The community of Basking Ridge is part of greater Bernards Township, which also includes the neighborhoods of Liberty Corner, Lyons and West Millington.
It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census[7] with a population of 7,196.[11]
Bernards Township was officially chartered on May 21, 1760, granted by King George II and granted to Sir Francis Bernard, first governor of the noted section which includes Basking Ridge.
On the morning of December 13, 1776, General Charles Lee was captured by the British at Widow White's tavern. Lee had ranked next to Washington in command.[13]
A referendum to create an independent borough of Basking Ridge failed in June 1921.[14] Voters rejected the proposed borough by a more than 4–1 margin.[15]
The downtown area of Bernards Township known as Basking Ridge was added to the New Jersey and National Registries as a Historic District. on August 8, 1974.
Basking Ridge CDP, New Jersey - Demographic Profile (NH = Non-Hispanic) Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
As of the 2000 United States census[19] there were 24,600 people, 9,300 households, and 6,517 families residing in the ZCTA. The population density was 1,137.1 inhabitants per square mile (439.0/km2). There were 9,537 housing units at an average density of 440.8 per square mile (170.2/km2). The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 89.2% Caucasian, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[20]
There were 9,300 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.15.[20]
In the ZCTA the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18 , 3.2% from 18 to 24 , 31.2% from 25 to 44 , 25.4% from 45 to 64 , and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years.[20]
The median income for a household in the ZCTA was $105,471, and the median income for a family was $131,618. Males had a median income of $93,436 versus $60,101 for females. The per capita income for the ZCTA was $54,753. 1.4% of the population and 0.6% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.[20]
Downtown area with Presbyterian church in distance
Basking Ridge has an annual event in May called Charter Day. Many rides are set up in the Oak Street field—a bounce house, inflatable race tracks, and spinning rides. Also, in the center of the town hundreds of stands are set up mostly promoting school sports, but there are also many kettle corn stands, which is a traditional food children eat during Charter Day. At night, the traditional Battle of the Bands takes place, which many teenagers sign up for to play their favorite songs.
Historic sites
600 year-old historic oak tree in Basking Ridge, June 2016
Basking Ridge was home to the Old Oak Tree, a 600-year-old white oak, perhaps the oldest white oak in the world.[23] The tree was located on the historic graveyard of the local Presbyterian church. The tree was 97 feet (30 m) high and had a trunk circumference of 20 feet (6.1 m) and its lower branches were supported.[24] In 2016 the tree showed signs of distress as its upper parts failed to sprout leaves.[23] A big portion of the tree was cut down in 2017 due to decay.[25] The tree has since been cut down as of April 26, 2017.
A specially designed experimental hospital was built in 1779 by local resident John "Rebel Banker" Morton with the help of Dr. James Tilton in the winter of 1779-80. The hospital was built with three wards, that held patients in its hub and each of the three wards held eight patients. Patient beds were oriented so that their heads were closest to the walls of the buildings. When temperatures fell, a "fire was built in the midst of the ward, without any chimney, and the smoke circulating about, passed off through an opening about 4 inches wide in the ridge of the roof." Tilton described how the design of the building allowed infection to be fought using smoke, "without giving the least offense to the patient, for it always rose above their heads, before it spread abroad in the ward." This hospital, which could accommodate up to 55 patients, provided an uncrowded but fully ventilated space in which those with infectious disease could be kept apart from those who were wounded.[26][27]
The Bernards Township Municipal Hall was once owned by the Astors. The estate was built in 1912 by Samuel Owen of Newark, New Jersey.
The Brick Academy was built in 1809 as the Basking Ridge Classical School; its function was to prepare young men for the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University). It has also served as a public school, a union hall, a public library, and the municipal hall for Bernards Township. It now serves as a historic museum for Basking Ridge and as the home of The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills.[28]
The Van Dorn Mill was built in 1768 as a wooden structure; it was rebuilt in 1843 with foundations extending 20 feet (6.1 m) below ground level, using thousands of stones hauled from the hedgerows of nearby farms.[29]
The Warren Kinney Memorial Oak Tree commemorates the life of a well-known dairy farmer and community leader from New Vernon, NJ. According to Mr. Kinney's 1975 obituary, he "helped lead a fight to prevent a jetport from being built on the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Morris County," and was "a founding member of the Madison Square Club, and trustee of the New York Zoological Society."[31]
The Devil's Tree is a solitary oak with some dead limbs growing in an undeveloped field on Mountain Road, opposite Emerald Valley Lane. Local legend, documented in Weird NJ magazine and the book based on it, tells that the tree is cursed or the property of the Devil and has been a site of lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan in the past.[32]
Alward Farm House is a Colonial era farmhouse representing the simple lifestyle of early settlers. Built c.1740, it is one of the first structures in Bernards Township. Entered in State and National Registers, 1986.
Basking Ridge Historic District, added August 8, 1974.
Parks and recreation
There are several parks within Basking Ridge. Four are county parks: Lord Stirling Park, Rebel Hill, Southard, and Harry Dunham. The fifth is Pleasant Valley Park which contains the town pool and miles of woodchip trails.[34]
Education
William Annin Middle School in Basking Ridge NJ
Bernards High School was founded by the Bernards Township Board of Education in 1924. When Bernardsville separated from Bernards Township, the schools still remained one system until 1947 when the original high school became the property of Bernardsville. From 1948, however, township students continued attending Bernards High School as tuition students.[35] In 1960 a contract was issued for the construction of a new Ridge High School and Cedar Hill School which were built on approximately 60 acres (24 ha) of land.
William Annin Middle School was originally named after a colonial patriot who settled in Basking Ridge in 1722. Construction started in 1968 and the school was dedicated on September 28, 1969, as William Annin Junior High School and contained grades 6 through 8. The following year it shifted to grades 7 through 9. It became a middle school in 1982. It currently contains grades 6 through 8.[36] The school is one of the few in the United States to have a seismograph.[37][38]
There are four elementary schools in Basking Ridge.
Liberty Corner School, was built for a farming community in 1905. It is the oldest school in the district. Part of the original building still remains today. It is located in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township.[39]
Oak Street School was built in 1938, although it was completed late. It was dedicated on November 21, 1939, and opened on November 23, the day before Thanksgiving. Dr. Horatio Gates Whitnall originally owned the property on which Oak Street School was built. The land was used for farming and his home was what is now the Summit Bank. Over the years, the population rose rapidly. It serves downtown Basking Ridge which is the area around the Presbyterian Church and the Old Oak Tree.[40]
Cedar Hill School was built 1956. It is situated on land which was once the property of a succession of wealthy families: Owen, Lee, Bissell, and Astor. It was donated in the Mid 1950s by the Lees. It serves the area around William Annin Middle School and Ridge High School.[41]
Mount Prospect was built in 1999. The school was built because a new population rolled in by 2000. Basking Ridge was extended southward and a new subdivision was built: The Hills. Mount Prospect is the newest school in the district and serves the Hills.[42]
The former Maple Avenue School, a two-story, eight classroom structure, was demolished in the 1970s to make room for the current Basking Ridge Public Library.[43]
Lyons: Built in 1931 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, it serves the Hills, and south Basking Ridge in addition to Liberty Corner.[46] Lyons gets more passengers than Basking Ridge.
Philip Lindsley (1786–1855), Presbyterian minister, educator, and classicist who served as the acting president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) from 1822 to 1824.[58]
^Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living In: Basking Ridge, N.J.;A Rich Hamlet That Gobbled Up a Town"Archived August 10, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, November 19, 1995. Accessed October 11, 2015. "The recorded history of Basking Ridge goes back to 1717, when John Harrison, an agent of King James III, bought most of what is now Bernards Township from Chief Nowenok of the Leni Lenape Indians for the equivalent of $50. According to Mrs. Kennedy, the first settlers were English and Scottish Presbyterians escaping religious persecution."
^Thomson, W. Barry. "New Municipal Proposals of 100 Years Ago"Archived July 23, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Inside the Brick Academy, June 2021. Accessed July 7, 2023. "Over the years a number of efforts have been made to alter municipal boundaries and create new municipalities in the Somerset Hills region, with the goal of making local governments more responsive to the changing needs of residents.... After bills authorizing these new boroughs passed the New Jersey Legislature, local referenda were held in June 1921 allowing residents in each of the affected areas to vote on the proposals. The vote to create the Borough of Far Hills passed, while votes to form the separate boroughs of Bernardsville and Basking Ridge were defeated."
^"Ridge Defeats Borough Act"Archived July 18, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, Bernardsville News, June 9, 1921. Accessed July 18, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Basking Ridge by defeating the borough proposition today by a majority of 127 votes, chose to remain in the Township with Bernardsville and Liberty Corner. There were 161 ballots cast against the borough and 34 in favor."
^A Walking Tour of Historic Basking Ridge VillageArchived 2016-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, The Historic Society of the Somerset Hills. Accessed July 2, 2016. "Over the tombstones broods the ancient White Oak (Quercus alba), more than 600 years old. It stands tall at 97', with a spread of 156' and a circumference of 18'."
^Barron, James. "A 600-Year-Old Oak Tree Finally Succumbs"Archived October 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, October 16, 2016. Accessed February 22, 2017. "Basking Ridge, N.J. — The locals say that George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette — the Frenchman who bankrolled the American patriots with cold, hard cash — picnicked in the shade it provided. Rank-and-file soldiers are said to have rested under it, gathering strength before going on to beat the redcoats. It is a huge oak tree, now estimated to be 600 years old."
^The Brick AcademyArchived 2010-08-17 at the Wayback Machine, The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills. Accessed November 20, 2017. "Known also as the original Basking Ridge Classical School, the 1809 Federal-style Brick Academy located in the center of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township has been a boys’ private preparatory school, a public school, a meeting hall for several fraternal and benevolent organizations, and the Bernards Township municipal building."
^Siegel, Alan A. Somerset County in Vintage PostcardsArchived October 2, 2023, at the Wayback Machine, p. 14. Arcadia Publishing, 1999. ISBN9780738500782. Accessed November 20, 2017. "Van Dorn's Mill, Basking Ridge, N, J. VAN DORN'S MILL, C. 1910. One of New Jersey's finest stone buildings, with foundations that extend 20 feet below ground and basement walls 4 feet thick, the mill was completed in 1843. Thousands of stone loads were hauled from farm hedgerows on Hardscrabble Road."
^HistoryArchived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine, Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church. Accessed November 30, 2017. "When this became too crowded, the building was sold and removed, and in 1839 a new church in classic Greek revival architecture, was constructed of brick. This structure was enlarged in 1869 and altered in 1908.... The sanctuary, church yard and oak tree are listed in the National Register of Historic Places."
^Hayes, Edward. "School in Bernards tracks earthquakes", Courier News, January 21, 201. Accessed October 17, 2012. "There are several colleges and universities that maintain seismology equipment for studying, tracking and monitoring earthquakes. And along with them is William Annin Middle School, which maintains its own seismograph for Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University in New York."
^Nutt, Amy Ellis. "Chris Daggett, ever the policy wonk, concentrates on the details"Archived October 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Star-Ledger, October 11, 2009. Accessed May 15, 2011. "As an independent, Daggett straddles more than just political parties. He's a child of the free-thinking, authority-mocking 1960s — and a buttoned-down, plow-ahead grinder. The life-long Basking Ridge resident graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he says his college thesis was 'something out of the '60s, like the study of personhood.'"
^Powers, Phil. "Scott Style: Adventure Student Makes Good"Archived April 26, 2003, at the Wayback Machine, The Leader of the National Outdoor Leadership School, Winter 1992. Accessed May 15, 2011. "Fischer's mountaineering background began at the young age of 14 when he took a NOLS Adventure Course. His father was an outdoor enthusiast who called Scott in to watch a television program one night at their home in Basking Ridge, New Jersey."
^Horner, Shirley. "About Books"Archived May 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, October 3, 1993. Accessed December 19, 2007. "The other inductees are Patricia Lee Gauch of Basking Ridge, who has written more than 30 children's books"
^"Col. Vincent Kramer, decorated Marine veteran"Archived July 1, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, New Jersey Hills, October 11, 2001. Accessed June 29, 2020. "Vincent R. Kramer, 83, of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, died on Monday, Sept. 17, 2001, at Morris Hills Multicare Center in Morristown."
^Staff. "Peter H. Kuhn, accomplished race car driver"Archived September 22, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Hunterdon County Democrat, June 29, 2009. Accessed August 15, 2016. "Born in Summit, April 14, 1955, he was a son of Jean Henry and Elizabeth 'Lib' Dowd Kuhn. Mr. Kuhn had resided in Franklin Township since 1995, having formerly lived in Basking Ridge and Chatham Township."
^Caldwell, Dave. "In Person; Renaissance Man"Archived June 20, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, December 4, 2005. Accessed January 24, 2008. "The taciturn Mulcahy, who graduated from Millburn High School and lives in Basking Ridge, did much of the groundwork that let Schiano, after a few tough seasons, become a success in his home state -- their home state."
^"Urban Skills Project Helps Ease Trauma Of The Past"Archived April 21, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Bernardsville News, August 29, 1985. Accessed April 21, 2021, via Newspapers.com. "Editor's Note: The three articles on this page were written by Jasbir K. Puar of Basking Ridge, a summer intern at The Bemardsville News..... She graduated from Ridge High School in June and will attend Rutgers University."
^Rockland, Kate. "The Band They All Ache To Become"Archived January 1, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, December 5, 2004. Accessed January 24, 2015. "The Bouncing Souls are true sons of New Jersey and have the tattoos to prove it.... And on a dark, foggy November night straight out of a Goth girl's dream, the boys, who grew up in Basking Ridge, were back home."
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