Historian seeks end to confusion over road names

By Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — Township historian Ruth Hall has lived in the same house her entire life, and yet she has had three different addresses.
   When the house belonged to her parents, its address was a box number. Later, it was 172 Rock Road. Later still, the house was re-christened 306 Rock Road East.
   That’s just one example of the various name changes Rock Road has undergone over the years.
   The road has a long history going back to the Revolutionary War. It was actually part of the route traveled by George Washington on his way to the Monmouth battlefield, a historic tidbit confirmed by a 1778 document, according to Ms. Hall.
   But if Gen. Washington had had to figure out as many of Rock Road’s confusing names as today’s traveler does, one has to wonder if he ever would have made it to Monmouth.
   The name Rock Road can be traced on a historic map to 1873.
   By the 1960s, Rock Road was changed to Rock Road East and Rock Road West.
   Not so terribly confusing, until you add in a portion that now runs through preserved land and is basically unused, plus a small extension toward the Lambertville border where fewer than a handful of houses sit, including Mayor William Corboy’s. These portions are called Stymiest Road.
   ”Somebody thought it was the right thing to do, to name it after George Stymiest,” Ms. Hall said. Mr. Stymiest, who lived on that road, was at one time the township’s police chief.
   Ms. Hall wants to change the name of Stymiest Road back to the original Rock Road to honor its place in history.
   ”It’s confusing for travelers,” Ms. Hall recently told the Township Committee when she asked it to consider reversing the name change.
   Mayor Corboy agreed the different names are confusing for drivers unfamiliar with the area.
   ”We do get traffic up there, especially trucks, looking for Rock Road East and Rock Road West,” he said. “There’s no place to turn around and trucks end up backing all the way down the road. From my standpoint, I would appreciate the change, if only for the confusion.”
   ”This is something that makes sense on one hand, but must be coordinated with the concerns of our emergency management people,” Deputy Mayor Ron Shapella said. “Our emergency management coordinator, Harry Heller, has expressed some concerns and they need to be discussed to make sure a good idea doesn’t conflict with vital township services. I think something can be worked out in the coming weeks.”