Editing Watchung, New Jersey (section)

==History==
[[George Washington]] surveyed the British troops in [[Perth Amboy, New Jersey|Perth Amboy]], 20 miles away, from the first ridge of the [[Watchung Mountains]]. The eastern edge of these ridges reaches to [[the Oranges]] in the direction of [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]]. The name "Washingtonville" was used in early times, but was rejected as the name for the area by the [[United States Postal Service]], which felt that the state already had too many [[Washington Township, New Jersey (disambiguation)|places named Washington]].<ref>Cheslow, Jerry. [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-watchung-nj-stunning-vistas-but-entry-not-cheap.html "If You're Thinking of Living In/Watchung, N.J.; Stunning Vistas, but Entry Is Not Cheap"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 11, 2001. Accessed April 30, 2012.</ref><ref>Wilk, Tom. [http://njmonthly.com/articles/lifestyle/awash-in-washingtons.html "Awash in Washingtons: New Jersey has six towns named for the father of our country."], ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', January 17, 2011. Accessed November 6, 2015. "In New Jersey, Washington can lay claim to another first. He's number one in names selected for the state's 566 municipalities. Bergen, Burlington, Gloucester, Morris and Warren counties all have a Washington Township. Warren also has a Washington Borough which, incidentally, is surrounded by Washington Township. The largest is Gloucester County's Washington, with 52,096 people; the smallest is the Washington in Burlington, with a population of 649. New Jersey had a sixth Washington Township in Mercer County until 2008, when voters there approved a name change to Robbinsville."</ref>

Watchung, in the 1900s was a semi-rural small community of about 3,200 people in comparison with the relatively larger and more urban communities of [[Plainfield, New Jersey|Plainfield]] and [[Somerville, New Jersey|Somerville]]. The first mayor of the town was Henry Baldwin Macdonald, who served from 1926 to 1928. The [[1967 Plainfield riots]], caused an exodus of the large upper-middle class population from the nearby cities to the Watchung Hills area to communities such as Watchung, [[Warren Township, New Jersey|Warren Township]] and [[Bridgewater Township, New Jersey|Bridgewater Township]].{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

Watchung was incorporated as a borough by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on May 23, 1926, from portions of North Plainfield Township (now [[Green Brook Township, New Jersey|Green Brook Township]]) based on the results of a referendum held on April 20, 1926.<ref name="Story"/><ref name="auto"/>

[[File:Watchung Lake, Watchung New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|Fishing is allowed at Watchung Lake on a catch-and-release basis only.]]
In the wake of public fear that ensued after the 1938 radio broadcast of [[Orson Welles]]' ''[[The War of the Worlds (1938 radio drama)|The War of the Worlds]]'', National Guard troops were stationed around the hills in Watchung, as told on the vinyl record recording of news reports of the day.{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}}

Notable figures who have lived in Watchung include [[Bobby Thomson]], [[Billy Ard]] and [[Carl Banks]].

===Historic places===
Eaton House is a Watchung historic site that was owned by congressman [[Charles Aubrey Eaton]] and has been the residence of other notables over the years. Known also as the Sunbright Farm farmhouse, the home was damaged in April 2014 when it was hit by trees that fell as a result of a likely [[microburst]] in a severe storm that rolled through the area.<ref name=Eaton>O'Brien, Walter. [http://www.nj.com/somerset/index.ssf/2014/04/historic_watchung_farmhouse_site_damaged_by_extreme_winds.html "Photos: 'Bizarre' winds flatten trees, damage historical Watchung farmhouse"], [[NJ.com]], April 19, 2004. Accessed August 7, 2014. "She said the home has also had a number of other famous residents through the years, including comedian Katt Williams and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Chaka Khan."</ref>

The borough is home to Watchung Valley Golf Club, which moved from its original nine-hole course in North Plainfield to its current location on Mountain Boulevard in 1927. The club was known as the Twin Brooks Country Club from 1933 to 2017, when it re-adopted its name as Watchung Valley Country Club, which was in use from 1928 to 1933.<ref>[https://www.njsga.org/news/post/watchung-valley-gc-proves-to-be-stern-test-in-amateur-qualifying "Watchung Valley G.C. Proves To Be Stern Test In Amateur Qualifying"], New Jersey State Golf Association, June 12, 2018. Accessed October 22, 2019. "The club was originally founded in 1898 in North Plainfield as The Park Club. It moved to its current site in 1927 as the Hydewood Country Club. It was renamed Watchung Valley Country Club in 1928 when the ''Plainfield Courier'' newspaper compared it to Baltusrol Golf Club for its beauty and championship layout."</ref>