​THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OF SOUTH AMBOY
    141N Broadway, South Amboy, New Jersey 08879

A Brief History of South Amboy 

 

The City of South Amboy, now just more than a mile square in size, lies on the Raritan Bay in Middlesex County, NJ. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 7,768. 

 

Originally a Dutch military settlement in East Jersey, it was established to safeguard New Amsterdam, later named New York City, from the British during the 17th century. As a town rich in history, South Amboy is mentioned during the Revolutionary War in letters to and from George Washington referring to an "officer stationed on the South Amboy shore" and by General Washington himself writing that he was "now in Jersey" and suggesting the enemy "may proceed to South Amboy". 

 

Once known as Radford's Ferry, as well as the South Ward of Perth Amboy, South Amboy became one of the earliest townships around 1685 as well as one of the largest at 18 miles long and six miles wide. It originally included the townships of Monroe and Madison (now Old Bridge & East Brunswick), as well as Sayreville, Jamesburg, Dayton and Cranbury. Over time several communities broke off to form independent municipalities, significantly decreasing the overall area to the current size it is today of approximately 1.5 square miles. 

 

South Amboy Township would evolve into South Amboy Borough in the year 1888 and would later be incorporated as a city in 1908 as it remains today. South Amboy owes much of its initial growth to the railroad and early residents such as the Stevens family who brought the first steam engine known as the "John Bull" to NJ from England and are credited with the establishment of the Camden & Amboy Railroad around 1831. 

 

Another local icon, the Great Beds Lighthouse, built in 1880 and located less than a mile off shore, is easily seen from the bay area of town.  It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.