Category Archives: NJ Cities Gates services

The earliest inhabitants of present-day Ewing Township in the historic era were Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who lived along the banks of the Delaware River. Their pre-colonial subsistence activities in the area included hunting, fishing, pottery-making, and simple farming.[23] European settlers, mostly from the British Isles, began to colonize the area in 1699. One of the earliest European settlers was William Green, and his 1717 farmhouse still stands on the campus of The College of New Jersey.[24]

Both East Windsor and West Windsor were formed when Windsor Township was split on February 9, 1797, while the area was still part of Middlesex County. It was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey’s initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Hightstown borough (March 5, 1853, within East Windsor; became independent c. 1894) and Washington Township (March 11, 1860, and known as Robbinsville Township since 2007).[21] The township was named for Windsor Township, which was named for Windsor, England.[22]

Monroe Township was originally formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1859, from portions of Washington Township, while the area was still part of Camden County. Monroe Township was shifted to Gloucester County on February 28, 1871, along with the majority of Washington Township. In 1950, portions of the township were transferred to Winslow Township in Camden County.[20] The township was named for President James Monroe.[21]

Geographically, the township is part of the South Jersey region.

Freehold Township was first formed on October 31, 1693, and was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of Freehold Township were taken to form Upper Freehold Township (c. 1731), so some wills and official records following the split referred to “Lower Freehold Township” although the official name has always been Freehold Township.[24][25] Additional portions formed Millstone Township (February 28, 1844), Jackson Township (March 6, 1844), Atlantic Township (February 18, 1847; now Colts Neck Township), Marlboro Township (February 17, 1848) and Manalapan Township (March 9, 1848). Freehold town was formed within the township on March 25, 1869, and formally separated when it was reconstituted as a borough on April 15, 1919, including additional portions of the township.[26]

Fair Lawn was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 6, 1924, as “Fairlawn”, from portions of Saddle River Township.[23] The name was taken from Fairlawn, David Acker’s estate home, that was built in 1865 and later became the Fair Lawn Municipal Building.[24][25] In 1933, the official spelling of the borough’s name was split into its present two-word form as “Fair Lawn” Borough.[23]

Orange was originally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on November 27, 1806, from portions of Newark Township. Portions of the township were taken on April 14, 1834, to form the now-defunct Clinton Township. On January 31, 1860, Orange was reincorporated as a town. Portions of the town were taken to form South Orange Township (April 1, 1861, now known as Maplewood), Fairmount (March 11, 1862, now part of West Orange), East Orange Township (March 4, 1863) and West Orange Township (April 10, 1863). On April 3, 1872, Orange was reincorporated as a city.[21] In 1982, the city was one of four Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township,joining 11 municipalities that had already made the change, of what would ultimately be more than a dozen Essex County municipalities to reclassify themselves as townships in order to take advantage of federal revenue sharing policies that allocated townships a greater share of government aid to municipalities on a per capita basis.[22][23][24][25][26] The city derives its name from William III of England[27] or William IV, Prince of Orange.[28]

What is now Lawrence Township was originally formed as Maidenhead Township on February 20, 1697, while the area was still part of Burlington County in West Jersey. The township was named by the early Quaker settlers after Maidenhead, a Thames River village west of London. It became part of the newly created Hunterdon County on March 11, 1714. Maidenhead Township was incorporated as one of New Jersey’s initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798.[23]

Long the home of the Lenape, Native Americans, European settlement in the area that would become Garfield dates back to 1679, when Jacques Cortelyou acquired more than 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of land surrounding the Passaic River known as “Acqueyquinonke”, that ran from the Saddle River to present day Glen Rock.[22]

Deptford Township was formed June 1, 1695 and was known initially as Bethlehem. It was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798 as one of the state’s initial group of 104 townships formed under its new Township Act. Over the centuries, portions of the township were taken to create Washington Township (February 17, 1836), Woodbury Borough (March 27, 1854; now Woodbury City), West Deptford Township (March 1, 1871), Wenonah (March 10, 1883), Westville (April 7, 1914) and Woodbury Heights (April 6, 1915).[22]