Editing Mendham Borough, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Mendham Borough was incorporated by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on May 15, 1906, from portions of [[Mendham Township, New Jersey|Mendham Township]], because residents of what became the borough wanted sidewalks and street lights constructed while those that lived in what remained the township (including the communities of Brookside and Ralston) felt it was cost prohibitive in their more rural areas.<ref>Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/09/archives/new-jersey-town-wins-youth-fight-center-rises-in-mendham-as-dogged.html "New Jersey Town Wins Youth Fight; Center Rises in Mendham as Dogged Conservatism Falls-- Scouts, Ex-Mayor Turn Tide Model for Similar Projects Two Major Allies"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', June 9, 1951. Accessed June 9, 2012. "The argument paralleled a political split in 1906, when Mendham Borough broke from the surrounding Mendham Township. The borough wanted city conveniences such as street lights and sidewalks and the township, largely with a farming population, objected to paying for such improvements."</ref><ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/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. 194. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref><ref>[http://mclib.info/reference/local-history-genealogy/historical-timeline-of-morris-county-boundaries/ Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries], Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1906, May 15. Mendham Borough is established from Mendham Township."</ref>

The formation of Mendham Borough from [[Mendham Township, New Jersey|Mendham Township]] in 1906 began a series of new municipalities that were created in the [[Somerset Hills]] region.<ref name=BrickAcademy/>

Located on the borough's southern slope of Bernardsville Mountain in the [[Somerset Hills]] lies Wendover, the former estate of investment banker Walter Phelps Bliss (1870-1924). One of the largest mansions in the Mendhams, Wendover is now home to the Roxiticus Golf Club.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qkHFSDZ2bk0C&q=somerset+hills+mendham+chester+nj|isbn=9780738554679|title=The Mendhams|date=October 1998|publisher=Arcadia}}</ref><ref>[https://www.roxiticus.com/about-roxiticus/history History], Roxoticus Country Club. Accessed October 7, 2020.</ref>

Phoenix House was purchased by [[Arthur Whitney (politician)|Arthur Whitney]] of Mendham Township in 1919 and deeded to the borough in 1938 for use as its municipal building.<ref>[https://www.morriscountynj.gov/Morris-County-News/Freeholders-Award-Historic-Marker-to-Mendham-Borough-for-Phoenix-House-Project "Freeholders Award Historic Marker to Mendham Borough for Phoenix House Project"], [[Morris County, New Jersey]], October 3, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2022. "Mendham Township resident and former State Senator Arthur Whitney purchased the house from the Phoenix family in 1919 and turned over the house to the community in 1938. The house has served as the Borough Hall since that time."</ref>

===Name===
The Mendhams may be named for [[Mendham, Suffolk]], England,<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=20 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 5, 2015. Spelled as "Myndham".</ref><ref>[[Henry Gannett|Gannett, Henry]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA205 ''The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States''], p. 205. [[United States Government Printing Office]], 1905. Accessed September 5, 2015. Note error in the name of the county.</ref> or the name may derive from the Native American word ''mendom'' (meaning "raspberry") or for an Earl of Mendham.<ref name=NYT2014>Kelley, Tina. [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/realestate/an-outpost-of-new-england.html "An Outpost of New England"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', February 2, 2014. Accessed January 25, 2025. "The origin of the town's name — preserved on the sign of the Black Horse as 'I'll Mend 'Em' — has been the subject of animated debate. Did it come from the Indian word 'mendom,' for raspberry or huckleberry? Was it chosen to honor the British Earl of Mendham?... While many residents drive to adjoining communities to headquarters of companies like Merck and Verizon, some take the Midtown Direct train to New York from Morristown, which is about 15 minutes away, depending on traffic."</ref><ref>Beck, Henry Charlton. [https://books.google.com/books?id=a2ahXkwF2O8C&pg=PA128 ''Tales and Towns of Northern New Jersey''], pp. 128-149. [[Rutgers University Press]], 1983. {{ISBN|9780813510194}}. Accessed September 5, 2015.</ref>

===Historic district===
{{Infobox NRHP
  | name = Mendham Historic District
  | nrhp_type = hd | nocat=y 
  | image = Center of Mendham.JPG
  | caption = 
  | location= Roughly bounded by Halstead Street and Country Lane on West / East Main Street, Mountain Avenue, Hilltop Road and Prospect Street
  | locmapin = 
  | built = 
  | architect = 
  | architecture = Bungalow/Craftsman, Late Victorian, Federal
  | added = April 18, 1985
  | area = {{convert|153|acre}}
  | refnum = 85000865<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2013a|refnum=85000865}}</ref>
  | increase = November 19, 2014
  | increase_refnum = 14000932
  | 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 = February 5, 1985
  | designated_other1_number = 2146<ref name="NJRHP">{{cite web | title=New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Morris County | url=http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Morris.pdf | publisher=[[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]] - Historic Preservation Office | page=20 | date=October 1, 2020 }}</ref>
  | designated_other1_num_position = bottom
  | designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
}}
The Mendham Historic District is a {{convert|153|acre|adj=on}} [[historic district (United States)|historic district]] located along stretches of [[County Route 510 (New Jersey)|Route 24]], known in Mendham as Main Street. This east-west roadway is well over 200 years old, and has been called the Washington Turnpike, the Mendham-Morristown Road, and the William Penn Highway at various times in its history.<ref name=NPSnom>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/85000865_text National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form for the Mendham Historic District], [[National Park Service]]. Accessed July 7, 2023.</ref> The district was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris County, New Jersey|National Register of Historic Places]] on April 18, 1985, for its significance in agriculture, commerce, architecture, settlement, and religion from 1750 to 1924. The district includes 140 [[contributing buildings]].<ref name="nrhpdoc">{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=85000865}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Mendham Historic District |publisher=[[National Park Service]]|first1=Janet W. |last1=Foster |date=March 1, 1984 }} With {{NRHP url|id=85000865|photos=y|title=accompanying 190 photos}}</ref> Since 1999, Mendham Borough has had a Historic Preservation Ordinance designed and intended to enhance and preserve the district's historic character.<ref>[https://www.mendhamnj.org/documents/Master%20Plan/MPChapterVII_HistoricPreservation.pdf Master Plan: Historic Preservation Element], Mendham Borough. Accessed July 7, 2023.</ref>

According to the National Park Service:

<blockquote>
The Mendham Historic District consists of 140 properties, generally well preserved, that illustrate the history of the village from its eighteenth century founding through its 1906 incorporation as a borough, and into the first third of this century when infill building completed development within the historic bounds of the village. The District covers the central crossroads of the village, and extends as far as the area nineteenth century maps illustrate as "Mendham, P.O.", the village core containing the post office. The conjunction of religious, residential, and commercial buildings that have established Mendham's village character are well preserved today.<ref name=NPSnom/>
</blockquote>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:MENDHAM HISTORIC DISTRICT MORRIS COUNTY.jpg|The Black Horse Tavern & Pub
File:MENDHAM H.D., MORRIS COUNTY.jpg|Hilltop Presbyterian Church
File:MENDHAM HISTORIC DISTRICT, MORRIS CTY.jpg|Morris County Heritage Commission sign for the Hilltop Church
</gallery>