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The suburban township of Aberdeen blends residential neighborhoods, light industry, and commercial centers.    Lovely new homes, good schools, local shopping, easy access to urban amenities, extensive recreational amenities and facilities, undeveloped woodlands, and beaches all can be found in Aberdeen and help add to the fabulous quality of life offered here!

Most people refer to this area as “Matawan / Aberdeen”.  Here is a little bit of info I took from the town page to explain why!

On November 8, 1977, the residents of Matawan Township voted to change the name of the Township to create a community identity separate from that of Matawan Borough. The residents voted to call their community Aberdeen Township. Officials believed the new name would draw attention to the Township, as it is listed first alphabetically among New Jersey’s 566 municipalities.

Today, Aberdeen is a suburban Township of 5.4 square miles containing a mix of residences, light industry, and shopping centers. Sections of the Township include Cliffwood, Cliffwood Beach, Freneau, Oakshades, River Gardens, Strathmore, and Woodfield. There are three postal ZIP codes that service the Township: 07721, 07735, and 07747.

The Township is served by two volunteer fire companies, the Aberdeen Township Hose and Chemical Co. No. 1, organized in 1918, and the Cliffwood Volunteer Fire Co., organized in 1927. Two volunteer First Aid Squads responded to the community’s emergency medical needs; the Aberdeen Township First Aid and Rescue Squad, organized in 1954, and the South Aberdeen Emergency Medical Service, organized in 1970. A Full-time Police Department was established in 1935.

The Henry Hudson Trail is a 9-mile (14 km) paved trail built on a former Central Railroad of New Jersey right-of-way and extending from Aberdeen Township east to Atlantic Highlands.

Here are some facts about Matawan Borough and Aberdeen Township, which used to be called Matawan Township, that you probably never knew:

1. Ravine Drive used to be a bridge, not a dam.

Believe it or not, the earthen dam under Ravine Drive was installed after efforts by Jacob Lefferts, a local lawyer with a law office on Main Street. The bridge at Ravine Drive was replaced with the dam, creating the lake we now know as Lake Lefferts, according to Al Savolainen of the Matawan Historical Society.

2. Cliffwood Beach used to be a popular beach destination

According to Images of America: Around Matawan and Aberdeen by Helen Henderson, Cliffwood Beach used to have a large boardwalk, swimming pool, and even a 100-foot water slide into Raritan Bay. Many residents from Northern New Jersey vacationed here, and the area hosted regular beauty pageants. The boardwalk was destroyed by a hurricane and never rebuilt.

3. Henry Stafford Little went to school at the Glenwood Institute

The Glenwood Institute on Church Street opened in 1834 as the Middletown Point Academy, according to Images of America: Around Matawan and Aberdeen by Helen Henderson. Notable students who attended the private school included Henry Stafford Little and Garrett Hobart. The building also housed the Collegiate Institute of Middletown Point and the Matawan Military Academy until it closed in 1915. The building still stands and has since been converted into apartments.

4. The name of the statue at the front of Memorial Park is “Doughboy”

According to Images of America: Around Matawan and Aberdeen by Helen Henderson, The Spirit of American Doughboy was placed in Memorial Park by members of the Matawan American Legion Auxilary, Unit #176. This sculpture was done by famous artist E.M. Voquesney and was dedicated on Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1927.

5. Cliffwood used to have a train station

Originally called New York and Long Branch Railroad Station, a train station was built in at Hunter’s Crossing in Cliffwood in 1875. The small stop, no larger than a one-room cottage, was soon renamed Cliffwood Station, but was closed in 1932.

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