Phillipsburg & South Main Street

Maps dated 1654 by a Dutch engineer show an Indian village called "Chinterwink." Phillipsburg first appeared on a 1749 map and was named after Indian Chief Phillip, whose tribe made this rich fishing and hunting ground their home. Phillipsburg was settled before Easton. In 1752, William Penn wrote, "I think we should secure all the lands on the Jersey side of the water," intending to slow Phillipsburg's development while making Easton, Pennsylvania, prosper. Phillipsburg did not flourish, despite completion of the Morris Canal in 1830 and construction of the Trenton Iron Company Furnace in 1848, until 1854, when the Bel-Del and Jersey Central Railroads were completed along the river bank below. The town was incorporated soon thereafter on March 8, 1861. From 1860 to 1870, population rose from 1,500 to 5,960, and by 1885 it was more than 8,000. The 1887 History and Directory of Warren County said the business portion of Phillipsburg was confined chiefly to Main Street and that the town was already famed for its beautiful architecture, excellent schools and churches. Prominent doctors, bankers, lawyers, artisans, merchants, town leaders, and railroad businessmen lived and maintained offices along this area of South Main Street, which townspeople had already affectionately called "millionaire's row."

Phillipsburg, New Jersey · United States