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Montville is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 21,528,[1][2][3] reflecting an increase of 689 (+3.3%) from the 20,839 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 5,239 (+33.6%) from the 15,600 counted in the 1990 Census. Montville was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 11, 1867, from portions of Pequannock Township. It includes the sections of Montville, Pine Brook and Towaco. NJ Transit rail service is available at the Towaco station along the Montclair-Boonton Line. In Money magazine's 2013 Best Places to Live rankings, Montville was ranked 13th in the nation, the second-highest among the three places in New Jersey included in the top 50 list. The township was ranked 17th in the magazine's 2011 ranking of the "Best Places to Live", the highest-ranked place in New Jersey, after having been ranked 13th in 2007. In 2009, Money magazine named Montville the 21st best place to live in the United States; the 2nd highest ranked community in New Jersey.
[edit] History
[edit] Native settlementOver 10,000 years ago, the area was part of the Lenapehoking. It was originally settled by the Lenape tribes of the Munsee dialect. The Lenape tribes maintained peace and no significant battles were recorded in the area. On October 12th, the Morris County Parks Commission holds Lenape Day at the Great Swamp to celebrate the culture and history of Ramapough Lenape people. [edit] Dutch settlementDutch farmers from New Amsterdam (now part of New York City) entered the area in 1710.[4] As part of New Netherland, the town was originally called "Uyle-Kill" (the Dutch spelling of "Owl-Kill"), a name given to the creek and valley, which ran through the area. By the 1740s, the settlement had grown in size and construction of the first road was begun. The early road, now known as U.S. Route 202, connected various farms with Montville's first gristmill, sawmill and tanneries. In 1756, the Dutch Reformed Church was founded in Old Boonton and moved to Montville in the early 1800s after land was purchased in Montville for a parsonage. [edit] English settlementIn 1712, William Penn bought a tract of land that included parts of modern-day Pequannock and Montville that included Pine Brook.[4] In 1760, the first schoolhouse in the Montville township was built out of logs in Pine Brook. It was located on "the road leading to Boonton," which could refer to multiple northwest-facing roads including Changebridge Road. Additional schools were constructed in 1785, 1816, and 1852.[4] During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Montville was on a major military route from Morristown to the Hudson River. General George Washington's troops often took this route and Washington stayed in the Towaco section of what is now Montville Township in June 1780. The French troops under the leadership of General Rochambeau spent four days passing through Montville Township on their way to the War's final victory at Yorktown, Virginia, as part of a group of 5,000 soldiers, 2,000 horses, 500 oxen, possibly 900 cattle, artillery, boats and followers. The Mandeville Inn was established around 1770 and was pronounced "Mondeveil" by the Dutch, which in turn was corrupted to Montville. The Montville Inn was, up until July 2006, located at the site of the pre-Revolutionary War Mandeville Inn, which burned down in the early 20th century. Other sources attribute the township's name to its location in the mountains of Northern New Jersey. In 1809, the first store in Montville was opened by Conrad Esler. In 1820, Montville contained 16 houses, 2 bark mills, a grist mill, a cider mill and distillery, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop, a wheelwright shop, and a small store; at the time, Montville was considered a business center compared to nearby towns. By 1880, it contained 40 houses, a bark mill, two grist mills, a tannery, a saw mill, a rubber factory, two blacksmith shops, two taverns, and 2 stores.[4] The construction of the Morris Canal in this area was completed in 1828, bringing commercial navigation to the Montville/Towaco area. The mid-19th century saw the development of two smaller village centers set apart from Montville: Pine Brook, a fertile agricultural area in the Township's southern end, and Towaco, situated on the Morris Canal.[5] In 1867, Montville and Boonton split off from Pequannock township.[4] [edit] 20th centuryBy 1910, the population of Montville was 690.[4] The Pine Brook Speedway, which operated from July 1962 until October 1989, was designed for midget car racing and became one of the earliest sites for microstock racing. Mario Andretti raced at the track and had some of his earliest success as a race car driver at the Speedway. [edit] Research Tips
Kanouse, John L., "Pequannock Township," in "History of Morris County, New Jersey with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers.," pp. 265-289. New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 1882. "Proceeding north of this [Pine Brook] we come to a neighborhood settled in the beginning pricipally by families of the name of Baldwin, Courter, Jacobus and Stiles. Indeed, there were so many in this vicinity of the name of Stiles that the neighborhood was called Stiles Town, which name it retained for many years; and even now it is so called by some old persons,although among the present families living there that name has disappeared, with the exception of one Levi Stiles, aged 85 years." p. 268 Kanouse, John L., "Pequannock Tonwship," in "History of Morris County, New Jersey with illustrations and biographical sketches or prominent citizens and pioneers.," pp. 265-289. New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 1882.
Fowler, Alex D., Samuel Stiles House, 155 Change Bridge Road, "Splinters from the Past: Discovering history in old houses." Morristown, NJ: Morris County Historical Society, 1983. p. 68 |
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