"On June 25, 1778, before the Battle of Monmouth, George Washington's troops encamped on this 800-acre plantation." That line is cast on the New Jersey Historical Commission marker South Brunswick unveiled on October 30, at the parking area and entrance to the township's Freedom Trail. Most of Longbridge Farm now lies under the village of Monmouth Junction, and Ridge Road, which most of us drive without a second thought, is the route the army used to get there.
The township's own records show this. In a study commissioned by the township and published in 2002, Hunter Research placed the farm's core in the middle of present-day Monmouth Junction, a few blocks from the marker. That makes the new sign the start of a walk.
The marker sits at the edge of the farm
The marker's full approved text is short enough to read in one stop:
"Longbridge Farm was established in the 1730s by Thomas Lawrence, Mayor of Philadelphia, and later owned by the Mershon and Rowland families. On June 25, 1778, before the Battle of Monmouth, George Washington's troops encamped on this 800-acre plantation. The farm operated using enslaved labor during the colonial and Revolutionary eras. It was the birthplace of Peter Ridley, a Black man with free parents, who was forcibly transported to Long Island by an overseer. Upon returning to Longbridge, the Supreme Court of New Jersey confirmed Ridley's freedom in 1785, aided by affidavits from local residents."
According to the township's announcement, the court confirmed Ridley's freedom after a writ of habeas corpus. Ridley was born around 1761. The same release notes that the army's stop is documented in the journal of Jeremiah Greenman, a soldier in the Continental Army. Mayor Charlie Carley unveiled the marker, TAPinto South Brunswick reported, with Historic Preservation Commission members Terry Caruso and John Daly, Library Director Chris Carbone and Local History Librarian Kelan Amme in attendance.
The trailhead lot is at 600 Ridge Road. The same address is the Longbridge homestead parcel in the Hunter Research report on Longbridge Farm, listed as Block 77, Lot 3.02. The Rowland/Mershon House stands on that lot. It is a two-and-a-half-story, four-bay frame house with a smaller kitchen wing, and both sections face south toward Ridge Road. The report finds that the house predates the railroad era. Its fieldstone foundation and some pegged, hewn and sawn framing probably date from the 18th century.
It is very unlikely to be the plantation's main house. The researchers concluded that the house may relate to a lesser dwelling on the Lawrence estate. They placed the main farmhouse somewhere north of Ridge Road, east of New Road and west of Lawrence Brook. Their best estimate for the core of the farm is near the eastern end of Mary Street and Hillside Avenue. That spot is a low knoll overlooking the headwaters of Lawrence Brook and Heathcote Brook, and the report says Ridge Road takes its name from that landform.
The report also explains why nothing at that spot looks colonial. Most buildings in that part of Monmouth Junction date from the later 19th or 20th century, when the village grew into a small railroad community. None of the buildings standing there match a large mid-18th-century farmhouse like the one shown on the Dalley maps of 1745. The railroad village grew over the plantation, and the Freedom Trail runs on the abandoned rail line that came with it.
Ridge Road is the 1778 route
The army came through on a road that is still here. The South Brunswick Public Library's local history page, South Brunswick's "Road to Monmouth", traces the march through what was then called the South Ward on three roads that still carry traffic today.
| Date | Where the army went | Road it used |
|---|---|---|
| June 24, 1778 | Arrived in Kingston | A short stretch of today's Route 27, then known as the King's Highway or the Upper Road |
| June 25, 1778 | Marched east, tents left behind, and camped at Long Bridge farm | Ridge Road, the drier route toward Cranbury |
| June 26, 1778 | More than 6,000 troops continued to Cross Roads, now Dayton, then turned southeast and reached Cranbury late in the day | Ridge Road, then Georges Road |
| June 27, 1778 | Headed toward Englishtown and Freehold | |
| June 28, 1778 | Battle of Monmouth |
The Hunter Research report dates the encampment to the night of June 25 into June 26. It cites Greenman's journal and other soldiers' accounts.
A trip from Kingston down Ridge Road toward Dayton follows the army's route over June 24 to 26. Ridge Road runs past both trailheads, Cook Natural Area at 1010 Ridge Road and the Longbridge lot at 600 Ridge Road. The old plantation lies between that road and Lawrence Brook.
Six signs on the paved trail, 1775 to 1778
The October marker was added to a trail that already had history signs. In July, the Historic Preservation Commission, the Department of Public Works and the public library installed six interpretive signs along the Freedom Trail. They cover South Brunswick's part in the Revolution from 1775 to 1778. Each one has a QR code that links to the library's online guide. The library's historic markers guide lists the six stories and ends with a question: "Can you find all 6 markers?"
- Washington's First March through South Brunswick, 1775. Washington passes through the South Ward on his way to take command of the Continental Army after Lexington and Concord.
- The Retreat Campsite, December 1–2, 1776.
- The Sundering of the Millstone River Bridge, January 3, 1777.
- The Council on Horseback, January 3, 1777.
- Stryker's Skirmish, also called the Ten-Mile-Run Skirmish, January 3–4, 1777.
- South Brunswick's "Road to Monmouth," June 1778. This is the march in the table above, and it ends at the farm the new marker names.
The guide adds that the signs feature Washington, Aaron Burr, William Lee and other patriots who passed through the South Ward. John Daly chairs the Historic Preservation Commission, and the township's July 1 release quoted him on the project: "These signs encourage residents and visitors to explore our community's history and learn about the important role South Brunswick played during the Revolutionary War." The township also said the commission plans more interpretive signs at other locations around town.
The Monmouth Junction section is a good length for a short history walk. It is a paved path of about a mile and a half. It runs from Stouts Lane across New Road, then east and south to the Ridge Road lot, with marked crosswalks at New Road and Ridge Road. The path is listed for walking, biking and wheelchair use. If you start at the marker and walk toward New Road, you pass the six signs in a loose order. On the way back to your car, you are walking toward the knoll where the report places the old farmhouse.
The Kingston section, and the next date on the calendar
The Freedom Trail has a second piece. The Kingston section is an unpaved path of about 1.2 miles running from Ridge Road to Route 1, with parking at Cook Natural Area, 1010 Ridge Road. The township describes the Freedom Trail as an ongoing project. The goal is a bikeway system linking parks and open space across South Brunswick, and two sections are finished so far. Together the two sections cover about 2.6 miles.
Kingston is also where the 250th anniversary events continue this winter. Sign four on the paved trail, the Council on Horseback, marks the moment on January 3, 1777, when the Continental Army marched north from Trenton and Princeton to the old Presbyterian churchyard in Kingston. There Washington and his generals held a quick council of war on horseback. They had to choose between pushing on to New Brunswick along what is now Route 27 and heading for Morristown, and they chose Morristown.
The Kingston Historical Society says Franklin Township's Franklin250 Committee is organizing a 250th anniversary reenactment. The society and the Sons of the American Revolution are helping. Kingston events are planned for the afternoon of Sunday, January 3, 2027, and the society says it will post details on its event page as they become available. It expects a large crowd and is recruiting volunteer "Kingston Ambassadors" to guide visitors that day.
That gives the season a simple plan. Between now and January, you can walk the paved section from the Longbridge marker past all six signs. On the afternoon of January 3, Kingston's events will mark the Council on Horseback, the story on sign four.
When we work with families in Monmouth Junction and Kingston, we like knowing the stories behind the streets, like the knoll that gave Ridge Road its name. If you'd like to talk over what you've noticed on your own walks, or you have questions about your part of South Brunswick, Jersey Living Homes is happy to help. Schedule a Free Consultation with Rebecca Matyash anytime.
