly by both sides including during the Battle of Bound Brook
Battle of Bound Brook
The Battle of Bound Brook was a surprise attack conducted by British and Hessian forces against a Continental Army outpost at Bound Brook, New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. The British objective of capturing the entire garrison was not met, although prisoners were taken...

 in 1777. In 1875, the wooden bridge was replaced by a steel pipe truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...

, which was itself replaced by a steel girder bridge in 1984, still using the old pillars. The bridge was renovated and paved in 2007.

The Battle of Bound Brook
Battle of Bound Brook
The Battle of Bound Brook was a surprise attack conducted by British and Hessian forces against a Continental Army outpost at Bound Brook, New Jersey during the American Revolutionary War. The British objective of capturing the entire garrison was not met, although prisoners were taken...

, one of the battles in the New York and New Jersey campaign
New York and New Jersey campaign
The New York and New Jersey campaign was a series of battles for control of New York City and the state of New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War between British forces under General Sir William Howe and the Continental Army under General George Washington in 1776 and the winter months of 1777...

 during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...

, occurred on April 13, 1777, and resulted in a defeat for the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...

, who were routed by about 4,000 troops under British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

 command.

Geography

Bound Brook is located at 40.565203°N 74.539513°W (40.565203, -74.539513).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the borough has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²), all of it land.

As the southern portion of the borough (including the downtown area) is a low-lying natural flood plain of the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...

, Bound Brook suffers occasional flooding after heavy rain. Flood control protection is now in place on the western and eastern sides of Bound Brook; however, the main flood levee that will protect the borough from damaging flood waters from the Raritan River is not expected to be completed until at least 2012. The flood levee is expected to provide protection from 150-year floods.

Demographics

At the 2000 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, there were 10,155 people, 3,615 households and 2,461 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 5,953.7 per square mile (2,292.9/km2). There were 3,802 housing units at an average density of 2,229.0 per square mile (858.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 82.57% White, 2.52% African American, 0.31% Native American, 2.88% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.67% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.87% of the population.

There were 3,615 households of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.21.

21.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 36.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.

The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...

 was $46,858 and the median family income was $51,346. Males had a median income of $32,226 versus $28,192 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the borough was $22,395. About 6.9% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Bound Brook has become a Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...

 enclave in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....

, with many businesses in the downtown area, including restaurants and small markets, owned by Latinos. It has the highest Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

n population (more than 500) of any municipality in the United States, with 14.7% of residents in the 2000 Census reporting that they were of Costa Rican ancestry.

Local government

Bound Brook is governed under the Borough
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....

 form of New Jersey municipal government by a mayor and a six-member borough council, all elected at-large
At-Large
At-large is a designation for representative members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the body , rather than a subset of that membership...

 in partisan elections. The mayor is directly elected by the voters to a four-year term of office. Members of the borough council serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year.

, the Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Bound Brook is Carey Pilato, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2011. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Anthony Pranzatelli (D, 2013), John Buckley (D, 2012), Hal Dietrich (D, 2011), Mark Hasting (R, 2013), Vinnie Petti (D, 2011) and Howard Wagner (R, 2012).

Federal, state and county representation

Bound Brook is in the 7th Congressional district and is part of New Jersey's 16th state legislative district. The borough was relocated to the 23rd state legislative district by the New Jersey Apportionment Commission
New Jersey Apportionment Commission
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission is a constitutionally-created ten-member commission responsible for apportioning the forty districts of the New Jersey Legislature. The commission is convened after each decennial U.S. Census, and the districts are to be in use for the legislative elections...

 based on the results of the 2010 Census. The new district will be in effect for the June 2011 primary and the November 2011 general election, with the state senator and assembly members elected taking office in the new district as of January 2012.




Education

The Bound Brook School District
Bound Brook School District
The Bound Brook School District is a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in Prekindergarten through twelfth grade from Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States....

 serves students in pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2009-10 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...

) are
LaMonte School (preK-K; 159 students),
LaMonte Annex (1-2; 284),
Lafayette School (3-5; 320),
Smalley School (6-8; 255) and
Bound Brook High School
Bound Brook High School
Bound Brook High School is a comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Bound Brook School District....

 (9-12; 510). Students from South Bound Brook, New Jersey
South Bound Brook, New Jersey
South Bound Brook is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,563.What is now South Bound Brook was originally formed as a town within Franklin Township...

, attended the district's high school as part of a sending/receiving relationship
Sending/receiving relationship
A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts have grown as part of a historical relationship...

 with the South Bound Brook School District
South Bound Brook School District
The South Bound Brook School District is a community public school district that serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from South Bound Brook, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States....

.

There was also an Interparochial Catholic School in the borough, Holy Family Academy, (pre-K to grade 8) serving the local and surrounding communities. Estimated enrollment was about 150 prior to closure.

Transportation

The Bound Brook New Jersey Transit Station
Bound Brook (NJT station)
Bound Brook is a New Jersey Transit railroad station on the Raritan Valley Line, in Bound Brook, New Jersey. The station building on the north side of the tracks is now a restaurant; the other station building on the south side is now privately owned. A pedestrian tunnel connects the south and...

 offers New Jersey Transit
New Jersey Transit
The New Jersey Transit Corporation is a statewide public transportation system serving the United States state of New Jersey, and New York, Orange, and Rockland counties in New York State...

 service on the Raritan Valley Line
Raritan Valley Line
The Raritan Valley Line is a diesel-engine-powered commuter rail service operated by New Jersey Transit , originating out of Pennsylvania Station, located in Newark, New Jersey, with most trains terminating at the Raritan station, located in Raritan, New Jersey.Some weekday trains continue further...

. The station building on the north side of the tracks is now a restaurant; the other station building on the south side is now privately owned. A tunnel connects the south and north sides of the tracks. There are also Conrail tracks going through this station, used for freight trains going to Newark. The station is located at 350 E. Main Street, and was built in 1913.

NJ Transit bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Port Authority Bus Terminal
The Port Authority Bus Terminal is the main gateway for interstate buses into Manhattan in New York City...

 in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...

 on the 114 and 117 routes. Local service to Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

 is available on the 65 and 66 routes.

Flooding

The lower downtown area of the city has been infamous for flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...

ing of the Raritan River. A major flood in 1896 caused major fires. In September 1999, many structures in Bound Brook near the commercial zone were damaged or destroyed by floods from the Raritan River
Raritan River
The Raritan River is a major river of central New Jersey in the United States. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.-Description:...

 resulting from Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd
Hurricane Floyd was the sixth named storm, fourth hurricane, and third major hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Floyd triggered the third largest evacuation in US history when 2.6 million coastal residents of five states were ordered from their homes as it approached...

. The flooding from this hurricane reinvigorated a long-planned effort called the Green Brook Flood Control Project
Green Brook Flood Control Project
The Green Brook Flood Control Project is a flood control project in Somerset County in central New Jersey first proposed in the early 1970s in the wake of two major flooding events: a 1971 flood event and a major flood in August 1973, which ravaged the Green Brook and Raritan River basins with...

 that would protect Bound Brook from up to a 150 year flooding event from the Raritan River and its tributaries the Middle Brook
Middle Brook (New Jersey)
Middle Brook is a tributary of the Raritan River in Somerset, New Jersey in the United States. The stream can be referred to as Rha-weigh-weiros, a Native American name meaning "running from a deep hole", on early maps of the area....

 and Green Brook that comprise the western and eastern boundaries of the town. The highest flooding level since 1800 in Bound Brook was reached during Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 (42.13 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey). The second highest recorded level was after the April 2007 nor'easter
April 2007 Nor'easter
The April or Spring Nor’easter of 2007 was a nor'easter that affected mainly the eastern parts of North America during its four day course April 14 to April 17, 2007. The combined effects of high winds, heavy rainfall, and high tides led to flooding, storm damages, power outages, and evacuations,...

, when the Raritan River crested above 38 feet, at two inches above the level set during Tropical Storm Doria
Tropical Storm Doria (1971)
Tropical Storm Doria was the costliest tropical cyclone in the 1971 Atlantic hurricane season. The fifth tropical storm of the season, Doria developed from a tropical wave on August 20 to the east of the Lesser Antilles, and after five days without development it attained tropical storm status to...

 in 1971. Main Street was also flooded in March 2010 and October 1996. Bound Brook's downtown flooding has led to several out-of-control fires over its history, including the fires of 1881 and 1887 which led to the formation of the Bound Brook Fire Department. During Hurricane Floyd in 1999, a fire began in Otto Williams Harley Davidson on Main Street. With the building cut off by flood water, the fire spread quickly to two other structures before being stopped by the efforts of the Bound Brook Fire Department, then under the command of Chief Richard S. Colombaroni. Utilizing Fire boats from the FDNY as well as extensive help from mutual aid companies, the fire was stopped before two other buildings on Main St. and others nearby on Mountain Avenue, could be affected. During the April 2007 Nor'easter, the BBFD stopped another fire from spreading through an area of close residential construction. Under the command of Chief James Knight, and again with the assistance of mutual aid companies including the Finderne Fire Department, fire loss was restricted to three residential buildings.

Flooding of downtown occurred again in August 2011 when Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene (2011)
Hurricane Irene was a large and powerful Atlantic hurricane that left extensive flood and wind damage along its path through the Caribbean, the United States East Coast and as far north as Atlantic Canada in 2011...

 passed along the East Coast. however, it was surmised that damage was mitigated by the not-yet-completed flood gate system.

Notable residents

  • Isaac Blackford
    Isaac Blackford
    Isaac Newton Blackford was the second Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, the court's longest serving Justice, and among the longest serving jurists in the history of the United States. He wrote an eight volume work entitled Blackford's Reports recording all the early decisions of the court...

     (1786–1859), Indiana Supreme Court Justice.
  • Margaret Bourke-White
    Margaret Bourke-White
    Margaret Bourke-White was an American photographer and documentary photographer. She is best known as the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of Soviet Industry, the first female war correspondent and the first female photographer for Henry Luce's Life magazine, where her...

     (1906–71), photographer.
  • Robert Florczak
    Robert Florczak
    Robert Florczak is an American artist and illustrator.Growing up in Bound Brook, New Jersey and a student at Bound Brook High School, Florczak was influenced by art teacher Jerry Meatyard...

     (born 1950), artist/illustrator.
  • William P. Gottlieb
    William P. Gottlieb
    William Paul Gottlieb was an American photographer and newspaper columnist who is best known for his classic photographs of the leading performers of the "Golden Age" of American jazz in the 1930s and 1940s...

     (1917–2006), jazz musician and photographer.
  • Sylvester Graham
    Sylvester Graham
    The Reverend Sylvester Graham was an American dietary reformer. He was born in Suffield, Connecticut as the 17th child of Reverend John Graham. Sylvester Graham was ordained in 1826 as a Presbyterian minister. He entered Amherst College in 1823 but did not graduate...

     (1794–1851), Presbyterian Minister and inventor of the Graham cracker
    Graham cracker
    The graham cracker was developed in 1829 in Bound Brook, New Jersey, by Presbyterian minister Rev. Sylvester Graham. The true graham cracker is made with graham flour, a combination of fine-ground white flour and coarse-ground wheat bran and germ. Graham crackers are often used for making s'mores...

    .
  • William Griffith
    William Griffith (New Jersey attorney)
    -Biography:Born in Bound Brook, New Jersey, Griffith read law to enter the bar in 1788. He was in private practice in Burlington, New Jersey from 1789 to 1801, and was also a Surrogate, Burlington County, New Jersey from 1790 to 1799, and a member of the Common Council of the City of Burlington...

     (1766–1826), judge who served on the United States circuit court
    United States circuit court
    The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. They had trial court jurisdiction over civil suits of diversity jurisdiction and major federal crimes. They also had appellate...

    .
  • William H. Johnson (stage name, Zip the Pinhead
    Zip the Pinhead
    Zip the Pinhead, born William Henry Johnson , was an American freak show performer famous for his oddly tapered head.- Early life :...

    ; 1857–1926), freak show and circus performer.
  • George M. La Monte
    George M. La Monte
    George Mason La Monte was an American businessman, philanthropist, and Democratic politician. He was the Democratic nominee for United States Senate in New Jersey in 1918 and served as Chairman of the Board of the Prudential Insurance Company.-Early life and business career:La Monte was born in...

     (1863–1927), businessman, politician, and philanthropist.
  • James Augustine McFaul
    James Augustine McFaul
    James Augustine McFaul was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Trenton from 1894 until his death in 1917.-Biography:...

     (1850–1917), Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton
    Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in southern New Jersey, United States. Its ecclesiastic territory includes the counties of Burlington, Monmouth, Ocean, and Mercer ....

     from 1894-1917.
  • William E. Ozzard
    William E. Ozzard
    William E. Ozzard was an American Republican Party politician who served for 13 years in the New Jersey Legislature, serving as New Jersey Senate President in 1963. He was President of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities from 1970 to 1973.-Biography:Ozzard was born in 1915 in Weehawken, New...

     (1915–2002), President of the New Jersey Senate
    New Jersey Senate
    The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...

     and the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
    New Jersey Board of Public Utilities
    The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is a regulatory authority in New Jersey charged with the responsibility of seeing that "safe, adequate, and proper utility services are provided at reasonable rates for customers in New Jersey." The NJBPU regulates natural gas, electricity, water,...

    .
  • George Pfister
    George Pfister
    George Edward Pfister was a catcher in Major League Baseball. He played in one game for the Brooklyn Dodgers during the 1941 season and was zero for two....

     (1918–97), Major League Baseball executive.
  • Upton Sinclair
    Upton Sinclair
    Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. , was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle . It exposed conditions in the U.S...

     (1878–1968), author.
  • Samuel Swan
    Samuel Swan
    Samuel Swan , was a five-term U.S. Congressman and medical doctor....

     (1771–1844), doctor and U.S. Congressman.
  • Thomas De Witt Talmage
    Thomas De Witt Talmage
    Reverend Dr. Thomas De Witt Talmage was a preacher, clergyman and divine in the United States who held pastorates in the Reformed Church in America and Presbyterian Church. He was one of the most prominent religious leaders in the United States during the mid- to late-19th century, equaled as a...

     (1832–1902), minister, author.
  • Henry Trefflich
    Henry Trefflich
    Henry Trefflich was an animal importer and dealer. He procured animals of many different types and sizes from Africa, Asia and South America and imported them to the United States via ship and airplane. He sold them to zoos, circuses, Hollywood studios and also to various private and government...

     (1908–78), wild animal importer and dealer.

External links

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