Martinsville, New Jersey

Martinsville
—  Unincorporated area  —
Martinsville Location within the state of New Jersey
Coordinates: 40°36′04″N 74°33′33″W / 40.60111°N 74.55917°W / 40.60111; -74.55917Coordinates: 40°36′04″N 74°33′33″W / 40.60111°N 74.55917°W / 40.60111; -74.55917
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Somerset
Township	Bridgewater
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes
FIPS code
GNIS feature ID

Martinsville is an affluent unincorporated area located within Bridgewater in Somerset County, New Jersey. Martinsville is located in northeastern Bridgewater near Warren Township; the 08836 ZIP Code takes in the southern extension of Bernards as well. It a predominantly residential area, though it does have its own commercial center along Washington Valley Road, and its own post office.

History

The Middlebrook encampment was a seasonal encampment of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War near Martinsville that straddled the ridge of the First Watchung Mountains. Its position provided a natural fortress not only protecting the Continental Army, but also overlooking the plains towards New Brunswick where the British forces were stationed in 1777.

Tradition holds that it was at the Middlebrook encampment that the first official flag of the United States was unfurled, after a law to adopt a national flag had been passed by Congress on June 14, 1777. By special order of Congress, a Thirteen Star Flag is flown 24 hours a day at the Washington Camp Ground, part of the former Middlebrook encampment, in Bridgewater. Since 1889, the first hoisting of the flag is commemorated annually each July 4 with a changing of the flag, a reading of the United States Declaration of Independence, and the delivery of an historical address.

Points of interest

• Washington Valley Park, part of the Somerset County Park System, is located in Martinsville. The park offers extensive hiking and mountain biking opportunities. A notable hike in the park is an hour-long hike around the out-of-use reservoir that once served Bound Brook, New Jersey.

• The Mount Bethel Baptist Meetinghouse, located in Martinsville, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• The Devil's Tree is a solitary oak located in a field on Mountain Road. Legend has it that it is the property of the Devil, and a gateway to Hell.

• There is a Revolutionary War cemetery in the Spring Run section of Martinsville, where soldiers of both American and British troops are buried, along with some early settlers of the area.

Education

The Pingry School's upper division for grades 6 to 12 is located in Martinsville.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Martinsville include:

• Upton Sinclair- Author of the controversial book The Jungle lived in Martinsville during the later years of his life.
• Andrea Kane- author of romance novels.^[1]
• Geraldine Laybourne- founded Oxygen Media and has served as its chairman and chief executive officer since its inception.^{[citation needed]}
• Adam Small- composer, producer and instrumentalist with film and television credits.^{[citation needed]}
• Todd Levy- Grammy Award-winning clarinetist and principal of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

References

1. ^ Considine, Bob. "In writing romance, Martinsville author living a real adventure: Writer's 22nd novel coming out this week", copy of article from the Courier-Post, March 26, 2007. Accessed December 20, 2007. "So if there's a giant gale coming out of the Martinsville section of Bridgewater on Tuesday, it might just be the exhale of Andrea Kane."