Smithburg, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
 The Smithburg Tavern, located on the corner of Monmouth Road (CR 537) and Smithburg Road (CR 527) | |
  Smithburg Location of Smithburg in Monmouth County Inset: Location of county within the state of New Jersey Show map of Monmouth County, New Jersey Smithburg Smithburg (New Jersey) Show map of New Jersey Smithburg Smithburg (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°12′32″N74°21′11″W / 40.20889°N 74.35306°W /40.20889; -74.35306 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Monmouth |
| Township | Freehold,Manalapan andMillstone |
| Elevation | 171 ft (52 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 732/848 |
| GNIS feature ID | 880663[1] |
Smithburg is anunincorporated community located where the municipal boundaries ofFreehold,Manalapan andMillstone townships intersect inMonmouth County, in theU.S. state ofNew Jersey.[2][3]County Route 527 and Monmouth Road (County Routes 537/524) pass through the center of the quaint village of Smithburg.
In 1684, the 2nd Deputy Governor of East JerseyGawen Lawrie instituted "The Burlington Path", a stagecoach route meant to connectBurlington, the Capital ofWest Jersey, andPerth Amboy, the Capital ofEast Jersey.[4] Much of modern day Monmouth Road (County Route 537) coincides in general direction and trajectory with this historic stagecoach route. By the mid 18th century, one of the stagecoach stops listed on the route was the Smithburg Tavern, suggesting that the community had already been rather established by this point.
The Smithburg Tavern was the birthplace of New Jersey politicianJoel Parker, a prominent "War Democrat", who would later in life serve two nonconsecutive terms as the 20th Governor of New Jersey; one term from 1863-1866, and another term from 1872-1875. Parker died on January 2, 1888, in Philadelphia[5] and was buried in nearbyMaplewood Cemetery, within the center ofFreehold Township, New Jersey. His burial place also happens to be located right along the historic "Burlington Path" on what is now West Main Street (County Route 537), adjacent to theFreehold Raceway Mall.
The Smithburg General Store, the only store in the area, operated on the corner opposite the Smithburg Tavern on County Route 537 and Smithburg Road.
The only sawmill in the area, located on County Route 537, produced lumber for building in Smithburg and Freehold.[citation needed]
The historically preservedMonmouth Battlefield and the historic villages ofClarksburg[6] andWest Freehold[7] are a short distance away.
Some farmers claim Hessians, mercenary German soldiers for the British during the Revolutionary War, either deserted their fighting at the Monmouth Battlefield or lost their way. Their bodies were found on the site of a local farm.[citation needed]
TheManalapan Brook flows through the center of this community. The brook continues to theSouth River, which starts along the border ofSpotswood andOld Bridge Township.[8] The headwaters for theManasquan River also originate near the community.[9]
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Smithburg include:
Ex-Gov. Joel Parker of New-Jersey, while visiting friends at 1019 Mount Vernon-street, this city, yesterday, was stricken with paralysis and died at 1 o'clock this morning.
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