Once inhabited by Lenape Native Americans, Piscataway Township is an Anglicization of “pisgeu awa,” which means a “place of a dark night.” The area saw its first settlers in 1666, a group of Quakers and Baptists who had split off from a Puritan colony in New Hampshire. Though the settlement adopted the name Piscataway right off bat, the town wasn’t formally established until 1798. These settlers used the trails established by the Lenape for their own needs, to transport farm goods and ore, and today’s roads are laid over these original Native American trails. The River Road, which runs parallel to the Raritan River, and Hoes Lane (Route 18) are two such examples.