Township of Edison history

1841- New Dover United Methodist Church founded.

Finally, after being demoted and quitting his job at the Western Union Telegraph office in Boston for a prank he played on his bosses in December of 1868, he decided to quit working as a telegraph operator and decided to devote himself to his inventions.

1870- The township, formed from parts of Woodbridge and Piscataway townships was Incorporated originally as “Raritan Township” in March.

1875- Bonhamtown Grace Reformed Church is built.

By 1876, Edison decided to move away from the city and into a larger space where he could expand his operations to include a large scale inventions workshop.

In November 1877, one of Edison’s first major inventions at Menlo Park was the phonograph, which was a basic machine that allowed a person to speak into a diaphragm that was attached to a pin that made indentations on a paper wrapped around wood.

The first public demonstration of the Edison's incandescent lighting system was in December 1879, when the Menlo Park laboratory complex was electrically lighted.

1881- Clara Barton (and friends) formed the American Association of the Red Cross.

In September 1882, the first commercial power station, located on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan, went into operation providing light and power to customers in a one square mile area; the electric age had begun.

The couple was married in February 1886 and moved to West Orange, New Jersey where Edison had purchased an estate, Glenmont, for his bride.

Edison possessed both the resources and experience by this time to build, "the best equipped and largest laboratory extant and the facilities superior to any other for rapid and cheap development of an invention ". The new laboratory complex consisting of five buildings opened in November 1887.

Edison's various electric companies continued to grow until in 1889 they were brought together to form Edison General Electric.

Edison first demonstrated motion pictures in 1891, and began commercial production of "movies" two years later in a peculiar looking structure, built on the laboratory grounds, known as the Black Maria.

Edison began to develop an alkaline battery in 1899.

1900- Metuchen incorporates as a separate borough, leaving the Township.

1905- Highland Park incorporates as a separate borough, leaving the Township.

1908- Bonhamtown School built.

The last remaining official record of the buildings is a series of photographs taken by J. Lloyd Grimstead and Charles B. Carman in 1911.

1913- Piscatawaytown School built.

1917- Edison’s Fire Department is started.

From a rural-residential community in the 1920's, Edison has grown in population, commercial and industrial center.

1921- Clara Barton School opens.

1923- Stelton Elementary School (now the Stelton Community Center) built.

1924- Raritan Engine Company No.

Edison returned to Menlo Park on May 16, 1925 to unveil a memorial tablet (see Commemorative History) donated by the State of New Jersey to honor him and his work at Menlo Park.

1926- Oak Tree Fire Company founded.

1927- Edward E. Meeker becomes first official township mayor.

In 1928-29, Henry Ford, who was a close friend of Edison, decided to construct a replica of the Menlo Park complex at Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan.

The tower was built at the location of the laboratory with a large replica of the Edison’s original light bulb at the very top, lit for the first time on October 21, 1929.

1933- Middlesex Junior College established.

1935- Roosevelt Hospital opens.

1936- Second First Aid Squad (now known as Edison First Aid Squad No.

In 1937, the Edison Memorial Tower was erected to commemorate the years Thomas Edison spent at Menlo Park.

The bulb was cast by Corning Glass Works from a sketch of the first commercial light bulb.22 The tower was dedicated on February 11, 1938.

1941- Menlo Park Volunteer Fire Company built a new firehouse.

1951- Clara Barton First Aid Squad formed.

1954- Citizens propose a name change from Raritan Township-The name the voters selected was Edison.

1955- Raritan Township Safety Council renamed to Edison First Aid and Rescue Squad No.

1956- Thomas A. Edison High School opened (township’s first public high school).

1958- Groundbreaking ceremony for the Edison Post Office.

1964- John P. Stevens, Edison’s second public high school, opened.

1965- Raritan Arsenal sold to Frank and Vincent Visceglia, and Raritan Center was formed.

1966- Middlesex County College opens.

1967- John F. Kennedy Medical Center established.

1979- Metuchen-Edison Review began publication.

1983- Edison Township Historical Society formed.

A re-enactment of that journey took place in Edison on April 13, 1989, during the celebration of the bicentennial of Washington’s first inauguration.

1996- The Edison Television Network begins broadcasting.

When the Edison Memorial Tower Corporation, a non-profit organization, became involved with the property in 1999, the tower was in a neglected state and the gatehouse was almost completely abandoned.

2020 53th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement