The bay also served as the transportation route for local men going off to fight the British. The first company of Revolutionary soldiers was formed at Middletown Point, now Matawan. The company, armed and equipped for battle, gathered in the front yard of John Burrowes, Sr. and accompanied by a fife and drum corps playing the tune "Duncan Davis," set out for the war. They marched down Broadway to the landing at Brown's Point where they embarked for Long Island.

So, though little, if any, mention of the bay area is found in the history books, when the final victory was won in 1781 the patriots living along the shores of the Raritan Bay could take pride in their role in the Revolutionary War.

Photo caption: Broadway, Key Port, N.J., looking west.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The main body of this brief history covering the years 1714 to 1908 was written by Vera A. Conover, whose source material came in part from original documents belonging to members of her family. The story of the library was provided by Judith F. Murphy. The remaining sections were prepared by Norrine J. Schanck.

The major reference sources were: the August 7, 1969 issue of the Keyport Weekly, which was celebrating its 100th anniversary on that date; The History of Keyport, published in 1930 and commemorating the 100th anniversary of the borough; and a series of articles by Josephine A. Brown which appeared in the Keyport Weekly during the years 1930–31.