Editing Mendham Township, New Jersey (section)

==History==
The township was formed on March 29, 1749, from portions of [[Hanover Township, New Jersey|Hanover Township]], [[Morris Township, New Jersey|Morris Township]] and [[Roxbury Township, New Jersey|Roxbury Township]].<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. "1749, March 29.Mendham Township is established from Hanover, Morris, and Roxbury Township."</ref> After the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], on February 21, 1798, the township was incorporated by the [[Township Act of 1798]] of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] as one of the state's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to create [[Randolph, New Jersey|Randolph Township]] on January 1, 1806. [[Mendham Borough, New Jersey|Mendham Borough]] became an independent municipality when it was formed on May 15, 1906.<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>

Natural resources of water, forests and minerals drew settlers to the area. The area of Ralston had iron forges, sawmills, and a gristmill by 1748, located in an area along the North Branch of the Raritan River. Northeast of Ralston is India Brook. On the eastern side of Mendham Township, brooks that formed the upper reaches of the Whippany River attracted settlers to the valley called Water Street or Waterville, later known as Brookside.

Following the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], wealthy industrialists and financiers established country homes in the [[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]] area and [[Bernardsville, New Jersey|Bernardsville's]] "Mountain Colony", including in the Mendhams.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=18311|title = A Haven from Everyday Life Historical Marker}}</ref> Historic homes, structures, and local settlements are relics of the township's history as a community where people lived and worked in a rural community far from the city's "dark satanic mills".<ref>[https://www.mendhamtwp.org/community Historical Overview], Mendahm Township School District. Accessed May 3, 2024. "Despite the present-day transformation from a rural farming community to a residential suburb, Mendham Township retains its early character through its carefully preserved homes, farm buildings, and villages. These are living remnants of the township's past. Here people worked where they lived in a natural setting, away from the "dark satanic mills" of the big city, pursuing economic independence - a portrait of Americana."</ref>