Flagtown, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Flagtown is an unincorporated community located within Hillsborough Township
, Somerset County
in the U.S. state
of New Jersey
.
came through, after the nearby Flagtown, which had been corrupted from Flaggtown. The original Flaggtown (later renamed Frankfurt when Flagtown Station became Flagtown) was named for Jacob Flagg, who purchased a tract in 1700. Some years later, J. Flagg, a descendant and proprietor of a local tavern had it used as headquarters for the Hillsborough Company in the American Revolutionary War
. At election time, the tavern served as a voting place. The first school was built there about 1725 on a knoll near the railroad station and it is said that William Parrish taught there. When the building was replaced in 1795, it was painted red and white and called "The Old Red School House."
During the 4th of July and Flag Day, the Flagtown post office has an inordinate amount of extra mail than normal due to the fact that there is no other "Flagtown" in any other states, therefore people come from afar to drop off their outgoing postcards and letters to be hand-canceled by Flagtown on days relating to the flag, making the cancellation name and date a unique souvenir.
The Flagtown Fire Department was the first fire company formed in the township of Hillsborough, the largest township in the county of Somerset, state of New Jersey. In 1937, seven members of the Township Board of Trade decided that Hillsborough needed its own fire company, and on May 27, 1938, the Hillsborough Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 received its charter. They purchased its first fire truck that same year, a used chemical engine; nine years later they bought a surplus army fire truck. The trucks had originally been housed in a garage at the Clawson Machine Shop for 8 years, but in 1946 they built a firehouse for the trucks. Lumber for the building was donated by Doris Duke
, the tobacco heiress (who lived in the area), and the building has been added to and restructured over the years to house more trucks and meet the needs of the department.
It's been a tradition for many years for Santa to ride around Flagtown atop one of the fire trucks near Christmas time, "Ho ho ho-ing" over the PA system and making personal pit-stops to kids on the block, distributing toys and candy.
Hillsborough Township, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 38,303....
, Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
History
It was originally called Flagtown Station when the Lehigh Valley RailroadLehigh Valley Railroad
The Lehigh Valley Railroad was one of a number of railroads built in the northeastern United States primarily to haul anthracite coal.It was authorized April 21, 1846 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and incorporated September 20, 1847 as the Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Railroad...
came through, after the nearby Flagtown, which had been corrupted from Flaggtown. The original Flaggtown (later renamed Frankfurt when Flagtown Station became Flagtown) was named for Jacob Flagg, who purchased a tract in 1700. Some years later, J. Flagg, a descendant and proprietor of a local tavern had it used as headquarters for the Hillsborough Company in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. At election time, the tavern served as a voting place. The first school was built there about 1725 on a knoll near the railroad station and it is said that William Parrish taught there. When the building was replaced in 1795, it was painted red and white and called "The Old Red School House."
Postal Service
Flagtown has its own post office (zip code 08821) but no house-to-house mailbox delivery, therefore residents have no other option than to have a P.O. box address. Some residents (on the main streets, not the side streets) have the option to have home delivery if they accept Hillsborough as their postal address. Prior to the Hillsborough post office's existence, Neshanic previously had covered partial Flagtown home delivery. The Flagtown post office is especially small (despite some expansion work done within the last 10 years), and usually manned by one or two workers at any given time, who take care of all jobs themselves. It can be uncomfortably crowded in the p.o. box foyer/window area if a mere 4-5 customers are in line, or retrieving mail from their boxes. There's very limited parking, as the post office is part of an apartment/storefront, sharing the building with a small local deli and two residential apartments. A gas station/car repair shop, a separate building, shares the parking lot.During the 4th of July and Flag Day, the Flagtown post office has an inordinate amount of extra mail than normal due to the fact that there is no other "Flagtown" in any other states, therefore people come from afar to drop off their outgoing postcards and letters to be hand-canceled by Flagtown on days relating to the flag, making the cancellation name and date a unique souvenir.
Fire Department
Despite the small size of Flagtown,they have their own volunteer fire department, the Hillsborough Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1. They have been known for years for having green fire trucks rather than the typical red, often referred to as "Mean and Green." They were originally pine green, but the more modern trucks are a fluorescent lime green, almost yellow, making them instantly stand out and recognizable.The Flagtown Fire Department was the first fire company formed in the township of Hillsborough, the largest township in the county of Somerset, state of New Jersey. In 1937, seven members of the Township Board of Trade decided that Hillsborough needed its own fire company, and on May 27, 1938, the Hillsborough Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 received its charter. They purchased its first fire truck that same year, a used chemical engine; nine years later they bought a surplus army fire truck. The trucks had originally been housed in a garage at the Clawson Machine Shop for 8 years, but in 1946 they built a firehouse for the trucks. Lumber for the building was donated by Doris Duke
Doris Duke
Doris Duke was an American heiress, horticulturalist, art collector, and philanthropist.-Family and early life:...
, the tobacco heiress (who lived in the area), and the building has been added to and restructured over the years to house more trucks and meet the needs of the department.
It's been a tradition for many years for Santa to ride around Flagtown atop one of the fire trucks near Christmas time, "Ho ho ho-ing" over the PA system and making personal pit-stops to kids on the block, distributing toys and candy.