Pride in Our Past & Present
Settled by a group of Scottish Presbyterians beginning in the 1680’s, Matawan was first called New Aberdeen, and then Mount Pleasant. Today, Matawan’s historic town core retains its appeal as a place to live, work, and shop.
America’s 250th Birthday celeBRATION
The Borough of Matawan has adopted the 250-Resolution formally announcing Matawan’s participation in the upcoming 250th birthday celebration of the United States of America.
Special Announcement: The Matawan Historical Society is pleased to announce that it is collaborating with the Keyport Historical Society on a series of special events celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. This includes co-sponsoring related lectures in our regular monthly meeting series, as well as partnering on special events commemorating the local fight for independence in the Bayshore area. Both Matawan and Keyport are proud partners in the RevolutionNJ and MonmouthNJ 250 programs.
Matawan and Keyport’s first collaborative event will be John Schneider’s lecture “The Deadly Divide: America’s First Civil War During the American Revolution” on January 26, 2026. A complete list of our upcoming events will be published soon.
Burrowes Mansion History
The new edition of The Burrowes Mansion of Matawan New Jersey: and Notations on the History of Monmouth County, Second Edition (2023) by Mary Lou Diecker and Barry C. Orr is now available! The Burrowes Mansion, constructed in 1723, celebrated its 300th Birthday in 2023, and this newly expanded edition of the book commemorates that anniversary. Please visit our “Shop” page to order your copy.
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📜 During the Revolution, Matawan was a community at war with itself.
While Patriot militiamen fought British and Loyalist forces in skirmishes throughout the area, families here were making impossible choices — father against son, neighbor against neighbor. The divide between Patriots and Loyalists wasn’t an abstraction. It was personal, and it happened on these streets.
And at the Burrowes Mansion, the conflict left a mark still visible today: British musket ball holes embedded in the walls, standing silent witness to what happened here 250 years ago.
Preserving stories like this — and sharing them with the community — is exactly what the Matawan Historical Society exists to do. We’re an all-volunteer organization, and it’s the support of our members that keeps the Burrowes Mansion Museum open, funds our programs, and makes events like Founders, Freedom & Fireworks possible.
If you love local history and want to help keep it alive, we’d love to have you as a member. No attendance required, no residency required — just a love of history and community. Members also get presale access to our famously sold-out Shark Tours, Halloween Tours, and Rummage Sale, plus our monthly newsletter.
👉 Join or donate: matawanhistoricalsociety.org/join-or-donate/
#MatawanHistory #Matawan250 #BurrowesMansion #HistoryAlive #SupportLocalHistory #MatawanNJ #FoundersFreedomFireworks
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TODAY! 🍔 MHS Summer BBQ — 6pm at the museum RAIN OR SHINE
All current MHS members and Shark volunteers are invited to join us tonight as we kick off the summer season and preview our plans for the July 12th 110th Anniversary Shark Attack Commemoration and a very special dedication ceremony. The event will be moved indoors Burrowes Mansion if necessary.
Still want to volunteer? Tonight's a great time to connect with us in person.
Can't make it? Email MatawanKurtis@gmail.com or DM us here.
See you tonight! 🦈🏛️
#Matawan1916 #SharkAttack110 #MatawanNJ #MatawanHistoricalSociety #FisherStillwellBridge #RememberThem #NJHistory
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