Editing Little Silver, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Prior to the settlement of Europeans, the area that is now Little Silver was inhabited by the [[Navesink tribe|Navesink]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]].

There are several tales of how Little Silver received its name. In one, brothers Joseph and Peter Parker, who settled in this area in 1667 and owned land bounded by Parker's Creek on the south and Little Silver Creek on the north, named their holdings "Little Silver" after their father's (George Parker) estate in [[Portsmouth, Rhode Island]].<ref name=Thinking>Goodnough, Abby. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/17/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-little-silver-life-peninsula-near-sandy-hook.html "If You're Thinking of Living in/Little Silver; Life on a Peninsula Near Sandy Hook"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', October 17, 1993. Accessed July 18, 2012. "Little Silver was settled in 1667 by Joseph and Peter Parker, who named their property for their father's Portsmouth, R.I., estate."</ref> The original [[Parker Homestead]], dating to 1725 and one of the state's oldest, was acquired by the borough and is undergoing renovation.<ref>Jackson, Kimberley L. [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/02/parker_homestead_in_little_silver_predates_founding_of_us.html "NJ's oldest home? Parker Homestead in Little Silver predates founding of U.S."], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', February 20, 2014. Accessed September 3, 2015. "A stately white sign near the house at 235 Rumson Road in Little Silver proclaims that it is a National Historic Site where there is 'Preservation in Progress'.... Parker was a descendant of some of the earliest English settlers in New Jersey, and her house, believed to have been built in 1725, is one of the state's oldest dwellings."</ref>

Other explanations for the derivation of the name are the payment to Native Americans for purchase of the land and the placid appearance of the water.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=18 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 3, 2015.</ref>

The borough's earliest European residents were primarily farmers, fishermen and merchants.

Early families included:
* Parkers – Joseph and Peter Parker originally settled the area, and their original homestead at 235 Rumson Road has been declared a state historic site.
* Sickles – Harold and Elsie Sickles acquired land and opened a wholesale [[truck farm]] in 1908. The land was acquired from Harold's mother who was related to the Parkers. Transitioning from seasonal to year-round in 1998, Sickles Market became a specialty garden and food market until it closed in March 2024 after 116 years.<ref>Donohue, Brian; Ward, John T. [https://www.redbankgreen.com/2024/03/little-silver-sickles-market-closes-031124/ "LITTLE SILVER: SICKLES MARKET CLOSES"], Red Bank Green, March 11, 2024. Accessed March 26, 2024. "Sickles Market in Little Silver closed Monday, shocking customers of the grocer that began life as a farm market 116 years ago."</ref>
* Lovett – John T. Lovett owned a nursery that once covered almost half the borough, supplying large catalog houses such as Sears Roebuck, Macy's and Newberry's. In 1878 he circulated a petition to the community recommending that the name be revised and on July 30, 1879, the Post Office name was changed from "Parkersville" to "Little Silver".<ref>Staff. https://www.newspapers.com/article/asbury-park-press-little-silver-oceanp/164510788/ "Little Silver & Oceanport: A brief history"], ''[[Asbury Park Press]]'', February 20, 2003. Accessed February 2, 2025, via [[Newspapers.com]]. July 30, 1879: The Post Office name of 'Parkerville' is changed to 'Little Silver.'</ref>

The borough has had a varied history as a resort, agricultural area and fishing town. Today, the municipality is primarily residential with a range of housing types, from ranches and capes.

Little Silver separated from [[Shrewsbury Township, New Jersey|Shrewsbury Township]] in 1923. Since then, farms and nurseries have been replaced by housing. Over the years, [[New York City]] and [[North Jersey]] commuters have made Little Silver their home, traveling by rail or auto to their jobs. The Little Silver train station on Sycamore Avenue was designed by the noted American architect [[Henry Hobson Richardson]] and built in 1890. It reopened after renovations in 2003.