Rahway, New Jersey

=== Houses of worship === The First Presbyterian Church of Rahway was established in 1741 and its current church on Grand and Church Street was built in 1832.

In January 1777, rebels were victorious against the British in the Battle of Spanktown, which resulted in the death of some 100 British troops.

George Washington visited Rahway during his travel to New York City prior to his presidential inauguration in 1789.

A United States Post Office established in Rahway was one of only six in the entire state in 1791.

The earliest buildings at the site date to 1795 and the property remains one of Rahway's most prominent historical landmarks.

Established in 1826, the Ebenezer AME Church in Rahway is one of the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the country Trinity Methodist.

Founded in 1849, this Methodist group was called Second Methodist.

The first municipal elections for the mayor and council were conducted on April 19, 1858, and the council held its first meeting on May 3, 1858.

In 1860, the portion of Rahway that had been part of Middlesex County was transferred to Union.

On March 13, 1861, the remainder of Rahway Township became part of Rahway City.

Clark Township was formed from portions of the city on March 23, 1864.

Built in 1865, the Seventh-day Adventist Church stands at the intersection of Main Street and West Emerson (1221 New Brunswick Avenue).

It was extensively remodeled in 1876.

=== The Unknown Woman === The Rahway murder of 1887 was the unsolved murder of an unidentified young woman whose body was found in the city on March 25, 1887, garnering attentio...

Its church on Central Avenue was built in 1888 by Irish architect Jeremiah O'Rourke.

In 1893, the group changed its name to Trinity United Methodist and built the large brick, Romanesque-styled church on the corner of E.

and, most importantly, Merck & Co., which was established in Rahway in 1903, when George W.

Built in 1929, it was documented by the Historic American Engineering Record in 1985.

Historian and Rahway native Eva Bridges opened the city's Black-owned bookstore, Bridges Book Center Afro-American Research Library & Museum, located at 1480 Main Street, in 1970.

The 1978 documentary Scared Straight was filmed there, as was the 1989 movie Lock Up, starring Sylvester Stallone.

The prison's official name was changed to East Jersey State Prison as of November 30, 1988, at the request of the residents of Rahway.

The prison was briefly mentioned in John Sayles City of Hope (1991).

=== Library and other media === In September 1999, remnants of Hurricane Floyd swept across New Jersey and caused severe damage.

=== 2000 census === As of the 2000 United States census there were 26,500 people, 10,028 households, and 6,728 families residing in the city.

The building was demolished in October 2001 and a new library was constructed and opened on March 22, 2004, behind the city's municipal building along a less flood-prone area of...

The new library opened in 2004.

A new US$11.2 million 524-space parking deck opened across the street from the station in January 2005, helping train commuters and allowing the city to transform old parking lo...

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,551 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,35...

The theater underwent a $6.2-million renovation and expansion project, completed in 2007.

In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 8,340 votes (69.8% vs.

In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Democrat Jon Corzine received 3,961 ballots cast (57.4% vs.

Mark's German Catholic Church around 2010 to form Divine Mercy Parish.

=== Politics === As of March 2011, there were a total of 15,719 registered voters in Rahway, of whom 7,159 (45.5% vs.

It was formerly the Second Presbyterian, but that congregation merged with the First Presbyterian in 2012.

In the 2017 gubernatorial election, Democrat Phil Murphy received 4,489 votes (71.3% vs.

On the corner of Main Street and the Paseo, Lawrence Ciarallo’s The Wings, painted in 2018, remains one of Rahway’s most photographed murals, with large, colorful wings inviting...

== Demographics == === 2020 census === === 2010 census === The 2010 United States census counted 27,346 people, 10,533 households, and 6,815 families in the city.

=== In 2021, Merck & Co.

Also located on Irving Street is Native Botanicals by local artist Emilio Florentine, a 2023 mural celebrating regional plant life.

In 2024, Merck completed the move of headquarters to Rahway.

In 2025, a large-scale building-wrap mural by the artist James McMenamin of Glossblack LLC, titled Greetings from Rahway, was unveiled at Rahway Train Station Plaza on the forme...

As of 2026, the mayor of Rahway is Democrat Raymond A.

New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).

Gibilisco (Sixth Ward; D, 2028), Joanna Miles (At Large; D, 2026), Jeremy E.