Editing Milltown, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Long before the arrival of the first Europeans, the [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] had established settlements along the [[Lawrence Brook]]. The discovery of many artifacts in the area above today's municipal building (now a small county park) suggests the presence of a Native American settlement.<ref name=Luery>Luery, H. Rodney, [https://books.google.com/books?id=wqw6AAAACAAJ ''The Story of Milltown''], A.S. Barnes, {{ISBN|9780498079603}}.</ref> In 1678, Thomas Lawrence, a New York baker, acquired a large area around the Lawrence Brook, which likely included today's Milltown. The Lawrence Brook was then called '''Piscopeek''' (and on later maps, Lawrence's Brook). The names and marks of several Native Americans (Quemareck, Quesiacs, Isarick, Metapis, Peckawan and Turantaca) appear on the bill of sale.<ref>Source : Indian Bill of sale - 1678 ([[New Jersey State Museum]], Trenton).</ref> In 1769, Fulcard Van Nordstrand advertised the sale of a large [[gristmill]] on the bank of Lawrence Brook. It would soon be called [[Lawrence Brook Mill]].<ref>[http://www.milltownnj.org/history.htm History of the Mill] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514162257/http://www.milltownnj.org/history.htm |date=2011-05-14 }}, Borough of Milltown. Accessed October 26, 2011.</ref> The 1903 classic [[western (genre)|western film]] ''[[The Great Train Robbery (1903 film)|The Great Train Robbery]]'' was shot in Milltown.<ref name=Luery/>

After the end of [[World War I]], the ''Michelin Illustrated Guides to the Battlefields (1914-1918)'' of the Western Front were published in Milltown.<ref>[https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2017.111.24.1 ''Michelin Illustrated Guides to the Battlefields (1914-1918): Verdun and the Battles for its Possession.''], [[National Museum of African American History and Culture]]. Accessed May 28, 2024. "At the bottom of the cover, in smaller lettering is the publisher/author of the book, [Michelin & Cie., Clermont-Ferrand / Michelin Tyre Co. Ltd., 81 Fulham Road, London, S.W. / Michelin Tire Co., Milltown, N.J., U.S.A.]."</ref>

In March 2010, the Milltown City Council voted against changing the name of Petain Avenue, citing the difficulties that the street's residents would endure if the name changed.<ref>[[Peter Applebome|Applebome, Peter]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/nyregion/08towns.html "A Local Street and a Lesson in History"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 7, 2010. Accessed October 26, 2011. "Just ask local officials, aggrieved residents of a neighboring town and the folks on Petain Avenue, a tiny, two-house side street in this placid central New Jersey borough. All have suddenly had to confront the legacy of the French World War I war hero and World War II Nazi collaborator, for whom the street is named, and the balance between the burdens of the past and the demands of living in the present."</ref><ref>Chang, Kathy. [http://eb.gmnews.com/news/2010-03-18/Front_Page/Milltown_officials_debate_Petain_street_name_issue.html "Milltown officials debate Petain street name issue "] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234429/http://eb.gmnews.com/news/2010-03-18/Front_Page/Milltown_officials_debate_Petain_street_name_issue.html |date=2016-03-03 }}, ''East Brunswick Sentinel'', March 18, 2010. Accessed October 26, 2011. "No one disputes the facts surrounding the street's namesake, Philippe Pétain, and his link to the Nazis during World War II. However, Mayor Gloria Bradford and Borough Council members said they have been stymied because of the 'hardship' that residents who live on the street would have to endure if the street name is changed."</ref> Petain Avenue is named for [[Philippe Pétain]], a French [[World War I]] general who became the leader of the [[Vichy France]] government during [[World War II]]. The Vichy Regime willfully collaborated with Nazi Germany, taking state action against "undesirables", including Jews, Protestants, gays, gypsies, and left-wing activists. In total, the Vichy government participated in the deportation of 76,000 Jews to German extermination camps, although this number varies depending on the account; only 2,500 survived the war.<ref>Jean-Luc Einaudi and Maurice Rajsfus (2001), op.cit., p.17</ref>  After the war, Petain was charged with perjury and sentenced to death, though this was commuted to life imprisonment due to his advanced age. By contrast, in France itself, the French government has since changed the name of every street formerly named after Petain.<ref>Tagliabue, John. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/world/europe/03petain.html "Both Hero and Traitor, but No Longer on the Map"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', January 2, 2011. Accessed June 27, 2011. "After World War I, virtually every town in France had its Rue or Avenue Pétain. So vast was his fame that a dozen or so towns and cities in the United States also named streets for him. But when the signs here change this month, the last street in France bearing his name will have disappeared."</ref>

The groundbreaking [[anxiolytic]] and sedative drug Miltown ([[meprobamate]]) developed by [[Carter Products]], which became available to the public in the mid-1950s, was named for the borough.<ref>via [[Los Angeles Times]]. [http://www.newsday.com/news/obituaries/ny-usberg235623501mar23,0,7225110.story "Frank Berger, leader of mood-drug movement, dies"], ''[[Newsday]]'', March 23, 2008. Accessed April 2, 2008. "He and his colleagues made a short film about the effects of the drug on rhesus monkeys, which created enough interest that Wallace, a subsidiary of Carter Products, brought it to market in May 1955, naming it 'Miltown' after the nearby village of Milltown, N.J."</ref>