South Bound Brook, New Jersey

South Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,863,

What is now South Bound Brook was originally formed as a town within Franklin Township. On March 16, 1869, the name of the community was changed to Bloomington, which lasted until May 29, 1891, when the name reverted to South Bound Brook town. South Bound Brook was incorporated as an independent borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 11, 1907, based on the results of a referendum held on May 1, 1907.

History

thumb|Queen's Bridge, South Bound Brook

The area had historically been occupied by the Lenape Native Americans. The first European settlement was in 1681 and a community was established near the Bound Brook stream of the same name, which flows into the Raritan River via the Green Brook on the eastern side of the borough. The brook, which was mentioned as a boundary in a Native American deed, provides the source of the borough's name.

The area was originally a Dutch community with apple orchards and just west peach orchards. The Abraham Staats House (), located on the south side of Main Street, served as the headquarters of Baron Von Steuben during the American Revolutionary War. The house remained a private home until it was acquired by the Borough of South Bound Brook in 1999. It was placed on the New Jersey and National Registers in 2002. It is currently the headquarters for the Friends of Abraham Staats House, Inc. https://www.staatshouse.org, who maintain it as a museum.

A wooden bridge over the Raritan River was erected as early as 1761 and named Queen's Bridge in 1767. Later, it became a covered bridge. During the Revolutionary War, the bridge was used repeatedly by both sides including during the Battle of Bound Brook in 1777. In 1875, the wooden bridge was replaced by a steel pipe truss bridge. More than 100 years later, that bridge was itself replaced by a steel girder bridge in 1984, still using the old pillars. The bridge was renovated and paved in 2007.

At this spot on January 4, 1777, General Washington decided to move his troops to Morristown for the winter, thus ending the victorious Trenton-Princeton campaign, rather than attack New Brunswick.

The Battle of Bound Brook, one of the battles in the New York and New Jersey campaign during the American Revolutionary War, occurred on April 13, 1777, and resulted in a defeat for the Continental Army, who were routed by about 4,000 troops under British command.

At dawn on April 13, 1777, Hessian Captain Ewald's assault over the Queens Bridge spanning the Raritan River between South Bound Brook and Bound Brook was pinned down by "murderous fire" from the American soldiers stationed at half moon battery. Advancing North along present day Easton Avenue, Hessian Colonel Donop pushed aside American outposts and arrived 15 minutes after Ewald's attack had faltered. Advancing over the Queens Bridge, Donop's troops engaged the Americans causing them to retreat from the battery. Donop, Ewald's, and General Grant's troops pursued the American troops as they fought through the streets of Bound Brook.

The Reformed Church, also on Main Street (near borough hall) was built in 1848 and has been declared a local historical site by the borough council. Originally called the Dutch Reformed Church of Bound Brook, it has gone through very few changes over the years. A pipe organ received from Andrew Carnegie has been removed, and the stained glass windows, which had been added well after the original construction. The Reverend Thomas DeWitt Talmadge was a member and preached at the church.

Originally part of Franklin Township and named Bloomington, South Bound Brook was incorporated as a borough by the New Jersey Legislature in 1907.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, South Bound Brook had a population of 4,863. The median age was 38.2 years. 19.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 13.2% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 103.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,854 households in South Bound Brook, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 43.9% were married-couple households, 22.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census

There were 1,632 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.31. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by South Bound Brook is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of South Bound Brook is Democrat Caryl A. "Chris" Shoffner, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2023. Members of the Borough Council are Council President Richard Eickhorst (D, 2023), Kathleen Connor (D, 2022), Anne Dedousis (D, 2023; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Kathryn M. "Katie" Kelly (R, 2022), Elizabeth Konkle (D, 2024) and Jitendra "Jimmy" Shah (D, 2024).

In February 2022, the borough council appointed Anne Dedousis to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that had been held by Elizabeth Chu until she resigned from office the previous month.

In August 2015, the borough council selected Kathryn M. Kelly from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2016 that had been held by James Holmes until he resigned from office the previous month as he was moving out of the borough. Kelly served on an interim basis until the November 2015 general election, when she was elected to serve the one year remaining on the term of office.

Political corruption

In 2005, Republican mayor Jo-Anne Shubert resigned as Mayor of South Bound Brook a week before admitting that she had given a $35,000 no-bid computer contract to a company owned by her brother and where she was employed as an office manager.

In 2010 and 2011, Republican mayor Terry Warrelmann, was involved in a controversy involving his family and the borough's refusal to release police reports surrounding the incident. On July 9, 2010, John Paff, filed a lawsuit seeking the release of the documents. On December 17, 2010, New Jersey Superior Court Assignment Judge Yolanda Ciccone, sitting in Somerville, New Jersey, conducted a hearing on Paff's lawsuit. On March 31, 2011, Paff received a 79-page file containing the redacted versions of documents within that investigative file. The records show that Mayor Warrelmann, along with his son Stephen, Nancy Santora and an unidentified juvenile, were suspects in an investigation of a November 21, 2009, burglary of a shed in South Bound Brook. No charges, however, were brought against any of the suspects.

Federal, state, and county representation

South Bound Brook is located in the 12th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 17th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,354 registered voters in South Bound Brook, of whom 655 (27.8% vs. 26.0% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 452 (19.2% vs. 25.7%) were registered as Republicans and 1,247 (53.0% vs. 48.2%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were no voters registered to other parties. Among the borough's 2010 Census population, 51.6% (vs. 60.4% in Somerset County) were registered to vote, including 65.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 80.4% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 60.6% of the vote (1,001 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 38.0% (627 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (23 votes), among the 1,664 ballots cast by the borough's 2,531 registered voters (13 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 65.7%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 961 votes (55.4% vs. 52.1% countywide), ahead of Republican John McCain with 725 votes (41.8% vs. 46.1%) and other candidates with 28 votes (1.6% vs. 1.1%), among the 1,735 ballots cast by the borough's 2,233 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.7% (vs. 78.7% in Somerset County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 744 votes (51.3% vs. 51.5% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 679 votes (46.8% vs. 47.2%) and other candidates with 17 votes (1.2% vs. 0.9%), among the 1,450 ballots cast by the borough's 1,882 registered voters, for a turnout of 77.0% (vs. 81.7% in the whole county).