Editing Bernardsville, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Bernardsville was originally a section of [[Bernards Township, New Jersey|Bernards Township]] known as Vealtown.<ref>{{cite gnis| 874698 | Bernardsville}} Variant name: Vealtown</ref><ref>[[Anthony DePalma (author)|DePalma, Anthony]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/23/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-of-living-in-bernardsville.html "If You're Thinking Of Living In Bernardsville"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 23, 1984. Accessed January 25, 2012. "Bernardsville, all history and charm, is a community kissed by good fortune. Already an established hamlet inexplicably known as Vealtown by the time Washington and his army tramped through on their way to their Jockey Hollow encampment near Morristown, it has managed by dint of its resolve and a good bit of luck to survive booms and busts over the last 200 years and still retain its unique character."</ref> In 1840, Vealtown became Bernardsville, named after [[Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet|Sir Francis Bernard]], Colonial [[List of Governors of New Jersey|governor of New Jersey]] from 1758 to 1760.<ref>Staff. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120630185218/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mycentraljersey/access/1821452691.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+27%2C+2003&author=&pub=Courier+-+News&desc=A+look+at+Bernards+through+the+centuries&pqatl=google "A look at Bernards through the centuries"], ''[[Courier News]]'', August 27, 2003. Accessed January 25, 2012. "1760 King {{sic|George II of England}} creates Bernardston Township by charter in honor of Sir Francis Bernard, provincial governor of New Jersey, 1758-60. At that time, the township also includes Far Hills, Warren and Bernardsville, then known as Vealtown."</ref> Located in the northernmost part of Somerset County, just {{convert|12|mi}} south of [[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]], the borough includes some of the last vestiges of the [[Geography of the United States#Physiographic divisions|Great Eastern Forest]].<ref>[http://www.bernardsvilleboro.org/pages01/history.html History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070219094207/http://www.bernardsvilleboro.org/pages01/history.html |date=2007-02-19 }}, Bernardsville Borough. Accessed January 25, 2012.</ref>

During the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], General [[Charles Lee (general)|Charles Lee]] rested his troops in Vealtown around the night of December 12 to 13, 1776. General Lee and some of his guard spent the night about {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} southeast at White's Inn on the southeast side of Basking Ridge, near the [[Lord Stirling Manor Site|manor house]] of Continental Army general [[William Alexander, Lord Stirling]]. On the morning of December 13, General Lee was captured by the British and removed to New York.<ref>[[Benson John Lossing|Lossing, Benson John]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=AoIfAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA222 ''The pictorial field-book of the revolution; or, illustrations, by pen and pencil, of the history, biography, scenery, relics, and traditions of the war for independence, Volume 2''], p. 222. Harper & Bros., 1852. Accessed January 25, 2012.</ref> The Vealtown Tavern, now known as the [[John Parker Tavern]], was a regular stop during the 1779–1780 winter encampment at Morristown.<ref>{{cite web |title=Downtown Bernardsville Walking Tour |url=https://www.bernardsvilleboro.org/_Content/pdf/flyers/Downtown-Bernardsville-Walking-Tour.pdf |publisher=Bernardsville, New Jersey}}</ref>

After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], many wealthy and prominent [[New York City|New Yorkers]] moved into the area, first as summer visitors, then later as permanent residents of the Bernardsville Mountain. For most, the men worked in New York City while the women and children spent summers in Bernardsville. The [[Gladstone Branch]] of the existing railroad line was built through Bernardsville in 1872 and played an important role in the borough's development. The Gladstone line, whose five o'clock train was appropriately nicknamed "''the millionaire's special,''" as it was direct route to Penn Station, allowed the men who built grand estates in Bernardsville to commute to the city on a daily basis rather than only visit their families on weekends.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Schleicher|first=William A.|title=Images of America: In The Somerset Hills, The Landed Gentry|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=1997|isbn=0-7524-0899-2|location=Dover, New Hampshire|pages=Introduction}}</ref> Bernardsville did not become an independent municipality until 1924, when it split from Bernards Township.<ref name=Story/>

On November 4, 2020, The Bernardsville Library announced that it would join the MAIN Library System, which has member libraries in all of [[Morris County, New Jersey|Morris County]], all of [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]] and parts of Somerset and [[Warren County, New Jersey|Warren]] counties. The Bernardsville Library is the second library from Somerset County to join the MAIN System, after the Bernards Township Library in neighboring [[Bernards Township, New Jersey|Bernards Township]]. The library joined the MAIN System on January 11, 2021<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-18|title=MAIN Welcomes Bernardsville Public Library to its Consortium • MAIN|url=https://www.mainlib.org/press/main-welcomes-bernardsville-public-library-to-its-consortium/|access-date=2021-01-05|website=MAIN|language=en}}</ref>

On January 15, 2021, [[Kings Food Markets]] announced that it would close their Bernardsville location on [[U.S. Route 202|Morristown Road]], officially closing on January 23, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-14|title=Warren, Bernardsville Food Markets To Close Next Week|url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/warren/warren-bernardsville-food-markets-close-next-week|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Warren, NJ Patch|language=en}}</ref>

===Historic district===
The New Jersey State Review Board for Historic Sites recommended the creation of the Olcott Avenue historic district on February 10, 2009. While the Olcott Avenue School is but one historic structure within Bernardsville's first historic district area, the area's appeal and historic significance is part of the story of the rise of the middle class in Bernardsville and how this particular location impacted the entire region, from the downtown, Little Italy, and the Mountain Colony areas.<ref>Zavalick, Charles; and Baratta, Amy. [http://newjerseyhills.com/bernardsville_news/news/monsignor-john-torney-dies-at-services-thursday-and-friday/article_f3b075bc-bc97-11e2-84cc-0019bb2963f4.html "Monsignor John Torney dies at 102; services Thursday and Friday"], ''The Bernardsville News'', May 14, 2013. Accessed August 26, 2013. "'It was a very unusual parish, with Little Italy on one side and on the other side the Mountain colony,' Msgr. Torney said in a 2012 interview with this newspaper."</ref>

{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Olcott Avenue Historic District
| nrhp_type    = hd
| image        = 18 Olcott Avenue, Bernardsville, NJ.jpg
| caption      = Colonial Revival style house on Olcott Avenue
| location     = Portions of Olcott, Childsworth, and Highview Avenues, and Church Street
| coordinates  = {{coord|40|43|18|N|74|34|3|W|display=inline}}
| locmapin     = 
| nocat        = yes
| area         = {{convert|28|acre|ha}}
| built        = 
| architect    = [[Henry Janeway Hardenbergh]] 
| architecture = [[Tudor Revival]], [[Colonial Revival]], Craftsman
| added        = November 20, 2009
| refnum       = 09000940<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2013a|refnum=09000940}}</ref>
| designated_other1_name         = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_abbr         = NJRHP
| designated_other1_link         = New Jersey Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_date         = May 20, 2009
| designated_other1_number       = 4896<ref name=NJRHP>{{cite web |title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Somerset County |url=https://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/SOMERSET.pdf#page=2 |publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] – Historic Preservation Office |page=2 |date=September 28, 2021 }}</ref>
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_color        = #ffc94b
}}
The '''Olcott Avenue Historic District''' is a {{convert|28|acre|adj=on}} [[historic district (United States)|historic district]] located along portions of Olcott, Childsworth, and Highview Avenues, and Church Street that recognizes a neighborhood developed in the early 20th century. It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on November 20, 2009, for its significance in architecture, community planning and development, and education.<ref name="nrhpdoc">{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=09000940}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Olcott Avenue Historic District |publisher=[[National Park Service]]|first1=Ann |last1=Parsekian |first2=Janice |last2=Armstrong |first3=Dennis |last3=Bertland |date=December 2008 }} With accompanying 12 photos.</ref>

According to the National Park Service:
<blockquote>
The Olcott Avenue neighborhood in the borough of Bernardsville, located in northeast Somerset County, was developed at the turn of the 20th century as a carefully laid out middle class residential neighborhood. The streets in the district are characterized by lots of moderate size with regular setbacks with moderate to substantial dwellings constructed in a variety of late 19th and early 20th century architectural styles, several of which are particularly noteworthy examples. The original dwellings constructed during the first three decades or so of the 20th century all still stand and the streetscape has changed relatively little since curbs and sidewalks were added and the road was paved around 1916. Residents of the district have continued the long tradition of participation in civic activities.<ref name=highlight>{{cite web|title=Weekly Highlight 12/04/2009 Olcott Avenue Historic District, Somerset County, New Jersey |url=http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/weekly_features/09_12_04_olcott_avenue_hd.htm}}</ref>
</blockquote>

Olcott Avenue is named after [[Frederic P. Olcott]], a [[New York (state)|New York]] banker, politician, and philanthropist, who lived here. The street was originally named after Stewart Wolfe. In 1905, Olcott financed the construction of a high school, the first in the township, and donated it to the Bernards Township Board of Education. The stone building features [[Tudor Revival style]] and was designed by architect [[Henry Janeway Hardenbergh]], who also lived here. Hardenbergh also designed the Bernardsville United Methodist Church and the parish house at [[St. Bernard's Church and Parish House|St. Bernard's Church]]. The district includes several houses designed with [[Colonial Revival style]].<ref name="nrhpdoc"/>

<gallery heights="150px" widths="250px" mode="nolines">
File:Bernardsville United Methodist Church, NJ.jpg|Bernardsville United Methodist Church
File:28 Olcott Avenue, Bernardsville, NJ.jpg|Colonial Revival style house
</gallery>