Editing Sayreville, New Jersey (section)

==History==
[[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] were the first settlers of Sayreville. [[Navesink tribe|Tribes of the Navesink]] lived along the [[South River (Raritan River tributary)|South River]] where Jernee Mill Road is located today. This was noted on a 1656 [[New Netherland]] map by [[Adriaen van der Donck]], a Dutch surveyor and map maker. Attempting to buy land from the Native Americans, European settlers travelled up the Raritan River in 1663. During the 20th century, amateur archaeologists found thousands of Indian artifacts at the location shown on the map.<ref>Pytel, Ed. [http://www.sayreville.com/historical_history.htm "Significant facts about Sayreville history"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202313/http://www.sayreville.com/historical_history.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.sayrevillehistory.org/timeline A Timeline of Sayreville History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225015516/https://www.sayrevillehistory.org/timeline |date=December 25, 2019 }}, Sayreville Historical Society. Accessed December 24, 2019. "Pre-Colonial: Leni Lenape inhabit the region, utilizing a series of established paths, or trails, through the area that would become Sayreville. These include the Matchaponix, Deerfield, and the Minisink Trails, which the Lenape used to cross the Raritan River each Spring and Fall at present-day River Road, a location they called Matokshegan.... 1663: In the Fall of this year, Dutch and English ships travel up the Raritan River for the first time, both with the intent of purchasing land from the Lenape."</ref>

Predating the incorporation of Sayreville, the Morgan Inn (later known as the Old Spye Inn) was established in 1703 in what is now the Morgan section of Sayreville.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_ChZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT123 ''Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into New Jersey''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231004043559/https://books.google.com/books?id=_ChZDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT123#v=onepage&q&f=false |date=October 4, 2023 }}, p. 123. [[Simon and Schuster]], 2012. {{ISBN|9781607106029}}. Accessed December 24, 2019. "Sir Morgan liked to have a drink at the Old Spye Inn, which once stood at the foot of Old Spye Inn Road in Sayreville (it burned down in 1976). But that story is probably just wishful thinking: The inn was built circa 1703, and Henry Morgan died in 1688."</ref> Charles Morgan III and his descendants, including [[James Morgan (congressman)|Major General James Morgan]] and [[List of New Jersey military officers in the American Revolution#Lieutenants|Lieutenant Nicholas Morgan]], played significant roles in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. The Morgan family lived in the area for over 200 years and many family members, including Evertsons, are buried in the privately owned Morgan Cemetery, which overlooks [[Raritan Bay]]. The Morgans were said to be related to the famous pirate, Captain [[Henry Morgan]], who is said to have visited the Inn on more than one occasion, although this would have been impossible, considering Morgan died in Jamaica in 1688 and the Old Spye Inn wasn't built until 1703.<ref>Harrison, Diane Norek. [http://njtoday.net/2008/04/24/remembering-the-past-morgan-history/ "Remembering the Past: Morgan History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529052238/http://njtoday.net/2008/04/24/remembering-the-past-morgan-history/ |date=May 29, 2014 }}, NJToday.net, April 24, 2008. Accessed November 7, 2013. "The town of Morgan was probably not named after the famous pirate, Captain Henry Morgan, as many residents believe. In my research I have observed that Captain Henry Morgan was probably related to the original Morgan family that settles the town."</ref><ref>[http://www.njhm.com/oldspyeinn.htm The Old Spye Inn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230419/http://www.njhm.com/oldspyeinn.htm |date=September 27, 2007 }}, New Jersey History's Mysteries. Accessed September 2, 2007.</ref>

It was from an episode during the Revolutionary War that the Morgan Inn gained its new name, the Old Spye Inn. According to local legends, a local British loyalist, Abe Mussey, was captured by Continental Army troops in 1777 while signaling to British ships in Raritan Bay. He was tried as a spy at the Inn, convicted in a one-day trial, and sentenced to death by hanging.<ref>Hatala, Greg. [https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2015/11/glimpse_of_history_a_safe_haven_for_raiders_in_say.html "Glimpse of History: A safe haven for raiders in Sayreville"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225015517/https://www.nj.com/middlesex/2015/11/glimpse_of_history_a_safe_haven_for_raiders_in_say.html |date=December 25, 2019 }}, NJ Advance Media for [[NJ.com]], November 26, 2015, updated January 17, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2019. "The name was changed in 1777 following the capture, trial and hanging of a traitor named Abe Mussey, who was signaling to British ships in the bay. Ye Olde Spye Inn burned down in 1976; curiously, the fire took place one year after a reenactment of Mussey's trial."</ref> Mussey's execution was carried out using a tree near the Inn's entrance. Mussey was reported to be buried behind the Inn in an unmarked grave. The Inn was destroyed by fire in 1976, but its ruins remain on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Middlesex.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Middlesex County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107045405/http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/middlesex.pdf |date=November 7, 2014 }}, [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] Historic Preservation Office, updated September 18, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2019.</ref>

Originally known as Roundabout (for the river bends in the area) and then as Wood's Landing, the community was renamed in the 1860s for James R. Sayre Jr. of [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], who co-founded [[Sayre and Fisher Brick Company]] in the 1850s together with Peter Fisher.<ref>Cheslow, Jerry. [https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/16/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-sayreville.html "If You're Thinking of Living in Sayreville"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324231343/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/16/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-sayreville.html |date=March 24, 2016 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', August 16, 1992. Accessed October 1, 2015. "Named for James Sayre Jr. who, together with Peter Fisher, built the Sayre & Fisher Brick Works along the Raritan River in the 1850s, the Middlesex County borough remains primarily a blue collar community, although its white collar population has been growing recently, according to Mayor John B. McCormack."</ref><ref>[http://www.sayrevillehistory.org/#!timeline/c20od A Timeline of Sayreville History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011205122/http://www.sayrevillehistory.org/#!timeline/c20od |date=October 11, 2014 }}, Sayreville Historical Society. Accessed October 1, 2015. "1860: The first post office is established by Sayre & Fisher at Roundabout. Though still a part of South Amboy, the name 'Sayreville' begins to enter into usage, identifying the area once known as Roundabout."</ref> It was one of the many companies that took advantage of the extensive clay deposits that supported the brick industry from the early 19th century until 1970. From its inception, Sayre & Fisher quickly grew into one of the largest brick-making companies in the world. Production grew from 54 million bricks annually in 1878, to 178 million bricks a year in 1913, and had reached a total of 6.2 billion bricks in the 100 years through its centennial in 1950.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120304154519/http://www.njhm.com/sayre%26fisher.htm This Month's Featured Question About New Jersey History], New Jersey History's Mysteries, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of March 4, 2012. Accessed October 1, 2015. "When the company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1950, it estimated that they had made 6,250,000,000 bricks, enough to build over 400,000 modern homes."</ref>

In 1898, [[DuPont]] began production of gunpowder at its plant on Deerfield Road, and later off Washington Road.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20051126190342/http://www.injersey.com/day/story/0,2379,207725,00.html Sayreville Timeline], ''[[Home News Tribune]]'', August 12, 1999, backed up by the [[Internet Archive]] as of November 26, 2005. Accessed May 8, 2012.</ref> The company later built additional facilities in Sayreville for the production of paint and photo products.

At one time the [[Raritan River Railroad]] passed through Sayreville and had several spurs to service Sayre & Fisher and other local industries. A train running on the line was featured in "The Juggernaut," a 1914 episode of the silent movie serial ''[[The Perils of Pauline (1914 serial)|The Perils of Pauline]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://216.86.48.88/rrrrwp/?m=200603 |title=All about The Raritan River Railroad |access-date=September 3, 2007 |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013141530/http://216.86.48.88/rrrrwp/?m=200603 |url-status=live }}</ref> The episode was staged on the line, including the construction of a bridge over Ducks Nest Pond in Sayreville. The fishing pond is located in the back of Bailey Park, near the DuPont and Hercules factories.

In 1918 during World War I, Sayreville was heavily damaged by TNT explosions at the [[T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion|Gillespie Shell Loading Plant]]. The disaster killed dozens and injured hundreds of local victims, damaged hundreds of buildings, required an emergency declaration of martial law, and scattered wide areas of ammunition remnants that continue to surface occasionally.<ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/10/05/97030444.pdf "Great Munition Plant Blown Up; 100 May Be Dead"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510020505/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/10/05/97030444.pdf |date=May 10, 2020 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 5, 1918. Accessed June 1, 2014.</ref><ref>[https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/10/06/98271844.pdf "Day of Explosions and Fire Finishes Shell Plant Ruin"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510020506/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1918/10/06/98271844.pdf |date=May 10, 2020 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 6, 1918. Accessed June 1, 2014.</ref><ref>[http://sub.gmnews.com/news/2007-07-06/Front_page/039.html "Old military explosive unearthed in schoolyard"] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20130124063208/http://sub.gmnews.com/news/2007-07-06/Front_page/039.html |date=2013-01-24 }}, ''Suburban'', July 6, 2007. Accessed June 1, 2014. "We find these things a couple of times a year in town."</ref>

Sayreville's clay deposits have earned scientific notice as one of the world's major sources of museum-quality fossils found in amber (see [[New Jersey amber]]). This prehistoric tree resin managed to encase over a hundred species of insects and plants from approximately 90 million years ago, when Sayreville had a tropical climate. The fossils have been extensively researched and published by [[David Grimaldi (entomologist)|David Grimaldi]], curator of invertebrate zoology at the [[American Museum of Natural History]].<ref>Sayreville Historical Society. [https://books.google.com/books?id=yimlsJiPfLcC&pg=PA108 ''Sayreville''], p. 108. [[Arcadia Publishing]], 2001. {{ISBN|9780738504902}}. Accessed October 1, 2015.</ref><ref>[http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/parks/loc49.htm Geology of National Parks: Sayreville / Kennedy Park] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317191428/http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/nyc/parks/loc49.htm |date=March 17, 2015 }}, [[United States Geological Survey]]. Accessed October 1, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=D. Grimaldi |author2=A. Shedrinsky |author3=T. Wampler |chapter=A remarkable deposit of fossiliferous amber from the Cretaceous (Turonian) of New Jersey |editor=David Grimaldi |title=Studies on Fossils in Amber |pages=1–76 |location=Leiden |publisher=Backhuys |year=2000}}</ref>