HUNTING FOR HISTORY IN WATCHUNG
DRIVING SCAVENGER HUNT
The Texier House is the original house bought by Hippolyte Texier in the late nineteenth century. It functions as a museum for the borough of Watchung and its history.
Leave the Texier House parking lot T
Exit the circle immediately at Somerset St. (to the right) and travel .4 miles. Look for an indentation on the guardrail near a black and yellow striped sign. This is the best place to view the falls (stop two.)
The memorials on the grounds were put in place to remember the servicemen and women from which wars/conflicts?
Wetumpka Falls is a waterfall named after the Lenni Lenape word weetoomka, meaning “friendly sounding water.”
There is no marker on the site of the falls and only one fixture on the street level landing.
What is it?
After passing the falls, continue on Somerset Street toward Route 22 for about .3 miles. Across from the wooden bear on the right is a tank.
The tank is a M114 Command and Reconnaissance Carrier, a Vietnam War-era fighter tank.
Both sides of the tank are marked with the same number and letter sequence under the words “US Army.” What is it?
Continue to the parking lot of the Watchung Triangle to turn around and head back toward the circle. The next stop, the police station (840 Somerset Street), is on the right.
The Watchung Police Department headquarters has been located on Somerset Street since 1999 after moving numerous times since its formation in 1926.
To the right and left of the main doors are two memorial plaques. What is the badge number on the plaque to the right? What role did Richard R. Ryan play in Watchung’s history?
Turn right out of the police station parking lot and travel toward the circle. Enter the circle, then almost immediately exit to the right (This is the driveway to the library, which is actually marked by the Arts Center sign.) The address of the Watchung Library is 12 Stirling Road.
