National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of our country's historic buildings, districts, sites, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. It was established as part of the National Historical Preservation Act of 1966 and is overseen by the National Park Service. The National Register recognizes more than 90,000 properties for their significance in American history, architecture, art, archeology, engineering, and culture. Readington Township is represented on the register with nine historic districts/sites comprising more than 330 structures.
Readington Township Historic Districts
Readington Township rich history begins with the early settlement patterns of the Dutch, English, and Germans who came to farm the rich soil of the Raritan Valley during the 18th c. These settlers established the foundations of the first villages and hamlets in Readington Township. During the 19th c, the development of the railroad lines in the region created additional villages. Today, these villages and hamlets provide us with our sense of place and are important in the history of the township, state, and nation.
The following places have been recognized as important in our state and nation’s history with their listing in the New Jersey Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. The links below provide access to the nominations submitted and recorded by the National Parks Service, keeper of the National Register of Historic Places.
Darts Mill Historic District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=64b11d9b-e11c-4f57-ae55-ff4d2f05cd86
Eversoll-Hall House
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=5b6277e3-1670-4f80-9895-5c8b9f6512bc
Potterstown Rural Historic District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=34722315-bd0b-4a1a-b328-5230edd31c58
Raritan/Readington South Branch Historic District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=4f7ba7aa-7742-4e5d-813f-93e39889dfca
Readington Village Historic District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=146c8454-c655-42ad-9933-bad0791dc12f
Stanton Historic Rural District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=47df132f-67e7-494a-a0c8-a3a00b5fdab6
Taylors Mill Historic District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=e065c8ba-dad6-4bc6-ac80-948fe14b108a
Whitehouse Mechanicsville Historic District
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail/d31ea485-fde4-44a3-bc2d-9e84d031643b
Whitehouse Station
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=84f22e7c-04aa-4f7a-9e4e-5f0404b345e0
Readington Township Local Districts
Centerville and Old York Road Historic Districts
The Centerville and Old York Road Historic Districts are located in the eastern part of the township, along Old York and Pleasant Run Roads. Centerville Village sprang up after the American Revolution along Campbell’s Brook, near the tavern on the Old York Road, through which the profitable Swift Sure Stage line ran from New York to Philadelphia. The tavern was the midpoint of the long journey, thus giving the village its name. At its height, the village boasted a school, a store, a post office, a church and a blacksmith shop.
Pleasant Run Historic Corridor
The Pleasant Run Historic Corridor consists of several portions of Pleasant Run Road along Campbell’s Brook, between County Route 523 and US 202, and includes the hamlet of Pleasant Run (originally known as “Brookeye”) along with several historic farmsteads dating back to the 18th century.
Rowlands Mill Archeological District
The Rowlands Mill Archeological District is situated on Route 31, south of West Woodschurch Road, along the South Branch of the Raritan River. It consists of the former village of Rowlands Mills, extant from the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. The village gets its name from the gristmill owned by Rynear Rowland that drove the village’s economy.
The Stanton Station Historic District
The Stanton Station Historic District lies at the southwest tip of the Township along Lilac Drive. This little village sprang up around 1880, soon after the construction of the Lehigh Valley Railroad station. At one time, the village was home to a coal and feed business, a sawmill, a peach basket factory, a general store and a shoemaking business as well as a grange hall.
Three Bridges Historic District
The Three Bridges Historic District extends along Main Street from the South Branch of the Raritan River to the intersection with River Avenue and is bordered on the east by Case Avenue and on the west by Broad Street. The village emerged in the mid-19th century with the coming of the Central Railroad of New Jersey’s South Branch Line and was once a major shipping point for agricultural products.
Whitehouse Station Historic District
The Whitehouse Station Historic District extends along County Route 523 from US Route 22 to the Whitehouse Rescue Squad building. It also includes Washington Drive, Nelson Street, James Street, and High Street on the West as well as Whitehouse Avenue, Somerset Street and Bank Street on the East. The village emerged in 1849, when the Central Railroad of New Jersey established its Whitehouse train station (now the Readington Library). By the mid-19th century, Whitehouse Station had become the township’s main municipality, possessing “more enterprise to the square inch than perhaps any other town of its size in the state”.