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cladtidings t1_iw5mpnx wrote

Reply to comment by CalypsoTheKitty in Picture I took at Cheesequake State Park by eddiewolfgang

New Jersey certainly has a rich and colorful history. For example, Laurence Harbor wasn't named for a harbor operated by a guy named Laurence, not at first. In 1821, Ireland banished and exiled all males named Laurence, insisting they had to change the spelling to Lawrence, as per the king's decree. The Laurences fled the mother country on tall ships, and sailed up and down the East Coast seeking refuge, finally settling in a small cove off Raritan Bay. The bay harbored the Laurences, thus gaining its name. One of those Laurences actually did settle in the area and operated the local harbor, which added to the confusion somewhat.

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Tough_Dish_4485 t1_iw66tta wrote

Old Bridge is named after the town’s most popular bridge which itself is named after popular 19th century land owner Silas “Old” Bridge. The bridge was called Old Bridge Crossing, eventually shortened to just Old Bridge. The town was originally named Madison after the capital of Wisconsin, but after everything Wisconsin did the town voted to change its name. The Old Bridge was replaced by the new Old Bridge in 1974.

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rpsls t1_iw6ppog wrote

Not quite as old, but that reminds me of my favorite bridge name -- the Outerbridge Crossing (built in 1928). Many think it was so named because it's the outermost bridge leading into the city. Nope. It's named for Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, the first and most aptly named chairman of the Port Authority of NY.

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cladtidings t1_iwd4qfc wrote

The first time I learned this, I was dumbfounded. Mr. Outerbridge...what are the odds on that?

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