Gloucester County, New Jersey: History
Woodbury, the county seat, was founded in 1683 and is the county's oldest municipality. National Park in Gloucester County was the site of the American Revolutionary War's Battle of Red Bank, where Fort Mercer once stood. It is now the site of Red Bank Battlefield Park in National Park. The remains of the Royal Navy's HMS Augusta were laid in Red Bank Battlefield Park until they were later moved to Gloucester City.
During the colonial era, Gloucester County's main industry sector was agriculture. Woodbury was the site of the county courthouse, the county jail, a Quaker meeting house that is still in existence, and an inn located on the current location of Woodbury Crossings. Due in part to the county's many creeks that lead to the Delaware River and Atlantic Ocean, smuggling was once common in the county.
The county is named after the city of Gloucester and county of Gloucestershire in England.