Highlights of Cranford History

The Minnisink Trail, a Main Indian Highway Across New Jersey

Minnisink Trail followed the Rahway River through Cranford, and was the main Indian way across the state. Inside the Cranford line, the trail passed near a spring on what is now Indian Spring Road and into a swampy area. Game was plentiful along the river's edge and the swamp north of Cranford was a favorite hunting ground for eggs. Such swamps, and berry patches near them, were an important factor in determining the path of the trail.

Last Indian Battle Along the Minnisink

The Indians were not treated very well. Most people dealt with them fairly but those who did not were never punished. The French and Indian war began in 1754 all the way from Virginia to New England. The last Indian battle was fought along the Minnisink Trail, about a mile beyond Nomahegan Brook on the way to Springfield. The Indians were defeated and the Minnisink Trail they had used was never again used by large bodies of people.

Crane's Mill and the Revolutionary Period 1760 to 1800

John Crane built two mills, a sawmill and a grist mill. The first was known as Crane's Mills and the latter as Branch Mills. The road from Crane's Mills to Branch Mills was a main traveled route. It crossed the Rahway at Crane's Ford. The site of the ford is now where Riverside Drive deadends into the river bank at Memorial Park.

The mills provided grain for General Washington's army and much of the Revolutionary War was fought in this area. The British and the Continentals pursued each other so much that this area has been called the "cock pit of the Revolution."

After 1780, the battles moved away from New Jersey. The land was exhausted by two generations of constant farming. The supplies and equipment had been depleted; therefore families moved away to upstate New York. The farms were turned to orchards and this change, beginning in the late eighteenth century, marked the end of the pioneer period.

How Did Cranford Get Its Name?

In 1849, on the Fourth of July, some children were having a Sunday School picnic at Josiah Crane's farm. They had such a good time that in thanks to him, they jokingly chalked "Craneville" in large letters on the side of a building. The name was later mis-spelled as "Cranville" in the Crane farm deed, when it was sold for real estate. This mistake may have helped in the choice of "Cranford, " because is is easier to pronounce than "Crane's Ford. " This information was excerpted from the pamphlet "300 Years at Crane's Ford"