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In 1686, Bridgeton was settled by Richard Hancock when he built a sawmill there. However, originally Bridgeton was called Cohansey Bridge by the English settlers due to the bridge that was built there in 1716. The bridge became the focal point of the settlement and was the namesake for the settlement.

In 1748, Cohansey Bridge was named the county seat as the governor named it the location for the court and jail. The town’s name switched to Bridgetown and finally was called Bridgeton by the early nineteenth century. Bridgeton was between two townships, Deerfield and Hopewell, and was separate from the townships in 1845 and 1848 respectively.

In 1865, Bridgeton was incorporated alongside Cohansey and named the City of Bridgeton. Bridgeton industry continued to develop around the bridge as mills were built powered by the tributary of Cohansey, Mill Creek, and the construction of Tumbling Dam helped more industries such as the Cumberland Nail Works to flourish.

Bridgeton also became a center for agricultural production due to its rich soil. There was also quartz and molding sand deposits in the area, which bolstered the glass industry in Bridgeton. The agricultural industry fed into the glass industry as many of the glassworks focused on crafting jars and bottles to store the food being produced locally.

Sources:

“History of Bridgeton | Bridgeton, NJ.” 2025. https://www.cityofbridgetonnj.gov/178/History-of-Bridgeton.

Watson, Penelope. “Bridgeton, New Jersey.” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/bridgeton-new-jersey/

More quality awesome history from the Cumberland Historical Society!

The community of Rosenhayn is within Deerfield in Cumberland County. Rosenhayn was settled with the aid of the Hebrew Emigrant Aid Society of New York City in 1883. It is another Jewish agriculture based colony, and is two and a half miles northeast of Carmel. Rosenhayn is between Vineland and Bridgeton, and it is in total 1,912 acres.

Originally, Rosenhayn was settled by six families and they were tasked with clearing the area to prepare the land for their plan to be an agricultural based community. The location of Rosenhayn made it difficult for the six families to clear the land due to the thick wilderness. These difficulties caused the six original families to leave the settlement.

A few years later, in 1888, people came back to Rosenhayn, this time 37 families came to clear and cultivate the land. These families were successful in building their agriculture community, because they were able to sell their harvest in New York City. They mainly grew corn, grapes, and berries.

Rosenhayn had the opportunity to expand the community due to their success. With this expansion, the Rosenhayn community was able to extend their ventures beyond agriculture into industrial work. The community had a clothing factory and a brick yard, and other manufactures in tinware and hosiery.

The community continued to grow and by 1900 had a population of 800. Life in Rosenhayn grew around the synagogue and school. The synagogue was built in 1898 and was called Congregation Or Yisroel, which is one of the only remaining synagogues in the state from the nineteenth century. Today the synagogue is called the Congregation Beth Israel or the Garton Road Synagogue.

Sources:

“Rosenhayn.” Alliance Heritage Center. Stockton University. https://www.allianceheritagecenter.com/rosenhayn.

“Farming Communities of New Jersey.” Jewish Gen. 2018. https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/NJ_Farms/Rosenhayn.html.

Many thanks as always to the Cumberland County Historical Society for the work they do!

The town of Carmel was bought by a land developer named W. H. Miller. The land was first cultivated by German immigrants who moved back to Philadelphia after their harvest was not as successful as they hoped it would be. By 1882, Jewish families settled the area for agricultural production purposes. The seventeen families rented homes from Miller and were responsible for clearing and working 20 acres each. Over time the residents began to purchase mortgages and build homes on the land. In Carmel, by 1888, there was a population of 286. The town was also facing a crisis that year because their homes were being foreclosed on. In response to the foreclosures, the town formed a committee to ask Baron de Hirsch to help their situation. Baron de Hirsch provided a grant of $5,000 to support the community that would be dispersed in individual sums from $50 to $200. Thanks to this grant the settlement of Carmel was able to survive and continue to grow. In Carmel, their agricultural production was focused on vegetables, melons, berries, grapes, peaches, pears, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

Source:

“Carmel: Alliance Heritage Center.” Stockton University Alliance Heritage Center. Accessed December 23, 2025. https://www.allianceheritagecenter.com/carmel