Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township’s population was 24,968, an increase of 1,458 (+6.2%) from the 2010 census count of 23,510,[17][18] which in turn reflected an increase of 778 (+3.4%) from the 22,732 counted in the 2000 census.

History

The area known as Scotch Plains was first settled by Europeans, including many Scottish Quakers, as early as 1684. The name is said to have come from George Scott, a leader of a group of Scottish settlers. It later served as a stop on the stage coach line between New York City and Philadelphia.

The Ash Swamp in Scotch Plains was the scene of a key action in the Battle of Short Hills, on June 26, 1777, which included skirmishes as Washington’s forces moved along Rahway Road in Scotch Plains toward the Watchung Mountains. An ancient house in Scotch Plains recalls those skirmishes and with the acreage adjoining the house, presents a vista of that decade, the 1770s. This was the home of Aunt Betty Frazee, whose retort to Lord Cornwallis led the British to find their bread from friendlier bakers in the same battle. The farmstead of Betty and Gershom Frazee is being restored by local organizations.

What is now Scotch Plains was originally incorporated as Fanwood Township on March 6, 1878, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature from portions of Plainfield Township and Westfield Township. Portions of the township were taken to form Fanwood Borough on October 2, 1895. Fanwood Township was renamed Scotch Plains on March 29, 1917, based on the results of a referendum held that same day.

Scotch Plains was home to the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club, the nation’s first African-American country club. Its pro, John Shippen, the first African-American golf professional, led the 1892 U.S. Open in the final round before finishing fifth.[24] The Shady Rest clubhouse hosted Cab Calloway and other greats as a local center for African-American culture in the 1920s and 1930s. It is preserved today as the Scotch Hills Municipal course.

A much more complete history of the township can be found in the October 28, 1999, “Our Towns: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (2nd Annual)” issue of The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood, produced by the town’s newspaper of record at the time[26] as well as on the township’s website.

The ancestors of many residents immigrated from the area of Montazzoli, Italy, as part of a wave of Italian immigrants who arrived in the area in the early 20th century. In recognition of this longstanding connection, the township established “Montazzoli Plaza” in October 2015 in front of the Italian American Club.