Perth Amboy is one of New Jerseys most historic towns. We are home to Americas oldest city hall, in continual use since 1714, and to the Proprietary House, home to William Franklin, the last Royal Governor of New Jersey, and the Son of Ben Franklin. While Perth Amboy was settled by the Scotch and Quakers in 1683 and served as the capital of the Province of East Jersey until 1776, it was the nineteenth century that really saw the town take off. This is when immigrants from Austro-Hungary began to pour in, including many of the founders of our church, Lutherans from Slovenia and Hungary. They came to work in the factories that boomed here. They succeeded in making a better life for themselves here, and found the opportunity for honest hard work with good wages, a stable community, and space for their families to grow. Some of the employers here included A. Hall and Sons Terra Cotta, taking advantage of our famous clay soil, Guggenheim and Sons, and the Copper Works Smelting Company, the Perth Amboy Cigar Factory, as well as several garment and machinery factories. Perth Amboy was also the tidewater terminal for the Lehigh Valley Railroad and a coal shipping point. Education and learning were also draws to the town. Perth Amboy Public library became the first Carnegie library in the state way back in 1903, and as families expanded, so did a thriving public school culture.
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 17:32:13 +0000