The Caldwells are a group of three municipalities in
Essex County,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, all of which have the word ''Caldwell'' in their name. All of these communities are named after the Reverend
James Caldwell James or Jim Caldwell may refer to:
Politics
* James Caldwell (Ohio politician) (1770–1838), U.S. Representative from Ohio, son on James Caldwell (1724–1804), an Irish emigrant who founded Wheeling, West Virginia
* James Caldwell (Missouri spe ...
, a
Patriot
A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism.
Patriot may also refer to:
Political and military groups United States
* Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution
* Patriot m ...
who played an active role supporting the
Continental Army
The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
during 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 ...
, most notably his actions at the
Battle of Springfield, where he gave the soldiers pages from hymn books to use as
wadding
Wadding is a disc of material used in guns to seal gas behind a projectile (a bullet or ball), or to separate the propellant from loosely packed shots.
Wadding can be crucial to a gun's efficiency, since any gas that leaks past a projectile as it ...
for their rifle bullets.
NJ Community Prepares to Honor Fighting Spirit of Reverend James Caldwell
, accessed August 6, 2006
While each community has its own independent government, and the three municipalities have no shared governance (other than Essex County), the term is often used to refer to the area, including on highway exit signs. Signage for Exit 47B and 52 on Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...
and exit 5 on Interstate 280 refer to "The Caldwells" as a destination.
The three municipalities are:
* Caldwell
*North Caldwell
North Caldwell is a borough in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States, and a suburb of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,694, an increase of 511 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count ...
*West Caldwell
West Caldwell is a township located in the West Essex area in northwestern Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is located approximately west of Manhattan and northwest of Newark. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's pop ...
All three of the Caldwells were formed from what was known at the time as Caldwell Township: Caldwell (February 10, 1892), North Caldwell (March 31, 1898) and West Caldwell (February 24, 1904). Caldwell Township was renamed Fairfield Township on November 6, 1963.["The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 126.]
See also
For other groups of similarly named municipalities in New Jersey, see:
*The Amboys
The Amboys are a pair of municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, both of which have the word ''Amboy'' in their name. The two municipalities are the City of Perth Amboy and the City of South Amboy, located across from each other on the R ...
*The Brunswicks
The Brunswicks are a group of four municipalities in Middlesex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Brunswick'' in their name. New Brunswick, New Jersey, the first formed of the four, was named in 1730 after the British royal House of ...
*The Oranges
The Oranges are a group of four municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Orange'' in their name. The four municipalities are Orange, East Orange, South Orange and West Orange. All of these communities were n ...
*The Plainfields
The Plainfields are a group of three municipalities spanning the convergence of Somerset, Union, and Middlesex Counties in New Jersey, all of which have the word ''Plainfield'' in their name. They are the Borough of North Plainfield (Somerset Co ...
*The Ridgefields
The Ridgefields are a pair of municipalities in Bergen County, New Jersey, both of which have the word ''Ridgefield'' in their name. The two municipalities are the Borough of Ridgefield and the Village of Ridgefield Park.
Both municipalities had ...
*The Wildwoods
The Wildwoods are a group of five communities (four distinct municipalities and one census-designated place) in Cape May County, New Jersey. These are situated on the Island of Five Mile Beach, a barrier island facing the Atlantic Ocean. These Je ...
References
{{commonscat, The Caldwells, New Jersey
Geography of Essex County, New Jersey