Museum Of Early Trades Crafts Careers in Madison, NJ

The initial settlement of the area now known as Madison occurred around 1710 by people from the Elizabethtown and Newark areas. The majority of the settlers purchased their land from the West Jersey Proprietors, holders of large grants from the British Crown. Some settlers bought land from the Indians. The general area was known for many years as South Hanover. The little cluster of homes along Ridgedale Avenue and Kings Road was known as Bottle Hill. A tavern had been built near what is now James Park, at Park and Ridgedale Avenues. During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Army established their quarters in the area called the Loantaka encampment of 1777. Of the soldiers encamped at Loantaka most were militia. A number of the officers were garrisoned in the homes of Bottle Hill residents. Colonel Matthias Ogden probably stayed with the Millers and General “Mad”Anthony Wayne with the Sayres. It is thought that General George Washington visited and used the Miller’s Forge during that time. Both houses an