Editing Rumson, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Legend has it that the borough's name is derived from early European settlers who bought the land from the local [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] in exchange for some rum. But as far back as 1663, long before the area was officially named Rumson, Native Americans called it "Navarumsunk". Over the years it has been shortened to "Rumson",<ref>[http://co.monmouth.nj.us/documents/9/History%20of%20Rumson%201665-1965.pdf#page=35 ''History of Rumson 1665–1965''], p. 26. The Rumson Improvement Association, 1965. Accessed September 27, 2015. "Long before the white man set foot upon the soil of the beautiful 'neck of land' now called Rumson. it was called Navarumsunk by the Indians.... The "rum-some" tale may therefore be relegated as a bit of colorful, but wholly unfounded fiction. Navarumsunk has, by the simplifying process of time and usage, become Rumson."</ref> though sources also talk of a Chief Alumson as a source of the name.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=28 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 27, 2015.</ref> Other names Rumson has been known by include Black Point, Port Washington and Oceanic.<ref>[https://www.rumsonnj.gov/hpc/history-of-rumson History of Rumson], Borough of Rumson. Accessed December 13, 2024.</ref>

Rumson was purchased by English settlers in pieces. The first purchase was dated January 25, 1665, and it included parts of Middletown. The rest of the area was purchased later that year.

Rumson is known for its many sprawling [[Victorian architecture|19th-century estates]] located alongside the shores of the [[Navesink River|Navesink]] and [[Shrewsbury River|Shrewsbury]] rivers and also dotted along the historic Rumson Road (serving as one of Rumson's main thoroughfares). Now an upscale [[commuter suburb]], Rumson was once a prominent [[summer colony]] for wealthy [[New York City|New York]] bankers and industrialists during the turn of the century, {{circa|1900}}. The oldest of Rumson's homes was the Tredwell House, named after a family that summered there for almost 100 years. The oldest part of the house was from 1670, and the estate once occupied {{convert|700|acre|km2}}. It was the second-oldest building in Monmouth County when it was destroyed by fire in June 2006.<ref>[http://app.newspapers.com/image/144408042/?terms=Tredwell%2BHouse Burning questions], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', June 16, 2006. Accessed April 7, 2017.</ref>

The Lauriston Mansion, built in 1870 and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2002, is a {{convert|10000|sqft|adj=on}} home constructed in the [[Colonial Revival architecture|Colonial Revival]] style. Originally, the home sat on {{convert|39|acres}} of land, which over the years were parceled out, leaving {{convert|6|acres}} of land. Plans have been submitted to demolish the building, which the developer stated could not be renovated, and to replace it with townhomes that would include affordable housing, leading Preservation New Jersey to declare the home "endangered" as of 2020.<ref>[https://www.preservationnj.org/listings/lauriston-estate/ Lauriston Estate], Preservation New Jersey. Accessed March 22, 2022. "The Lauriston Estate in Rumson Borough is an 1870 Colonial Revival mansion, designed by New York and Red Bank architect Leon Cubberly as the summer home for banker Henry A. Caesar and his wife, Laura Unger Caesar. It is the only residential building in Rumson listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places, and it is also registered with the Rumson Borough Historic Preservation Commission."</ref><ref>[https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/MONMOUTH.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County], [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] - Historic Preservation Office, updated December 22, 2021. Accessed March 22, 2022.</ref>

In the 19th century, Rumson's summer residents enjoyed many activities, such as swimming and boating in the adjacent [[Navesink River]] and the Atlantic Ocean, or taking wagon rides. In winter, residents used the river for [[ice boat]]ing.