Editing Bloomfield, New Jersey (section)

==History==
[[File:Frank M Leo Assc Bldg Bloomfield jeh.jpg|thumb|left|Frank M. Leo Associates Building in downtown Bloomfield]]
The earliest settlers of the area were the [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. The initial [[Land patent|patent]] for European settlement of the land that would become Bloomfield Township was granted to the [[English people|English]] [[Puritans|Puritan]] colonists of [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], and the area assigned to [[Essex County, New Jersey|Essex County]] in 1675, and Newark Township in 1693. From the 1690s to about the 1720s, much of the northern and eastern land was sold to descendants of [[New Netherland]] colonists who had settled [[Acquackanonk Township, New Jersey|Acquackanonk]], and the remainder mostly to English families. [[Upper Montclair, New Jersey|Speertown]] (now Upper Montclair), Stone House Plains (now [[Brookdale, New Jersey|Brookdale]]), and [[Belleville, New Jersey|Second River]] (now Belleville and Nutley) were essentially [[Dutch people|Dutch]] and [[Jersey Dutch|Jersey Dutch-speaking]], while [[Cranetown, New Jersey|Cranetown]], Watsessing, and the Morris Neighborhood (now North Center) were predominantly English. Starting in the mid-18th century, the English and Dutch neighborhoods gradually integrated, with [[Thomas Cadmus]] being among the first Dutchmen to settle in an English neighborhood.

Numerous residents served in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]].<ref>Folsom, Joseph Fulford. [https://archive.org/stream/bloomfieldoldnew01fols#page/n49/mode/2up ''Bloomfield, old and new: an historical symposium''], Bloomfield Centennial Historical Committee, 1912. Accessed February 15, 2023.</ref> No significant engagements occurred in Bloomfield, although the locale was on the [[Continental Army]]'s retreat route after the [[Battle of Long Island]]; [[Kingdom of Great Britain|British]] and American troops conducted foraging operations; and [[General (United States)|General]] [[George Washington]] is believed to have visited at least two residences.<ref>Folsom, Joseph Fulford. [https://archive.org/stream/bloomfieldoldnew01fols#page/32/mode/2up  ''Bloomfield, old and new: an historical symposium''], p. 32. Bloomfield Centennial Historical Committee, 1912. Accessed February 15, 2023.</ref> [[Bloomfield Green Historic District|The Green]] was set aside to commemorate the use of that space for [[Manual of arms|drilling]] of [[militia]].<ref>Folsom, Joseph Fulford. [https://archive.org/stream/bloomfieldoldnew01fols#page/54/mode/2up ''Bloomfield, old and new: an historical symposium''], p. 54. Bloomfield Centennial Historical Committee, 1912. Accessed February 15, 2023.</ref>

The [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] Society of Bloomfield (now the [http://www.bpcog.org/ Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green]) was formed in 1794 and named in honor of then-[[brigadier]] [[Joseph Bloomfield]], commander of [[New Jersey]] troops in the [[Whiskey Rebellion]].<ref>Knox, Charles Eugene. [https://books.google.com/books?id=2WXUAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA25 ''Origin and Annals of the 'Old Church on the Green': The First Presbyterian Church of Bloomfield, Being a Historical Sermon: Covering Comprehensively the Period 1668-1896, with Explanatory and Reminiscent Notes''], p. 25. S. Morris Hulin, 1901. Accessed November 3, 2019.</ref> About the same time, the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] of Stone House Plains (now Brookdale Reformed Church) was established.<ref name= "Folsom">Folsom, Joseph Fulford. [https://archive.org/details/bloomfieldoldnew01fols/page/n5 ''Bloomfield, Old and New : An Historical Symposium by Several Authors''], Bloomfield Centennial Historical Committee, 1912. Accessed November 3, 2019.</ref> The two churches became integral institutions of southern and northern Bloomfield, respectively.

Bloomfield was incorporated as a township from portions of Newark Township by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on March 23, 1812.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://www.state.nj.us/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''], Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 126. Accessed January 28, 2012.</ref> At the time, the Presbyterian parish's namesake was governor of New Jersey and had recently been appointed brigadier general for service in the looming [[War of 1812]].<ref name= BloomfieldHistory>[http://www.firstbaptistbloomfield.org/blmhist.htm Bloomfield, New Jersey - A Brief History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629212859/http://www.firstbaptistbloomfield.org/blmhist.htm |date=June 29, 2007 }}, First Baptist Church of Bloomfield, New Jersey. Accessed August 21, 2007.</ref><ref>[[Henry Gannett|Gannett, Henry]]. [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n48 <!-- pg=49 --> ''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''], p. 49. [[United States Government Printing Office]], 1905. Accessed August 27, 2015.</ref><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=8 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 27, 2015.</ref>

At the time it was incorporated, the township covered {{cvt|20.52|sqmi}} (almost four times its current area of {{cvt|5.3|sqmi}}) and included several municipalities which were formed from portions of Bloomfield during the course of the nineteenth century, including [[Belleville, New Jersey|Belleville]] (created on April 8, 1839), [[Montclair, New Jersey|Montclair]] (April 15, 1868), [[Woodside Township, New Jersey|Woodside Township]] (March 24, 1869) and [[Glen Ridge, New Jersey|Glen Ridge]] (February 13, 1895).<ref name=Story/><ref>[https://www.bloomfieldtwpnj.com/340/History-of-Bloomfield Brief History of Bloomfield], Township of Bloomfield, New Jersey. December 8, 2014. Accessed November 3, 2019.</ref> The Stone House Plains neighborhood was renamed as Brookdale in 1873.<ref name="Folsom"/>

[[File:Bloomfield Station - 1908.jpg|thumb|left|Bloomfield Station in 1908]]
In the township's first century, Brookdale farms thrived while southern Bloomfield industrialized, and the township's infrastructure, civil framework and social institutions developed. Several miles of the [[Morris Canal]] passed through Bloomfield.<ref>[http://canalsocietynj.org/Mcanal_map.htm Morris Canal Map 1824-1924], Canal Society of New Jersey. Accessed November 3, 2019.</ref> The Oakes woollen mill thrived as a major supplier to the Union Army.<ref>[http://oakeside.org/the-oakes-textile-mill/ The Oakes Woolen Textile Mill], Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center. Accessed November 3, 2019.</ref>

Bloomfield was incorporated as a [[town (New Jersey)|town]] on February 26, 1900.<ref name=Story/> In 1904, the city of Newark failed in its attempts to reannex Bloomfield as part of the "Greater Newark" movement.<ref>[[Alan J. Karcher|Karcher, Alan J.]] [https://books.google.com/books?id=o0BmBWloogcC&pg=PA168 ''Multiple Municipal Madness''], p. 168. [[Rutgers University Press]], 1998. {{ISBN|9780813525662}}. Accessed April 2, 2020. "Newark set out on three separate occasions to annex regions it had divested in the past. Referendums were conducted in 1903 and 1908 to annex Irvington, and in 1904 an effort was made to retrieve what still remained of Bloomfield."</ref> In 1981, the town was one of seven Essex County municipalities to pass a referendum to become a township, joining four 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.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150925103452/http://www.njstatelib.org/slic_files/imported/NJ_Information/Digital_Collections/MFMG/MFMGCH6.PDF#page=3 "Chapter VI: Municipal Names and Municipal Classification"]}}, p. 73. [[New Jersey State Commission on County and Municipal Government]], 1992. Accessed September 24, 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.gao.gov/assets/140/137109.pdf#page=54 "Removing Tiering From The Revenue Sharing Formula Would Eliminate Payment Inequities To Local Governments"], [[Government Accountability Office]], April 15, 1982. Accessed September 24, 2015. "In 1978, South Orange Village was the first municipality to change its name to the 'township' of South Orange Village effective beginning in entitlement period 10 (October 1978 to September 1979). The Borough of Fairfield in 1978 changed its designation by a majority vote of the electorate and became the 'Township of Fairfield' effective beginning entitlement period 11 (October 1979 to September 1980).... However, the Revenue Sharing Act was not changed and the actions taken by South Orange and Fairfield prompted the Town of Montclair and West Orange to change their designation by referendum in the November 4, 1980, election. The municipalities of Belleville, Verona, Bloomfield, Nutley, Essex Fells, Caldwell, and West Caldwell have since changed their classification from municipality to a township."</ref><ref>Narvaez, Alfonso A. [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/27/nyregion/new-jersey-journal-147786.html "New Jersey Journal"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 27, 1981. Accessed September 24, 2015. "Under the Federal system, New Jersey's portion of the revenue sharing funds is disbursed among the 21 counties to create three 'money pools.' One is for county governments, one for 'places' and a third for townships. By making the change, a community can use the 'township advantage' to get away from the category containing areas with low per capita incomes."</ref><ref>[[Alan Karcher|Karcher, Alan J.]] [https://books.google.com/books?id=o0BmBWloogcC#page=119 ''New Jersey's Multiple Municipal Madness''], pp. 119-120. [[Rutgers University Press]], 1998. {{ISBN|9780813525662}}. Accessed September 24, 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.firstbaptistbloomfield.org/blmhist.htm Bloomfield, New Jersey - A Brief History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629212859/http://www.firstbaptistbloomfield.org/blmhist.htm |date=June 29, 2007 }}, First Baptist Church of Bloomfield. Accessed July 6, 2007. "In July of 1981, by a special election, it changed its designation to 'Township' again."</ref>

In the 20th century, [[General Electric|GE]], [[Westinghouse Lamp Plant|Westinghouse]] and [[Schering-Plough|Schering]] built major facilities, and among others, the [[Charms Blow Pops|Charms Candy Company]] was started and grew.<ref name=BloomfieldHistory/> After [[World War I]], Brookdale's farms were developed into residential neighborhoods and supporting services. Substantial population growth continued into the 1950s. During [[World War II]], while many Bloomfield men served in the armed forces, Bloomfield's farms and factories, largely staffed by women, supported the war effort. In the decades after the war, the township's industrial base steadily shut down with stricter environmental regulations, rising labor costs, and growing competition. These influences, as well as construction of the [[Garden State Parkway]], further drove [[urban decay]] and related population turnover and stagnation through the latter part of the 20th century.

In the early 21st century, redevelopment of blighted and underutilized properties has further shifted Bloomfield towards being a primarily residential municipality.<ref>Ballinger, Barbara. [http://www.multifamilyexecutive.com/design-development/renovations/former-ge-plantturnedhousing-revives-run-down-nj-neighborhood_o "Former GE Plant–Turned–Housing Revives Run-down NJ Neighborhood"], ''Multifamily Executive'', June 15, 2014. Accessed November 3, 2019.</ref>