Somerville Through Time

Uses historic photos to reveal the village's growth from colonial roots to a modern borough.

Somerville Through Time and its historic photos provide a glimpse into the life of our village and the people of a century ago and, through comparison with modern views, show the growth of our borough. George Washington lived in Somerville for six months (December 11, 1778, to June 3, 1779) during the Middlebrook Cantonment of the American Revolution. Although Somerville was settled in colonial times primarily by the Dutch who purchased land from the English proprietors of the colony, our "then" photos will focus mainly on the village in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The early village grew up around a church, courthouse and a tavern built at a crossroads shortly after the American Revolution. No one knows who gave Somerville its name, but it was known by this name by about 1800. Somerville grew rapidly after the completion of the railroad in the 1840s and the development of water power along the Raritan River in the 1850s. In 1909, Somerville formally separated from Bridgewater Township and became and independent borough. The town celebrated its Centennial Anniversary in 2009.