Holland Brook
Encyclopedia
Holland Brook is a stream
in central New Jersey
, running through Readington and Branchburg. It is the last tributary of the South Branch Raritan River
before it combines with the North Branch Raritan River
. The brook is over seven miles in length running from its headwaters near Cushetunk Mountain
, an extinct volcano surrounding Round Valley Reservoir
, to its convergence with the South Branch Raritan River near Studdiford Drive in Branchburg. The brook is ten to twenty feet across most of its length. It changes over three-hundred feet in elevation from its headwaters to its convergence with the Raritan River. Holland Brook was originally named Holland's Brook for Thomas Holland of Piscataway, who was married to Winifred Pound. Thomas Holland was a descendent of the translator Philemon Holland
. Holland was an early property owner along the brook, although he never resided there. The recorded Lenape name for the Brook was Amanmechunk. This word in the Unami dialect
meant large creek.
project in Readington and Branchburg. If both townships completed the trail, it could link another future trail on the North Branch Raritan River with the Middle School in Readington and the Lachenmayr Trail. Branchburg’s proposed section of the Greenway would fit into a larger plan and would connect with a 16-mile cross-township trail. The Holland Brook Greenway trail could eventually provide access to the Raritan River Greenway
and the East Coast Greenway
. The township of Branchburg would need to gain four additional properties to have public access from the Readington border to the Confluence Reservoir Park land along the North Branch Raritan River. A possible trail along this path would need to make minor crossings at South Branch Road (near a number of farms), Evergreen Drive (in a residential neighborhood) and the somewhat busier Old York Road. A fourth crossing over US-202, however, would need to be constructed to ensure a safe passage for bicycles or pedestrians. At-grade crossings with crosswalks would be possible at South Branch Road and Evergreen Drive and the trail could possibly go under the bridge at Old York Road. The Readington section still has several gaps in it and no official segments of the Greenway has been built in either township.
Holland Brook has ten unnamed tributaries in Branchburg and Readington listed on NJDEP
's website. They all are categorized as FW2-NT (fresh water second level classification generally not suitable for trout).
in the 19th century. In 1791, an act was passed "to incorporate societies for the advancement of learning". On August 4, 1804, Abraham Post, Peter Quick, Isaac Berkaw, William Dalley, William Spader, Cornelius Van Horn, Abraham Smock, Andrew Mattis, Adrian Stryker, Peter Ten Brook, William Ditmars and Derrick de Mott incorporated the Holland Brook School. One of the teachers at the school was Colonel John Mehelm. The site of Mehelm's house on New Bromley Road, which burned in the 1960s, has a historical marker in front of it. The school eventually changed names to Readington School and closed in 1897.
The second and current Holland Brook School is a primary school for fourth and fifth grades and was built adjacent to the Readington Middle School.
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
in central 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...
, running through Readington and Branchburg. It is the last tributary of the South Branch Raritan River
South Branch Raritan River
The South Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.The source of the South Branch is the outflow from Budd Lake, a glacial remnant located a few miles northeast of Hackettstown...
before it combines with the North Branch Raritan River
North Branch Raritan River
The North Branch Raritan River is a tributary of the Raritan River in central New Jersey in the United States.The North Branch Raritan River rises in central Morris County south of Dover and flows generally southward into Somerset County, around the southern end of the Watchung Mountains...
. The brook is over seven miles in length running from its headwaters near Cushetunk Mountain
Cushetunk Mountain
Cushetunk Mountain is a ring shaped mountain in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located in Readington and Clinton Township. The Lenape called the mountain "Cushetunk" meaning "place of hogs" after the wild hogs found there...
, an extinct volcano surrounding Round Valley Reservoir
Round Valley Reservoir
The Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township of the U.S. state of New Jersey was formed in 1960 when the New Jersey Water Authority constructed two large dams and flooded a large valley in the state's Hunterdon County. The reservoir is named after the naturally formed circular valley surrounded...
, to its convergence with the South Branch Raritan River near Studdiford Drive in Branchburg. The brook is ten to twenty feet across most of its length. It changes over three-hundred feet in elevation from its headwaters to its convergence with the Raritan River. Holland Brook was originally named Holland's Brook for Thomas Holland of Piscataway, who was married to Winifred Pound. Thomas Holland was a descendent of the translator Philemon Holland
Philemon Holland
Philemon Holland was an English translator.His father, John Holland, was a clergyman who fled the Kingdom of England during the persecutions of Mary I of England...
. Holland was an early property owner along the brook, although he never resided there. The recorded Lenape name for the Brook was Amanmechunk. This word in the Unami dialect
Unami language
Unami is an extinct Algonquian language formerly spoken by Lenape people in what is now the lower Hudson Valley area and New York Harbor area, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, but later in Ontario and Oklahoma. It is one of the two Delaware languages, the other being Munsee...
meant large creek.
Greenway
The Holland Brook Greenway is a proposed five-mile greenwayGreenway (landscape)
A greenway is a long, narrow piece of land, often used for recreation and pedestrian and bicycle user traffic, and sometimes for streetcar, light rail or retail uses.- Terminology :...
project in Readington and Branchburg. If both townships completed the trail, it could link another future trail on the North Branch Raritan River with the Middle School in Readington and the Lachenmayr Trail. Branchburg’s proposed section of the Greenway would fit into a larger plan and would connect with a 16-mile cross-township trail. The Holland Brook Greenway trail could eventually provide access to the Raritan River Greenway
Raritan River Greenway
The Raritan River Greenway is a proposed path in Somerset County, New Jersey that would link Branchburg Township to the East Coast Greenway with the Delaware and Raritan Canal trail in South Bound Brook...
and the East Coast Greenway
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation...
. The township of Branchburg would need to gain four additional properties to have public access from the Readington border to the Confluence Reservoir Park land along the North Branch Raritan River. A possible trail along this path would need to make minor crossings at South Branch Road (near a number of farms), Evergreen Drive (in a residential neighborhood) and the somewhat busier Old York Road. A fourth crossing over US-202, however, would need to be constructed to ensure a safe passage for bicycles or pedestrians. At-grade crossings with crosswalks would be possible at South Branch Road and Evergreen Drive and the trail could possibly go under the bridge at Old York Road. The Readington section still has several gaps in it and no official segments of the Greenway has been built in either township.
Tributaries
- Dreahook CreekDreahook CreekDreahook Creek is a left tributary of Holland Brook in Readington, New Jersey. It begins on township owned land near Creek Road and Dreahook Road. It merges with another small tributary on the east side of County Route 620 before entering the Holland Brook. It was named after the former dutch...
- Stone CreekStone Creek (New Jersey)Stone Creek is a short tributary of Holland Brook in Central Jersey positioned to the left of Holland Brook facing downstream. It is the first tributary of the Brook in the western section of Readington Township near Cushetunk Mountain. It runs alongside the Bertrand Easement in Readington and...
Holland Brook has ten unnamed tributaries in Branchburg and Readington listed on NJDEP
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution...
's website. They all are categorized as FW2-NT (fresh water second level classification generally not suitable for trout).
Readington
- Dreahook Road
- Voorhees Road
- Dogwood Drive
- CR 523County Route 523 (New Jersey)County Route 523 is a county highway in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The highway extends from Main Street in Stockton to Hillside Avenue in Bedminster Township.-Hunterdon County:...
/FlemingtonFlemington, New JerseyFlemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
-WhitehouseWhitehouseWhitehouse may refer to:People:* Ben Whitehouse, British Landscape painter* Frederick William Whitehouse, , an Australian geologist* Mary Whitehouse, , British christian morality campaigner* Morris H...
Road (brown sign on bridge) - Holland Brook Road (2 crossings)
- Roosevelt Road
- Pine Bank Road (2 crossings)
- Hillcrest Road in Readington VillageReadington VillageReadington Village is an unincorporated community in Readington, New Jersey, United States that is centered around the converging of Readington Road, Hillcrest Road, Centerville Road and Brookview Road. It is located on Holland Brook, originally named Amanmechunk, which means large creek in the...
Schools
The first Holland Brook School was in Readington VillageReadington Village
Readington Village is an unincorporated community in Readington, New Jersey, United States that is centered around the converging of Readington Road, Hillcrest Road, Centerville Road and Brookview Road. It is located on Holland Brook, originally named Amanmechunk, which means large creek in the...
in the 19th century. In 1791, an act was passed "to incorporate societies for the advancement of learning". On August 4, 1804, Abraham Post, Peter Quick, Isaac Berkaw, William Dalley, William Spader, Cornelius Van Horn, Abraham Smock, Andrew Mattis, Adrian Stryker, Peter Ten Brook, William Ditmars and Derrick de Mott incorporated the Holland Brook School. One of the teachers at the school was Colonel John Mehelm. The site of Mehelm's house on New Bromley Road, which burned in the 1960s, has a historical marker in front of it. The school eventually changed names to Readington School and closed in 1897.
The second and current Holland Brook School is a primary school for fourth and fifth grades and was built adjacent to the Readington Middle School.