08840 Metuchen | Summer 2023

ABIG DEAL

Downtown Metuchen receives Great American Main Street award, only third town in New Jersey to receive such an honor

BY HAILEY RUDERMAN

Downtown Metuchen was one of three areas recently awarded the 2023 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) by Main Street America.

Insert Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy quote: I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.

Metuchen is the big deal. Only two other downtowns in New Jersey – Westfield and Montclair – have previously received the honor.

With a population of 14,780 and growing, the borough has made a name for itself. Thousands of residents use the Metuchen local train and bus stations to travel to New York City, Philadelphia or Northern New Jersey.

According to njtod.org, “Foundational work occurred in the 1980s when Rutgers University students worked with community members to create a revitalization plan for downtown Metuchen that focused on clustered retail and residential development.”

The revitalization plan included a new zoning law to keep retail spaces and strip malls out of the downtown area.

Many local businesses, including a pizzeria and a hardware store, shut down on a six-acre lot, which was abandoned for years after.

six-acre lot, which

In 2008, the town of Metuchen received a Smart Future grant of $50,000, according to njtod.org. The grant was to continue the town’s public outreach to support the redevelopment of the area.

“When we started [building the area], the town was divided,” Isaac Kremer recalled.

Kremer is the former executive director of the Metuchen Downtown Alliance (MDA).

“Many were unsure that a Main Street program was needed. Some feared it would be another layer of bureaucracy that would make things harder for businesses,” he said. “The new development,

please see AWARD, page 6

receives Great American Main Street award. Only two other downtowns in New Jersey – Westfield and Montclair – have previously received the honor.

Downtown

08840

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

Metuchen

Letter from the EDITOR:

Hello 08840! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful weather. I am excited for you to check out our Summer edition magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Metuchen.

In this issue, readers will learn about what makes downtown Metuchen a BIG deal. With a recent 2023 Great American Main Street Award by Main Street America under its belt, Metuchen can brag a bit like Anchorman’s character Ron Burgundy. Only two other downtowns in New Jersey – Westfield and Montclair – have previously received the honor. With a population of 14,780 and growing, the borough has made a name for itself. Thousands of residents use the Metuchen local train and bus stations to travel to New York City, Philadelphia or Northern New Jersey. Learn more on page 2.

Have you ever watched a Roller Derby game? It’s not like the game seen on Saturday morning TV in the 1970s. It has evolved. Meet the ladies of the Dirty Jersey Roller Derby – Play Clean, Skate Dirty team. They play their games right in town at the Sportsplex at Metuchen. The team calls each other by their derby names – even outside the rink. As Bones No. 814 simply puts it, the fast-paced game is “fun.” The team not only plays their “fun” sport, they also do so much more from collecting food donations at games for local food pantries to rolling in area parades. Learn more about Dirty Jersey on page 8.

Get your taste palates ready for Fire & Flavor BBQ this summer. It’s the only

spot in town that brings traditional Portugal flavors to the table. Owner Wilson DaSilva has been working in the food industry since he was 15 years old. Some favorite dishes to try: the chicken and ribs cooked over the wood charcoal are Fire & Flavor’s No. 1 dish. Chicken and garlic sauce and the picadinho (a mix of square meats with shrimp, peppers, onions and Portuguese sausage) follows very closely. And every week they put a few specials out for lunch and dinner. DaSilva’s wife Andrea DaCruz is a dessert specialist, so all their desserts are homemade and made fresh weekly. Follow your taste palates to Fire & Flavor on page 12.

Stories of the past round out this issue. Readers will learn about Lenni-Lenape Chief Matouchin, the blossoming of the Brainy Borough and why the borough has been referred to as the hole in the doughnut. Nancy Zerbe, chair of Metuchen’s Historic Preservation Committee, and Tyreen Reuter, who is a Metuchen resident and volunteer for the Metuchen Historical Society, share their knowledge of the borough’s storied past starting on page 16.

All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead! Happy reading!

SUMMER 2023 CONTRIBUTORS

Hailey Ruderman

Ryan Gallagher

Jennifer Amato

Jamie Giambrone

COVER PHOTO BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE #7782 Cargoriot, member of the Dirty Jersey team.

AWARD continued from page 3

while it brought new residents and their spending power, there were concerns what impact this would have on the small-town community character.”

Soon after in 2012, Woodmont Properties won a contract to redevelop the site to turn it into a mixeduse development, called Woodmont Metro, according to njtod.org. This redevelopment helped the downtown area flourish into what it is now.

Pearl Street Piazza was then introduced to the planning board in 2014. Two hundred seventy-three residential rental units as well as 12,000 square feet of retail space were proposed.

“The difference between [Metuchen] today and when we started is night and day,” Kremer said. “In 2016, we did not have much activity. On the first Small Business Saturday that year our volunteers were thrilled to see people downtown and shopping on a Saturday. Today, that is a regular occurrence. In 2016, Metuchen was a sleepy commuter town with not a lot happening. Today, nearly every store on Main Street is filled with only one or two exceptions.”

Every year since 1995, Main Street America recognizes Main Street communities who serve as a model for preservation based-commercial district revitalization with the Great American Main Street Award, according to mainstreet.org.

The communities that are eligible to apply to this award are “all accredited Main Street America programs with an active Main Street membership and that have not previously won,” said Alicia Gallo, senior manager of Strategic Communications at Main Street America.

in organization leadership and sustainability and creating a welcoming downtown for residents, visitors and community members, according to mainstreet.org.

“The application for the award includes questions about the communities, opportunities, challenges, historic preservation, ethic, and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” Kremer said, adding the process continues with an intense interview process, finalizing in a final interview with the jury.

The MDA was specifically selected for its work to revitalize Metuchen’s Main Street, create innovative programming, and introduce downtown management. Moreover, the MDA was recognized for leaning into inclusive events – such as Lunar New Year, the Hispanic Heritage Celebration, Juneteenth, and Pride on the Plaza – while maintaining Metuchen’s historic,

through themed promotions and events developed to drive traffic to downtown businesses.

When the MDA was established in 2016, the business district had an over 20% vacancy rate.

Now vacancies are at a single-digit, alltime low, and Metuchen is regularly receiving national recognition – most recently when American Girl introduced its 2023 Girl of the Year doll, Kavi

Sharma, as a Metuchen tween who is proud of her Indian-American heritage and likes to take the train into New York from Metuchen’s downtown station.

Today’s downtown Metuchen balances old and new. You’ll find traditional businesses like a classic ice-cream parlor alongside a Dominican bakery run by a French Culinary Institute graduate, home goods sourced from Brooklyn, N.Y. and the United Kingdom and a wide variety of top-rated restaurants reflective of the diverse area.

by a French Culinary

“Metuchen Downtown Alliance’s recognition

wide, meaning all towns

The award is nationwide, meaning all towns that have an established Main Street America Program can enter. There have been 109 winners since 1995, and almost every state has a town that has won.

The applications are evaluated by a national jury of industry professionals and local leaders in the field of economic development and historic preservation.

The criteria that the jury looks for when going over the applications are inclusive community engagement in the design and implementation of programs; impactful collaboration with public and private sector partners; the generation of economic impact through small business creation, preservation, resiliency, and growth; commitment to the preservation of historically significant physical places, public spaces, legacy communities, and cultural heritage; strength

small- town character.

During the past seven years, the MDA has worked to improve signage and storefronts; celebrate Metuchen’s increasingly diverse population and businesses; create placemaking; and support the buy-local experience

Brooklyn, N.Y. and the wide variety of top-rated Main Street communities with an inspiring model of success,” include Metuchen’s excellence in creating a welcoming, walk-

as a 2023 GAMSA winner provides our national network of Main Street communities with an inspiring model of success,” Gallo said. “Some attributes include Metuchen’s excellence in creating a welcoming, walkable, and inclusive downtown through innovative and familyfriendly programming, as well as their unwavering commitment to transparent, inclusive place activation, and ‘shop local’ community identity.”

Kremer said the greatest impact of the award is “the inspiration it provides other communities to innovate, learn, grow and achieve more.”

“There were over 1,900 people at the Main Street Now conference who saw the video

please see AWARD, page 7

and the announcement,” he said. “If Metuchen was able to do this in six years, it sets a powerful example for other communities to follow. Don’t get me wrong, the award is great. Even better is [for the downtown] to continue to innovate, inspire, learn and grow.”

And current MDA executive director Dawn Mackey is doing just that.

“[Isaac] brought a significant expertise in the Main Street approach that paired perfectly with the most tenacious, and talented group of volunteers,” she said. “This resulted in an extraordinary trajectory for Metuchen. To achieve this recognition in a short six years is truly awe inspiring. As an outsider with intimate insight into other small downtowns, I can confidently say what Metuchen has is incredibly unique and the secret ingredient here is the community.

“When volunteers, the municipality, landlords and businesses put their hearts into one mission the results are pure magic. I could not be more proud of the work this team has done and am excited for this opportunity to introduce Metuchen, officially as a Great American Main Street. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

MORE THAN A

Dirty Jersey Roller

Game

It’s 8 p.m. on a Thursday night. The ladies of Dirty Jersey Roller Derby –Play Clean, Skate Dirty - are gathering at South Amboy Arena Roller Magic gearing up for a two-hour practice.

Many chatter as they put on their gear – Knee pads. Check. Elbow pads. Check. Helmet. Check. Mouth Guard. Check. Roller skates. Check.

A blow of a whistle by Clare Higgens, head coach and vice president of the team, disperses the chatter. The ladies make their way onto the rink to begin a warmup.

As the warmup begins, the sound of multiple roller skates rolling and squeaking on the hardwood rink floor is almost deafening.

BY KATHY CHANG

“[Roller derby] is something that has been around for many, many years,” said a longtime member of Dirty Jersey Roller Derby

(DJRD). “It was seen on TV. Some say, ‘Oh I remember when it was on TV Saturday mornings in the 1970s.’ In the 2000s, a new generation spread [the sport] across the country.”

The origins of roller derby date back to the 1930s and 1940. It is an international sport, mostly played by amateurs. It was under consideration as a roller sport for the 2020 Summer Olympics, according to the history of the sport.

DJRD is a Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby league founded in 2015 with about 10 members – not even a full roster.

“It was very gutsy to try to get this going,” recalled Dr. Babe, noting many at the time were part of a different team and came

please see DERBY, page 10

Derby rolls into the community collecting food pantry donations to participating in parades

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

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together to form DJRD.

The league was created with dedication not only to the sport, but to each of the members and the community. DJRD was founded by skaters with the mission to empower each and every skater while having fun and giving back to the community, according to its website.

The team follows the rules and regulations of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA), the international governing body for the sport of women’s flat track roller derby and a membership organization for leagues to collaborate and network.

According to WFTDA, there are 427 WFTDA member leagues on six continents.

DJRD plays other WFTDA teams across the tri-state area in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York.

During a typical DJRD two-hour practice, which is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the team practices skill drills and plays practice scrimmages.

The derby game is a fast-paced point system game. It’s literally two-minute spurts or jams as they call it with a lot going on. Each team typically has a roster of 15. During a jam, there are two teams on the oval track. Each team has five skaters – four blockers and one jammer who is wearing a star.

During a game, each jammer is trying to get through the blockers and once a jammer gets through the pack, they are considered a lead jammer, who can essentially

call the shots.

Once the lead jammer makes it around the track one full round, then the jammer can start to accrue points each time they get around the track. The lead jammer can call the jam anytime or if they feel they can continue to be lead jammer, they could essentially keep going up to two minutes to gain even more points.

All this happens in mere seconds and the jammer must make those split-second decisions. That is why communication is key among players. But with the almost deafening sounds of the game, it’s hard sometimes.

Each member has a name and number unique to them whether it is a child’s birthday or a favorite book. And believe it or not, some only know each other by their Derby name. Hence the unique and crazy nicknames in this article.

“We get to pretend to be that person,” member Crystal Brawl No. 321 said. “Then after, we go back to regular life. People at the supermarket would never figure.”

Unless they happen to see you go to super-

please see DERBY, page 11

market after practice or a game like Bones No. 814.

“You kinda stink and your face is doing a lot,” Bones said with a laugh, noting the extreme war paint makeup and fishnet get up that some wear.

Like everything, the COVID19 pandemic hurt the team. Roller derby is a full-on contact sport and was the first to enter the abyss of the unknown. After the initial lockdown, some teams came back, some did not.

For the ladies of the DJRD, they were excited to come back. It has grown to about 30 dedicated members.

DJRD is split among an All-Star team and a B team. Some members play on both teams.

Every year, the team holds a six-week boot camp on Sundays for those interested in joining the team. This year, the bootcamp ran from April 30 to June 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fords Park on King Georges Road in Woodbridge.

Road in Woodbridge.

There’s no need to have any skating experience. The team walks a newbie through the fundamentals of moving on skates, falling on skates to the rules of the derby game. Many times, the team pools old gear for those who want to give the sport a try.

sport skaters, incredible game

For veteran skaters, it’s incredible to watch someone who has never skated before to someone playing in a fullblown derby game months later.

Crystal Brawl, of Spotswood, joined DJRD through boot camp last year.

“I did it because I’m a mom,” she said. “I kind of lost myself in my household and my husband and kids.”

I’m said. “I kind of lost my and my husband pandemic lockdown, her

During the pandemic lockdown, Crystal Brawl, who has always liked roller and trail skating, said she would roller skate in her house and neighborhood. In a whim, she reached out to local roller derby

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

Dirty Jersey Roller Derby

All Stars play against Philly in April at the Sportsplex at

DERBY, page 14 Metuchen.

BBQ SPOT BRINGS Portugal Flavors to Metuchen

FIRE & FLAVOR offers traditional plates with a side of culture

BY JENNIFER AMATO

To say Wilson DaSilva just has experience in the food business industry is more of an understatement.

It’s an industry he started to work in when he was 15 years old.

From cooking to being part of the waitstaff to bartending - he has done it all!

DaSilva has even traveled to more than 27 countries while he was working on his degree in hotel management.

Eight years ago, with a new baby on the way, he decided to change careers and went into a whole different field - the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) business – “but the itch (to go back to his roots) was too big and once I was financially ready, we decided to open a unique spot in town,” he said.

Enter Fire & Flavor BBQ, a new Portuguese kitchen located on Middlesex Avenue that opened on Aug. 24, 2021.

It took eight months to build the interior, DaSilva said. He worked on the interior, the décor and the set up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of work, a lot of time and savings were put into a dream that has brought us a lot of experiences and new learnings,” he said.

DaSilva said growing up in the restaurant business, Metuchen felt “more and more like a destination,” plus there were so many people and different cultures around.

“I guess my travels back in the day played a big role into our choice,” he said. “We are the only Portuguese restaurant in town, which puts on us a bigger responsibility and role. Not only do we want to make sure our customers are happy, but we also want to bring the most out of our food, traditional plates, and culture.”

The chicken and ribs cooked over the wood charcoal are Fire & Flavor’s No. 1 dish.

Chicken and garlic sauce and the picadinho (a mix of square meats with shrimp, peppers, onions and Portuguese sausage) follows very closely. Salivating emoji. And every week they put a few specials out for lunch and dinner.

please see BITES, page 17

Every Sunday they bring a specialty platter from Portugal to their tables.

DaSilva’s wife Andrea DaCruz is a dessert specialist, so all their desserts are homemade and made fresh weekly. They added delivery and catering as well.

“We do a lot of partnerships with schools in town in order to donate a percentage. We do support local cops and the fire department every year. It’s part of being an active member and supporting our youth and town,” DaSilva said.

Fire & Flavor BBQ is located at 640 Middlesex Ave. The restaurant is open every day, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

To view the menu and place an order, visit www.toasttab.com/ fire-flavor-640-middlesex/ v3/?mode=fulfillment. Follow the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram under Fire & Flavor BBQ.

PHOTOS BY JAMIE GIAMBRONE

Fire & Flavor BBQ

offers traditional plates with a side of culture

teams and DJRD was the first to answer. At the time, the team’s boot camp 2022 was set to start in three weeks. Crystal Brawl showed up super scared, but excited at the same time.

“It’s just kind of a place to come together and get your aggression out,” she said.

Bones, of Marlboro, has been with the team since its inception. And if you ask her why she joined the team and came back for more? Her simple reply is because “it’s fun”

“Honestly, I got involved because the ad when I originally started was like, ‘Hey do you want to get some exercise for free, make new friends?’ Yeah why not?” Bones recalled. “I don’t run, I’m not a runner. I know a lot of people don’t like to do traditional exercise.”

Roller Derby is not your typical traditional exercise. It’s a sport that you do have to keep your endurance up so the team will weightlift, but if Bones hasn’t reminded you yet, the game is “fun.”

“Everybody on this team is just awesome and has become like a family,” she said. “It’s a place you get to hit people and it’s OK. It’s hard not to say ‘Sorry’ for a while at first, but it’s part of the game. It takes a while to get the hang of, but it’s fun, it’s fun to do, it’s fun to watch.”

Bones said her son is getting into the game now and may join a junior’s team.

To be on DJRD, a person must be 18 years old. That’s it. The beauty of roller derby is the super inclusive nature of the sport. If you have the drive and you want to play a particular position, there’s no barrier stopping you.

The DJRD roster runs the gamut of ages 19 to upwards of 50 plus. And from literally all professional

walks of life – health care and accounting to librarians and teachers.

Many DJRD members come from the Central Jersey area, but some members are from northern and southern New Jersey.

The DJRD season runs from September through June. It is more than the practices and the games that are played at their home base – the Sportsplex at Metuchen. The team gets involved in the community and gives back whether it’s a food pantry donation collection at games or rolling in various parades in Metuchen and surrounding communities.

Last year, the team participated in the Princeton Pride Parade. Part of the proceeds from T-shirts made went towards the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in Princeton.

This year, a portion of ticket sales for their double header June 11 supported the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice in Princeton.

For more information about the Dirty Jersey Roller Derby visit https://dirtyjerseyrollerderby.com/ or email dirtyjerseyrollerderby@gmail.com.

A Look Into the Past

A Lenni-Lenape chief, a Brainy Borough, and a hole in the doughnut

BY RYAN GALLAGHER

Many have wondered about life outside modernday New Jersey. If time travel were an option, what would this town look like 100 or 200 years in the past? Who lived there, and why?

Daily, it’s easy to neglect these thoughts to past civilizations and communities. However, much like the entire Garden state, Metuchen has a long, uncertain background that dates back farther than modern humans fully understand. Some of the most recent history recorded has to do with a mysterious Native American chief, and a community full of intellectuals—amongst Metuchen’s changing landscape. Most humans tend to forget history and (willingly or unwillingly) lose true historical facts. Luckily, Metuchen’s community includes those who seem hell bent on finding answers and preserving the past.

The American Indian Chief

Conversation buzzed about this topic when the Metuchen Police Department’s illustration of the Lenni-Lenape Chief on the department’s uniform patches and police cruisers came into question, according to CentralJersey.com.

Current Mayor Jonathan Busch said the former Police Chief Joseph Perrino was lent what some historians believe was an original life sketch of the Lenni-Lenape Indian Chief from 1693.

“[Chief] Perrino took a picture of the sketch with the department camera and created the painting we have all seen,” the Mayor said, adding Perrino was creating a painting from a life sketch. “The original [painting] hangs in the office of the police chief and a copy can be seen at the [Metuchen Public] library.”

For years, there have been recordings and

illustrations that depict a notable Native American Chief who was well known in the modern-day Metuchen-Edison region. It is thought that this person was called Chief Metuchen, or Matouchin, among various spellings or misspellings over recorded history.

“I have done a little looking into it,” said Nancy Zerbe, the chair of Metuchen’s Historic Preservation Committee. Zerbe got a degree in history and studied historic preservation at Columbia for her graduate degree. She spent 14 years with the New Jersey State Historic Preservation office, she’s been a consultant in this capacity, and been active in local historic preservation efforts since. Even still, she was hesitant when I called her an expert on this specific subject matter.

“So, it’s still a real mystery. I went back and looked at old issues of the Metuchen Recorder. Old papers were cautious to say this. I believe we were named after a chief in this area. But I am skeptical still, even more so about the 1968 illustration from the original sketch by Percy Milligan in the 1690s. Published in 1900, on the 60th anniversary of the Recorder the caption says, Legendary Chief Matouchin—this is probably what he’d look like. So, the publicity about it was hypothetical.”

On the other hand, there is a written letter preserved from 1720 that refers to this Indian Chief. One woman has read and studied this old letter.

“The excerpt is from a letter written by John Ayers to his mother in London, dated ‘Ye tenth of October, 1720,’” said Tyreen Reuter, who is a Metuchen resident, historian, and volunteer for the Metuchen Historical Society. “In the letter, he first

please see HISTORY, page 17

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TYREEN REUTER

RIGHT: In December 1905, Harpers president Colonel George Harvey invited the Mary Wilkins Freeman and her husband to a banquet at Delmonico’s in New York City in honor of Samuel Clemens’ (Mark Twain) 70th birthday. As reported in The New York Times, when it was time for the 170 guests to proceed into dinner, “Mr. Clemens led the way, with Mrs. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman on his arm.”

A photograph in that news article shows Clemens seated at dinner with Mary Wilkins Freeman by his side.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NANCY ZERBE LEFT: A painting of the Lenni-Lenape Chief Metouchin that hangs in the office of the Metuchen police chief and the Metuchen Public Library.

HISTORY continued from page

describes his voyage and fellow travelers, then the land in which he settled.”

MeTochen is a faire and healthy spotte about two leagues from ye bay of Perth Amboy where we landed from our ship. Heare be many little hilles which go uppe and down like ye wartes on a toades backe.

Heare also be many fine trees of oake and a kind of nutte which is in a podde or huske with many sharp spines. Ye Indians calle them “dampsh arps” which in their tounge means “needle-nutt.

MeTochen is called from ye name of ye chief of this place and meanth “slowe-dog” for that chief is lame and goeth slowly. Ye land heare is redde like a foxe and yt is wet yt sticketh lustily.

The letter is seemingly conclusive—there was a Chief that Metuchen, New Jersey is named after. Or is it? Those who study history qualify this artifact from the past, since the letter was personal and never meant to be published. Plus, there is no way to verify the “slow dog” translation, Reuter conceded.

08840

Metuchen on the Move

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. - It’s opening day for the Metuchen Farmers Market located at the Town Plaza, corner of New and Pearl streets.

2-6 p.m. - Opening reception for Metuchen High School’s National Art Honor Society Art Show at the Bowery Art Collective, 335 Main St. The show will be up through June 18.

Additional gallery viewing hours are 2-6 p.m. on Sunday, June 11, Saturday, June 17 and Sunday, June 18.

June 11

June 3

5-8 p.m. - Downtown Pride on the Metuchen Plaza, corner of New and Pearl streets. Presented by Metuchen Downtown Alliance and Metuchen Human Relations Commission.

June 3 and 17 – 1-2 p.m. – Paws to Read with Niles, the loveable therapy dog at the Metuchen Public Library, 480 Middlesex Ave.

June 4

4-6 p.m. - Join mignolo dance, in partnership with the Fall for Fall/Spring for Spring Dance Festival and the Metuchen Arts Council, for the Spring for Spring Dance Festival on the Metuchen Plaza, corner of New and Pearl streets.

June 7

5-7 p.m. – Metuchen High School (MHS_ Music Department presents Scholastic Jazz on the Plaza, corner of New and Pearl streets. Rain date is June 8. The night will feature the MHS Jazz Ensemble, MHS Jazz Band, Edgar Middle School Jazz Band, MHS Chamber Strings, Vocalist Aaron Honig and Vocalist Katherine Meyer.

June 10

5-8 p.m. – Celebrate the borough’s Great American Main Street Award Celebration with a Downtown Funhouse – from Coney Island to downtown Metuchen.

2-4 p.m. – Cornerstone Jazz Series: Roseanna Vitro & The Jazz Ambassadors at the Metuchen Public Library, 480 Middlesex Ave.

June 17

5-8 p.m. – Juneteenth celebration. On June 19, 1865, around two months after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African-Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. The holiday received its name by combining June and 19. The day is also sometimes called “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day.”

June 20

1-5 p.m. – Kid’s Takeover. Presented by the Metuchen Downtown Alliance.

It’s all in the details. When it comes to your social calendar, change is … not always good. But sometimes it’s inevitable. For updates pertaining to weather and other

he was an actual person, and John Ayers was aware of him in 1720. So, he was real. I can’t say what his name meant. But Native Americans are still here today, and not entirely gone.”

The Brainy Borough Blossoms

As American history marched on, the town of Metuchen was established, and more notable figures moved in. Both the Historical Society (Reuter and crew) as well as the Historic Preservation Committee (Zerbe and her fellowship) continuously work to educate and remind people about the unique Metuchen community.

The Historic Preservation Committee specifically looked at past Metuchen residents’ dwellings and hangouts to preserve buildings and districts in town. As it happens, many intellectuals flocked to Metuchen during early American history—earning the name Brainy Borough.

“We found an impressive list of people who lived in this town. We haven’t stopped being brainy, but looking back the list is impressive. The nickname first appeared in the early 20th century. In 1914, there was this little humor of it in local papers—an editor at the Metuchen Recorder and his counterpart in Glen Ridge. They’d put one accomplished person from their town in the paper. While the other town would highlight another ‘brainy’ person in competition,” explained Zerbe.

Clubs and organizations were created out of the “brainy” individuals’ interest and drive to fraternize with the increasingly high-brow community. In the late 1800s, Metuchen was home to the Young Men’s Literary Society, Quiet Hour (a literary, social, and feministic discussion), the Metuchen Book Club, the Delphic Dramatic Association, the Chautauqua Literary Circle, among others, according to Metuchen: The Brainy Borough by the Metuchen Historic Preservation Committee.

“After some research, we got a grant to put together a little booklet. Committee members as well as volunteers like Reuter from the Historical Society transcribed and put the info together. We used the grant money to print copies,” recalled Zerbe.

Reuter described an intelligent, “avantgarde” group of writers, artists, educators, activists, and others who flocked to Metuchen-Edison region in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

“Very notable was Mary Wilkins Freeman—who moved into Metuchen in 1902. She had married a local man and was visiting writers in the area—like Henry Mills Alden,” Reuter noted.

Much like today, Metuchen was a central location for bankers, engineers, editors, innovators, and businessmen to live and travel between New York City, Jersey City, Newark, Trenton, and Philadelphia.

While Metuchen’s newspaper competi-

tion with Glen Ridge made this an official debate, there is a paper trail which mentions Metuchen as the brainy borough beforehand too.

“People started to refer to the brainy borough because of the people here. People like Gustav Lindenthal and Lewis Nixon— even Mark Twain would come out and visit Henry Mills Alden,” said Reuter. “Quotes from a newspaper in 1908 read, ‘For brains you can’t beat Metuchen.’”

The intellectual revolution inside Metuchen also had a large female influence, included Reuter. In that same 1908 article, the writer remarks on the presence of “Lots of clever women too,” as the list of over 24 Metuchen residents was nearly half female artists and writers.

The Hole in the Doughnut

Over the years, much has changed. Most notably, the geographical evolution of Metuchen has squeezed the town into Edison, New Jersey. As a result, the modern name for Metuchen has shifted to the “hole” inside the greater “doughnut” of Edison.

“You can’t leave Metuchen without going through Edison,” explained Reuter.

Many of the “brainy” individuals who once claimed Metuchen as their home lived in modern-day Edison. So now, what’s left?

Luckily for current citizens, modern historians and lovers of Metuchen are putting in hours to preserve Metuchen’s past and educate current residents about the place they call home.

“We’re trying to promote that Metuchen has an important history, and buildings here have value,” explained Zerbe. “Large lots get bought up and knocked down for big houses. But towns can have ordinances to protect private property—in compliance with municipal land use law, you must have historic preservation element in the master plan. Metuchen never had this until we got a small grant and I worked with Chris Cosenza, the borough planner. He and I coauthored a historic preservation element in 2021. Now, more people are aware of preservation and loss of historic buildings. And lots of this work has been done on volunteer effort—not just when we receive grants.”

The town’s important people in prominent positions seem to be stepping up to preserve history. Zerbe and her team continue to fight so that historic buildings and districts aren’t knocked down to build new houses, apartments, commercial buildings, or condominiums.

On the other hand, efforts from organizations like the police department are hard to

ignore when the police badge now displays a Native American figure. Plus, Reuter and the Historical Society continue to work—in some cases literally uncovering brand new information from Metuchen’s past, buried underground.

“The borough has supported us while working at the Colonial Cemetery which dates before the American Revolution. Our study utilized ground-penetrating radar to find unmarked graves. In the past, there were no records of local natives and slaves who were buried. And we uncovered a lot more than we thought,” said Reuter.

Reuter plans to present her report to the mayor to recognize this site as well as to gather never-before-known information about the Metuchen inside a still-unsure American history. Moving forward, it’s not clear if Metuchen is still a haven for the brainy. What’s more, it’s hard to say that the town is much more connected to Native American history aside from one police patch. However, it does seem that Metuchen and its residents have and will continue to try to better the town and the community.

“This place has been known for nonprofit and activist groups, as well as charities that provide civic engagement,” said Reuter. “Metuchen prides itself on being inclusive and helpful. There are lots of volunteers and people willing to lift a hand to offer a sense of community.” 

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TYREEN REUTER Metuchen has been referred to a hole in the doughnut because you literally cannot leave Metuchen without driving through Edison Township. A book was even written about it.