Peters Brook is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
Raritan River
Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...
that flows south through
Bridgewater Township and
Somerville, New Jersey, in the United States. Some of its tributaries include Ross Brook and Mac's Brook.
![Peters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Peters.Brook.NJ.jpg)
Peters Brook is approximately six miles long, beginning near the west side of
I-287 and emptying into the Raritan River south of Somerville.
The Brook is named for Peter Van Nest, son of Dutch immigrant Pieter Van Nest. The homestead of the Van Nest family was in nearby
Raritan near Glaser Avenue. Peter Van Nest fought in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
under Jacob Ten Eyck's command.
Peters Brook is notable for having high
phosphate
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...
levels and flooding, receiving large amounts of
stormwater.
Peters Brook Greenway
A 1.5-mile-long gravel pathway in Somerville traces the course of the brook through the borough. The trail is about eight feet wide and runs from Mountain Avenue to High Street.
Somerville Recreation
The brook also traverses Flockhart Park, which is accessible from US-202 South in Bridgewater right before the Somerset Shopping Center and Somerville Circle exit. Flockhart Park was named after former Somerville Mayor Thomas Flockhart.
Crossings
In Bridgewater
*Talamini Road
*Garretson Road
*Somerset Corporate Boulevard
* US 22
* US 202
U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massa ...
In Somerville
*Mountain Avenue
*Mercer Street
*Davenport Street
*North Bridge Street
*Grove Street
*East Cliff Street
*East High Street (1911)
* East Main Street
*South Side Avenue
See also
*List of rivers of New Jersey
This is a list of streams and rivers of the U.S. state of New Jersey.
List of New Jersey rivers includes streams formally designated as rivers. There are also smaller streams (''i.e.,'' branches, creeks, drains, forks, licks, runs, etc.) in th ...
References
External links
Gage at Mercer Street, Somerville, NJ
Project on Peter's Brook
Tributaries of the Raritan River
Rivers of New Jersey
Rivers of Somerset County, New Jersey
{{NewJersey-river-stub