Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 45,345, an increase of 2,641 (+6.2%) from the 2010 census count of 42,704, which in turn reflected an increase of 2,327 (+5.8%) from the 40,377 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010 , New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
Sayreville was originally incorporated as a township on April 6, 1876, from portions of South Amboy Township. On April 2, 1919, the borough was reincorporated as the Borough of Sayreville and ratified by a referendum held on April 29, 1919.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 173. Accessed May 30, 2024.
History Native Americans were the first settlers of Sayreville. Tribes of the Navesink lived along the South River where Jernee Mill Road is located today. This was noted on a 1656 New Netherland map by Adriaen van der Donck, a Dutch surveyor and map maker. Attempting to buy land from the Native Americans, European settlers travelled up the Raritan River in 1663. During the 20th century, amateur archaeologists found thousands of Indian artifacts at the location shown on the map.Pytel, Ed. "Significant facts about Sayreville history" A Timeline of Sayreville History , Sayreville Historical Society. Accessed December 24, 2019. "Pre-Colonial: Leni Lenape inhabit the region, utilizing a series of established paths, or trails, through the area that would become Sayreville. These include the Matchaponix, Deerfield, and the Minisink Trails, which the Lenape used to cross the Raritan River each Spring and Fall at present-day River Road, a location they called Matokshegan.... 1663: In the Fall of this year, Dutch and English ships travel up the Raritan River for the first time, both with the intent of purchasing land from the Lenape."
Predating the incorporation of Sayreville, the Morgan Inn (later known as the Old Spye Inn) was established in 1703 in what is now the Morgan section of Sayreville.Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into New Jersey , p. 123. Simon and Schuster, 2012. . Accessed December 24, 2019. "Sir Morgan liked to have a drink at the Old Spye Inn, which once stood at the foot of Old Spye Inn Road in Sayreville (it burned down in 1976). But that story is probably just wishful thinking: The inn was built circa 1703, and Henry Morgan died in 1688." Charles Morgan III and his descendants, including Major General James Morgan and Lieutenant Nicholas Morgan, played significant roles in the Revolutionary War. The Morgan family lived in the area for over 200 years and many family members, including Evertsons, are buried in the privately owned Morgan Cemetery, which overlooks Raritan Bay. The Morgans were said to be related to the famous pirate, Captain Henry Morgan, who is said to have visited the Inn on more than one occasion, although this would have been impossible, considering Morgan died in Jamaica in 1688 and the Old Spye Inn wasn't built until 1703.Harrison, Diane Norek. "Remembering the Past: Morgan History" , NJToday.net, April 24, 2008. Accessed November 7, 2013. "The town of Morgan was probably not named after the famous pirate, Captain Henry Morgan, as many residents believe. In my research I have observed that Captain Henry Morgan was probably related to the original Morgan family that settles the town."The Old Spye Inn , New Jersey History's Mysteries. Accessed September 2, 2007.
It was from an episode during the Revolutionary War that the Morgan Inn gained its new name, the Old Spye Inn. According to local legends, a local British loyalist, Abe Mussey, was captured by Continental Army troops in 1777 while signaling to British ships in Raritan Bay. He was tried as a spy at the Inn, convicted in a one-day trial, and sentenced to death by hanging.Hatala, Greg. "Glimpse of History: A safe haven for raiders in Sayreville" , NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 26, 2015, updated January 17, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2019. "The name was changed in 1777 following the capture, trial and hanging of a traitor named Abe Mussey, who was signaling to British ships in the bay. Ye Olde Spye Inn burned down in 1976; curiously, the fire took place one year after a reenactment of Mussey's trial." Mussey's execution was carried out using a tree near the Inn's entrance. Mussey was reported to be buried behind the Inn in an unmarked grave. The Inn was destroyed by fire in 1976, but its ruins remain on the National Register of Historic Places.New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Middlesex County , New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Historic Preservation Office, updated September 18, 2019. Accessed December 24, 2019.
Originally known as Roundabout (for the river bends in the area) and then as Wood's Landing, the community was renamed in the 1860s for James R. Sayre Jr. of Newark, who co-founded Sayre and Fisher Brick Company in the 1850s together with Peter Fisher.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in Sayreville" , The New York Times, August 16, 1992. Accessed October 1, 2015. "Named for James Sayre Jr. who, together with Peter Fisher, built the Sayre & Fisher Brick Works along the Raritan River in the 1850s, the Middlesex County borough remains primarily a blue collar community, although its white collar population has been growing recently, according to Mayor John B. McCormack."A Timeline of Sayreville History , Sayreville Historical Society. Accessed October 1, 2015. "1860: The first post office is established by Sayre & Fisher at Roundabout. Though still a part of South Amboy, the name 'Sayreville' begins to enter into usage, identifying the area once known as Roundabout." It was one of the many companies that took advantage of the extensive clay deposits that supported the brick industry from the early 19th century until 1970. From its inception, Sayre & Fisher quickly grew into one of the largest brick-making companies in the world. Production grew from 54 million bricks annually in 1878, to 178 million bricks a year in 1913, and had reached a total of 6.2 billion bricks in the 100 years through its centennial in 1950.This Month's Featured Question About New Jersey History, New Jersey History's Mysteries, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 4, 2012. Accessed October 1, 2015. "When the company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1950, it estimated that they had made 6,250,000,000 bricks, enough to build over 400,000 modern homes."
In 1898, DuPont began production of gunpowder at its plant on Deerfield Road, and later off Washington Road.Sayreville Timeline, Home News Tribune, August 12, 1999, backed up by the Internet Archive as of November 26, 2005. Accessed May 8, 2012. The company later built additional facilities in Sayreville for the production of paint and photo products.
At one time the Raritan River Railroad passed through Sayreville and had several spurs to service Sayre & Fisher and other local industries. A train running on the line was featured in "The Juggernaut," a 1914 episode of the silent movie serial The Perils of Pauline. The episode was staged on the line, including the construction of a bridge over Ducks Nest Pond in Sayreville. The fishing pond is located in the back of Bailey Park, near the DuPont and Hercules factories.
In 1918 during World War I, Sayreville was heavily damaged by TNT explosions at the Gillespie Shell Loading Plant. The disaster killed dozens and injured hundreds of local victims, damaged hundreds of buildings, required an emergency declaration of martial law, and scattered wide areas of ammunition remnants that continue to surface occasionally."Great Munition Plant Blown Up; 100 May Be Dead" , The New York Times, October 5, 1918. Accessed June 1, 2014."Day of Explosions and Fire Finishes Shell Plant Ruin" , The New York Times, October 6, 1918. Accessed June 1, 2014."Old military explosive unearthed in schoolyard" , Suburban, July 6, 2007. Accessed June 1, 2014. "We find these things a couple of times a year in town."
Sayreville's clay deposits have earned scientific notice as one of the world's major sources of museum-quality fossils found in amber (see New Jersey amber). This prehistoric tree resin managed to encase over a hundred species of insects and plants from approximately 90 million years ago, when Sayreville had a tropical climate. The fossils have been extensively researched and published by David Grimaldi, curator of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History.Sayreville Historical Society. Sayreville, p. 108. Arcadia Publishing, 2001. . Accessed October 1, 2015.Geology of National Parks: Sayreville / Kennedy Park , United States Geological Survey. Accessed October 1, 2015.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 18.68 square miles (48.37 km2), including 15.83 square miles (41.00 km2) of land and 2.85 square miles (7.37 km2) of water (15.24%).
The borough is located on the southern bank of the Raritan River across from Woodbridge Township and Perth Amboy, and is bordered on the southwest and south by Old Bridge Township. The borough also borders East Brunswick, Edison, South Amboy, and South River in Middlesex County, and Staten Island in New York City.Areas touching Sayreville , MapIt. Accessed March 5, 2020.Municipalities , Middlesex County, New Jersey. Accessed December 1, 2019.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries , New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Low-lying areas near the Raritan River are subject to flooding associated with storm surges.Lehmann, Evan. "Risk: N.J. town, flood-soaked and weary, tries to back away from the water" , ClimateWire, May 7, 2013. Accessed October 1, 2015. "Sayreville unfolds along the edge of a wide river plain. During big storms, the Raritan stops giving water to the Atlantic Ocean and begins taking it in. Sections of Sayreville have been dunked three years in a row as tides and storm surge soak the plain like a sponge." The borough is approximately southwest of Lower Manhattan, southwest of Staten Island and northeast of Philadelphia. Area codes 908, 732 and 848 are used in Sayreville.
Sayreville uses four ZIP Codes; 08871 and 08872 are post offices located in the borough itself, while 08879 is the South Amboy ZIP Code serving the Morgan and Melrose sections of Sayreville, South Amboy, and the Laurence Harbor neighborhood of Old Bridge Township. ZIP Code 08859 is the Parlin post office, which serves adjoining portions of Sayreville and Old Bridge Township.
There are several distinct neighborhoods in Sayreville. Unincorporated communities, localities and place names within the borough include: Crossmans, Ernston, Gillespie, Laurel Park, MacArthur Manor, Melrose, Morgan, Morgan Heights, Phoenix, Runyon, Sayre Woods, Sayreville Junction, and Sayreville Station.Locality Search , State of New Jersey. Accessed April 14, 2015.
Climate Sayreville has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Sayreville usually has hot and humid summers, cool to cold winters, and precipitation is spread through the year. The average in July is and thunderstorms are common during the spring and summer. Sayreville also holds the record for the hottest temperature in the state of New Jersey, recorded on July 10, 1936, at in Runyon, a neighborhood of Sayreville.
Demographics
2020 census