Editing Old Bridge Township, New Jersey (section)

==Community and historical information==
*[[CPS Madison Industries Superfund Site]] has been identified as the 14th-worst [[Superfund]] site in the United States. That area is fenced off along Waterworks Road, near Cheesequake Road. This area has one chemical plant still operating, Old Bridge Chemical. A former plant, Ciba Chemical closed several years ago and a bulk of the plant was demolished, only the office building remains.<ref>[http://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.aliases&id=0200109 Other Names (Aliases) for CPS/Madison Industries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160112123043/http://cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/SiteProfiles/index.cfm?fuseaction=second.aliases&id=0200109 |date=January 12, 2016 }}, [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]. Accessed August 10, 2015.</ref>
*Many small ponds in the area are remnants of clay pits dug in the 19th century, as clay was a major industry. The Perrine clay pit was located near Route 9 and Ernston Road.<ref name=ArcadiaOldBridge/>
*The Runyon coal yards were located off Bordentown Avenue and Cheesequake Road, at the site of Stavola Asphalt Construction Company (formerly Manzos Contracting). Rail cars at this yard were used to transport their loads to the South Amboy docks, where the coal was shipped to New York City.
*Pilings of former docks can be found by foot traversing Steamboat Landing Road, also known as Dock Road, which is the extension of Cottrell Road at its intersection of Route 34.
*The Ochwald Brickworks, now the site of Bridgepointe Development in [[Laurence Harbor, New Jersey|Laurence Harbor]], began operation in 1910 and continued operation into the early 1960s. Behind the Bridgepointe Development and far into the woodline and field, old bricks can still be found.<ref name=ArcadiaOldBridge/>
*The Kepec Chemical Company in the Genoa section (off County Road) is where [[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]] were reported to have contacted Russian spies in 1950. The FBI conducted surveillance of the building at the intersection of Biondi Avenue and Gordon Street. Only a few bricks remain to mark this location at the foot of Columbus Avenue.<ref>Donahue, Brian. [http://www1.gmnews.com/2002/06/06/a-towns-history-as-seen-through-the-cameras-eye/ "A town’s history as seen through the camera’s eye"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119060623/http://www1.gmnews.com/2002/06/06/a-towns-history-as-seen-through-the-cameras-eye/ |date=January 19, 2018 }}, ''Suburban News'', June 6, 2002. Accessed January 18, 2018. "There are also the Runyan Coal Yards off Browntown Avenue, the old Cheesequake Hotel and even a picture of the Kepec Chemical Co. — the site where the Rosenbergs allegedly contacted Russian spies in 1950."</ref>
*A mass grave in the Ernst Memorial Cemetery off Ernston Road holds the remains of over a dozen unidentified victims of the [[T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion]] of 1918. This plant exploded in the Morgan section of neighboring Sayreville, killing an estimated 100 persons. Shock waves were felt as far north as Newark.<ref>[http://www.morgan-nj.org/blog/sample-page/t-a-gillespie-shell-loading-company/grave-site-of-the-morgan-plant-unidentified-dead/ Grave Site of the Morgan Plant Unidentified Dead] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907185148/http://www.morgan-nj.org/blog/sample-page/t-a-gillespie-shell-loading-company/grave-site-of-the-morgan-plant-unidentified-dead/ |date=September 7, 2015 }}, Morgan, New Jersey. Accessed August 10, 2015. "The remains of those unfortunate souls, who were so badly disintegrated by the blasts, were buried in a mass grave in nearby Ernst Memorial Cemetery."</ref>
*A horse-racing track used to be located where present day Lakeridge development now stands (near the border with Matawan Borough.)
*A circular car racing track (early 1950s to approximately 1982) used to be located off County Route 516 where the Whispering Pines Development is now. No visible trace remains.
*Cheesequake State Park, one of the oldest in the country, opening on June 22, 1940, covers {{convert|1274|acres}}, partially located in Old Bridge. Located near the [[Garden State Parkway]] exit 120, [[New Jersey Route 34|Route 34]] and [[New Jersey Route 35|Route 35]], the park is often crowded by sunbathers, picnics, concert goers (nearby [[PNC Bank Arts Center]]) and tourists.<ref>[http://www.nj.gov/dep/daw/cheesequake/ "Cheesequake State Park Offers Much To Do In A Small Package"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118233322/http://www.nj.gov/dep/daw/cheesequake/ |date=January 18, 2018 }}, [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]]. Accessed January 18, 2018. "And while the serenity of Cheesequake Creek kayak ecotours are certainly a highlight of this 1,274-acre park in Old Bridge, Middlesex County, the added fishing, hiking and camping available among the coastal wetlands and forests also make for quality and sometimes surprising getaways in the well-developed Raritan Bay region."</ref>
*A [[Cold War]]-era [[Nike missile]] base is located off [[U.S. Route 9 in New Jersey|Route 9]] on Jake Brown Road. Listed in ''[[Weird NJ]]'' as a haunted site, readers frequent this area and explore the fields where former base worker residences once stood. The actual base was purchased by the [[Old Bridge Township Public Schools]] for use as storage. The former underground silos and tunnels were purposely flooded and caved in when the base was closed.<ref>Musco, Penny. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/jerseys-nukes/ "Jersey's Nukes; Where Nike missiles once reigned, tourists now roam."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909074534/http://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/jerseys-nukes/ |date=September 9, 2015 }}, ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', September 13, 2010. Accessed August 10, 2015. "Bender escorted me to two other Nike sites, part of the semicircle of nine northern New Jersey sites arranged around New York City. Off Route 9 in Old Bridge, the buildings are used by the Board of Education for bus maintenance."</ref>
*[[Old Bridge Township Raceway Park]], a racetrack that had hosted [[Funny Car]] and [[drag racing]] including the NHRA Summernationals, is located off Englishtown Road near the township's border with Manalapan and Monroe. As part of a January 2018 reorganization, the facility announced that it will no longer be holding drag racing events, retaining kart and motocross races, as well as car shows and concerts.<ref>via [[Associated Press]]. [http://www.espn.com/racing/nhra/story/_/id/22135656/owners-raceway-park-englishtown-new-jersey-end-nhra-summernationals-drag-racing "Summernationals homeless after Raceway Park drops drag racing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119001152/http://www.espn.com/racing/nhra/story/_/id/22135656/owners-raceway-park-englishtown-new-jersey-end-nhra-summernationals-drag-racing |date=January 19, 2018 }}, ''[[ESPN]]'', January 18, 2018. Accessed January 18, 2018. "The NHRA Summernationals no longer have a home. The owners of Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, have informed the National Hot Rod Association they no longer will host drag racing events, effective immediately.... While drag racing on the quarter-mile or eighth-mile track will end immediately, Raceway Park will use the stadium portion of the facility to continue most of its operations, including auto swap meets, numerous car shows, motocross and kart races and other events."</ref>
*On September 3, 1977, the [[Grateful Dead]] performed for a crowd of 100,000 at Raceway Park. The show was recorded and released in album form as part of "Dick's Picks", a series of live albums, in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Eyes of the World,' The Grateful Dead at Raceway Park, Englishtown|url=https://www.njarts.net/350-jersey-songs/eyes-world-grateful-dead/|date=2014-10-09|website=NJArts.net|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-19|archive-date=September 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929135707/https://www.njarts.net/350-jersey-songs/eyes-world-grateful-dead/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*The heavy metal band [[Metallica]] relocated from Los Angeles to the township in the early 1980s to record the songs on what would be their debut album ''[[Kill 'Em All]]''.<ref>[http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/01/metallica-and-old-bridge-metal-militia-untold-story/82536640/ "Metallica and the Old Bridge Metal Militia: The untold story "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002000817/https://www.app.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/04/01/metallica-and-old-bridge-metal-militia-untold-story/82536640/ |date=October 2, 2023 }}, ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', April 1, 2016. Accessed April 2, 2016. "... the couple decided to invite Metallica out to Old Bridge to record the songs on the demo for a proper album, which would eventually be called "Kill 'Em All." The band, originally from Los Angeles, subsequently lived in various houses and motels throughout Central Jersey and the Jersey Shore for the next two years when not on tour."</ref>