Robbinsville Sesquicentennial Begins March 15th
Monday, January 12th, 2009On March 15, 2009 Robbinsville Township will celebrate its 150th birthday.
Robbinsville Township was officially born on March 15, 1859 by an act of the New Jersey State Legislature while it was better known as Washington Township. On November 6th, 2007 the voters of Washington Township decided to change the name of the town to Robbinsville Township, however this was not the first time that the township has seen name changes. Robbinsville was founded in 1831 where prior to that it was known as Newtown. Before that, Newtown was known as Hungry Hill, the name coming from the fact that travelers through the area found it particularly difficult to find food in the town. Going back even further, the area itself was originally settled circa 1750 by Quakers who purchased the land from the Lenni-Lenape Indians in 1677.
Robbinsville Township is comprised of three unincorporated areas: Windsor, Robbinsville, and New Sharon. Windsor was formerly called Centerville (Centreville?) and Magrilla before that. It’s unknown why the name was changed from Magrilla to Centerville but the Centerville to Windsor name change was recommended by the Post Office in 1846 to avoid confusion with Hunterdon’s Centerville. Ever wonder why there’s a railroad track (that hasn’t been used in years) running through the middle of town? That’s the historic Camden and Amboy (C&A) Railroad which helped spur early growth in the town.
Robbinsville was named in honor of George R. Robbins (1808-1875) who was at one time the Post Master for the area. George Robbin’s full name is actually George Robbins Robbins (no , we’re not kidding — he’s so nice they named him twice). Born in Allentown, NJ Robbins was a doctor and congressman who died in 1875 in Hamilton Square, NJ. You can still visit his grave in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Hamilton Square.
Sesquicentennial Events:
- March 15, 2009 – Opening Ceremonies – High School Walk Down Memory Lane, Welcoming ceremony to include Boy and Girl scout flag ceremony
- April 19, 2009 – Robbinsville Sesquicentennial Celebration Parade
- May 17, 2009 – Formal Tea at the Senior Center with special guest Hosted by Girl Scout Troop 70411
- June 14, 2009 – Community Days with a 1859 theme, games, food, lessons, market place, photographs, square dancing, pony rides and….
- July 2009 – Planes, Trains and Automobiles (tentative) Possibly an antique plane show?
- August 2009 – Night Out ? Coordinator – Sandy Bainbridge
- September 26, 2009 (rain Date September 27th) – Lenape Indian Presentation at Windsor Farms – an all day event exploring the history of the Lenape in our area. Hosted by Windsor Farm and Boy Scouts
- October 2009 – Chili Cook-off and Agricultural Event (tentative)
- November 2009 – Wine and Cheese Party
- December 2009 – Christmas at the Robbins House with a Gingerbread House
Competition Coordinator – The Women’s Club of Robbinsville Township - January 2010 – Taste of Robbinsville at Grainger’s Hall Invite all the restaurants
in town to bring in samples of their food to share. - February 2010 – Library Display of Towns History pictures and artifacts Little Red School
House open to public Old Fashion Ice Cream Social (tentative) - March 2010 – Closing Ceremonies and the burying of the Time Capsule and cancellation of Postage Stamp. Possible walking tour of Windsor.
Events via robbinsville150.org. More details on events as they become available.
Since Robbinsville doesn’t yet have its own fireworks display for the fourth of July, here’s a list of all the local Independence Day celebrations and a schedule of fireworks shows. Have a safe holiday!