Explore the founding of Elizabethtown in 1664, New Jersey’s first English settlement. Discover its colonial roots, key figures, and lasting impact on history.

Discover the rich history of the Belcher-Ogden Mansion, Elizabeth’s colonial-era gem. Built in 1680, this Georgian masterpiece shaped New Jersey’s past.

Explore how market days in colonial Elizabethtown blended trade, civic life, and community celebration on historic Broad Street.

Elizabethtown’s homes, churches, and taverns became key Revolutionary War headquarters and encampments from 1775 to 1783.

Explore the story of Rev. James and Hannah Caldwell, Revolutionary heroes whose sacrifice helped define Elizabeth, NJ’s path to independence.

Explore Elizabethtown’s Red Lion Inn—host to Washington’s 1779 court‑martial and his 1789 visit—later reborn in 1912 as the Elizabeth Public Library.

From township to city: how Elizabethtown’s split gave rise to Elizabeth and its Union County neighbors.

Discover the roots of The Pingry School, founded in Elizabeth, NJ in 1861, and its journey from Westminster Ave. to a legacy of academic excellence.

Discover how bicycles shaped sporting life, club culture, and community events in Elizabeth during the bike boom of the 1890s.

Discover the rich history of Elizabeth's Dix Building, once a six-story hub of commerce and education on bustling Broad Street.

Learn how Standard Aircraft connected Elizabeth to World War I manufacturing, pilot training planes, and the early development of U.S. airmail.

Shade Meshack Lee, Tuskegee Airman and Elizabeth NJ resident, helped shape military integration and served with distinction in WWII.

Discover how Jerry O’Mahony’s Elizabeth factory helped shape New Jersey’s diner legacy from West Grand Street to diners across America.

Explore the history of Durant Motors’ Star automobile factory in Elizabeth, NJ, and its role in early 20th-century American manufacturing.

Discover how Burry’s Biscuit Corporation in Elizabeth helped produce Girl Scout cookies and shaped the city’s industrial food manufacturing history.

Born in Elizabeth in 1944, Rick Barry’s career mirrors the rise of athlete agency and the transformation of professional basketball.

Born in 1926, Don Newcombe rose from Elizabeth-area baseball to become a trailblazer of MLB’s integration era and one of the game’s most dominant pitchers.

Discover how Rev. Joseph Garlic transformed Elizabethport through street patrols, Brand New Day housing projects and a pivotal 2000 town hall with Gov. Bush.

EAHOF 1998 inductee Ron Freeman won Olympic bronze and helped set a 4x400m world record in 1968. A defining Elizabeth track legend.

In 1970, Union College expanded into Elizabeth, creating a new urban campus designed to increase access to affordable education.

In 1975, Union College moved its Elizabeth urban campus to the YMCA on Madison Avenue, continuing its mission of expanding local college access.

In 1979, Union College opened its Elizabeth Urban Education Center on Butler Street, expanding access to college courses and workforce training.

Elizabeth trailblazer Shirlynn Shirley became the first woman inducted into the Elizabeth Athletic Hall of Fame after a record-setting career.

In 1992, Union County College opened the Sidney F. Lessner Building in downtown Elizabeth, creating a permanent home for its urban campus.