Iread with much dismay your coverage of the traffic situation threatening the Kings Highway Historic District in Middletown Village. You mention some of the historic structures found within the district; however, I must mention that the Kings Highway area is much more than a collection of old residences and churches.
During the 17th century right up to the Civil War, it was the veritable focal point of the entire Monmouth County area, and looks much as it did when it was formally laid out by order of the King of England in the year 1719. It was here that the original county courthouse was situation, and where Middletown farmers once battled with Edward Teach, better known as the notorious pirate Blackbeard. It was here that George Washington himself reconnoitered the area during the sweltering summer of 1778 in preparation for the Battle of Monmouth. It was here that the armies of Generals Clinton and Cornwallis converged in June 1778, and the British plans for evacuation to Sandy Hook after that crucial battle were crafted.
It is here that Joseph Murray, an American soldier of the Revolution, is buried, having been killed by loyalists on his Middletown farm. It was here in 1862 that a controversial “peace meeting” was to be held at the height of the Civil War, only to be thwarted by some 5,000 Union troops. It was here that Col. William Truex drilled raw recruits for military service for that war in front of the blacksmith shop that still bears his name.
I could go on and on, as the area contains even more priceless historical structures such as the Franklin Academy, one of the earliest schoolhouses in the area; Marlpit Hall, one of the best examples of both early Dutch and Georgian architecture in the nation; and the early graveyards containing the remains of members of the Bowne, Hartshorne, Hendrickson and Taylor families among many others, all prominent figures in the development of old Monmouth.
This precious area serves as the Williamsburg of both Middletown and Monmouth County. The only difference is that unlike Colonial Williamsburg, these buildings are all original, not reproductions! The historical integrity of this area must be preserved at whatever the cost. Lest we forget.
John St. Peter
Oceanport