Middletown Point was the "downtown" of the present Matawan borough, so-called because it was Middletown's port or shipping point for its early history. The settlement was on Matawan Creek, which had access to Raritan Bay and was once navigable by oceangoing ships. The name fell out of use after the formation of Matawan Township in 1857, which had been part of Raritan (now Hazlet) Township since 1848 when Middletown had its major division, a period when most original townships were divided, apparently for administrative ease, a major unstudied aspect of NJ history. Matawan borough was not formed until 1895, a part of its history often overlooked by the Matawan historical community which tends to date Matawan's origin from its late 17th century settlement prior to the formation of municipalities, conveniently forgetting it having been a part of Middletown Township for its early times. Randall Gabrielan