1888 Map of Plainfield

About this map

The Watchung Mountains create a striking diagonal spine across this late nineteenth-century landscape, separating the rugged ridge country of Morris County from the developing industrial plains of Middlesex and Union. This era shows a region defined by its rail corridors, with the Central Railroad of New Jersey and the Lehigh Valley Railroad carving paths through burgeoning towns like Metuchen and Perth Amboy. Large wetland tracts including Ash Swamp and Dismal Swamp remain prominent, illustrating the natural obstacles that influenced early settlement patterns.