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.
Facebook News
Did you know that when the Matawan Historical Society was founded in 1969, its mission was to preserve the history of Matawan Borough and Matawan Township? When Matawan Township changed its name to Aberdeen Township in 1977, the name changed—but the history didn't.
Today, we're proud to continue that mission by expanding our website with a new section devoted entirely to Aberdeen Township history.
Aberdeen historian Pat Noble has launched "Township Topics," a growing collection of articles exploring the people, places, neighborhoods, and events that have shaped Aberdeen through the years.
Whether your family has lived in Cliffwood, Cliffwood Beach, Freneau, Oak Shades, River Gardens, Strathmore, Woodfield—or anywhere else in Aberdeen—for generations or just a few years, we invite you to explore this new resource.
And if you have old photographs, family stories, documents, or memories of life in Aberdeen, we'd love to hear from you. Every photograph, every story, and every family helps preserve another piece of our shared heritage.
The name changed in 1977. The history didn't. And that history belongs to all of us.
[matawanhistoricalsociety.org/township-topics/]
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It's official — save the date! 🚣
Saturday, August 29th, three local towns go head-to-head on Lake Lefferts for the ultimate bragging rights.
In honor of Capt. William Marriner's daring 1778 whaleboat raid, the Matawan Historical Society and Keyport Historical Society are joining forces with teams from Matawan Borough, Aberdeen Township, and Keyport Borough to paddle across Lake Lefferts, pick up Mayors Altomonte, Cannon, and Araneo from a floating dock, and row them safely back to shore.
First team to return their mayor and raise their flag wins the coveted Golden Oar Trophy.
Three towns. Three whaleboats. One legendary mission. Who's rowing for the win?
📍 Lake Lefferts Park, Matawan, NJ | 5:00–7:30 PM
More info: Recreation@matawanborough.com
#GreatWhaleboatRaces #Matawan250 #MatawanNJ #AberdeenNJ #KeyportNJ #KeyportHistoricalSociety #MatawanHistoricalSociety
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