An act of 1713 deemed it appropriate...

That a building be erected for the purpose of housing jails and a court house for the Province of East Jersey.  A site at the corner of High and Market Streets in the capital city of Perth Amboy was chosen and the structure that went up also housed the General Assembly.  Damaged by fire in 1731 and then again in the 1760s, when it is believed a former inmate expressed his displeasure by setting the building alight, the Assembly rebuilt in 1767. Renovated and repainted numerous times, the current City Hall exists as the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States.  

Making it official at City Hall on November 20, 1789 and over time the building has served many capacities, among them: school, theater, church hall, meeting house and, of course, seat of the city government.  In perhaps it's most seminal moment, City Hall was the site of the election in which the first African-American voter cast his ballot.  Thomas Mundy Peterson voted immediately after the adoption of the 15th amendment in a special election regarding a charter set up for the city on March 31, 1870.  Apparently, Mr. Peterson did not want to claim a title to which he might not have a right, so he requested a special investigation to make absolutely certain that he indeed was the first.  After many months of canvassing all of the municipalities in every one of the existing 38 states, the claim proved true and on May 30, 1884 a public meeting was held at City Hall to honor Mr. Peterson with a gold medal commemorating the event of his historic vote.  With an engraving of Abraham Lincoln on one side, the other side read:

Presented By The Citizens of Perth Amboy NJ To Thomas Peterson The First Colored Voter In The United States Under The Fifteenth Amendment At An Election Held In That City, March 31st, 1870.  

It is said Mr. Peterson never felt "properly dressed" without it.