East Amwell

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Bordered by the Sourland Mountains, East Amwell’s fertile valley farmlands have been attracting settlers since 1720. The village of Ringoes, Hunterdon County’s oldest known settlement, was founded at the intersection of two Native American trails that became major crossroads: the Trenton-Easton Turnpike and the Old York Road from Philadelphia to New York. Early residents included Johann Peter Rockefeller, ancestor of John D. Rockefeller, and John Ringo, rumored to have buried treasure in town. During the Revolutionary War, the Sons of Liberty gathered at Ringoes Tavern, the Marquis de Lafayette recuperated nearby at Landis House, and Capt. John Schenck led an ambush on British dragoons near his Amwell home. Houses, mills, taverns, and general stores sprung up in Ringoes and smaller hamlets, as first the stagecoach and then the railroad brought prosperity and industry to this rural township. In 1932, what journalist H. L. Mencken called the biggest story since the Resurrection unfolded in East Amwell when Charles Lindbergh’s son was kidnapped from his estate.