Editing Montville, New Jersey (section)

==History==
[[Image:Entering Montville, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Entering Montville]]

=== Native settlement ===
{{Main|Lenapehoking}}
Over 10,000 years ago, the area was part of the [[Lenapehoking]]. It was originally settled by the [[Lenape]] tribes of the [[Munsee]] dialect.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lenni-Lenape|url=https://tadubois.com/US_indigenous/US_indigenous_subpage_lenni_lenape.html|access-date=2022-01-19|website=tadubois.com}}</ref> The Lenape tribes maintained peace and no significant battles were recorded in the area.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=The [[University of Wisconsin]] - Madison|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ic8wAQAAMAAJ&dq=montville+nj+history+pequannock&pg=PA189|title=A History of Morris County, New Jersey: Embracing Upwards of Two Centuries, 1710-1913|publisher=Lewis Historical Publishing Company|year=1914|pages=2|language=en}}</ref>

On October 12, the [[Morris County, New Jersey|Morris County]] Parks Commission holds Lenape Day at the [[Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge|Great Swamp]] to celebrate the culture and history of Ramapough Lenape people.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Native American Dancers Perform, Inform at Montville Library|url=https://www.tapinto.net/towns/montville/sections/arts-and-entertainment/articles/native-american-dancers-perform-inform-at-montville-library|access-date=2022-01-19|website=TAPinto|language=en}}</ref>

=== Dutch settlement ===
Dutch farmers from [[New Amsterdam]] (now part of [[New York City]]) entered the area in 1710.<ref name=":0" /> As part of [[New Netherland]], the town was originally called "Uyle-Kill" (the Dutch spelling of "Owl-Kill"), a name given to the creek and valley, which ran through the area.

By the 1740s, the settlement had grown in size and construction of the first road was begun. The early road, now known as [[U.S. Route 202 in New Jersey|U.S. Route 202]], connected various farms with Montville's first gristmill, sawmill and tanneries.

In 1756, the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] was founded in Old Boonton and moved to Montville in the early 1800s after land was purchased in Montville for a parsonage.<ref>[http://web.me.com/stevesefcik/MontvilleReformed/Our_Church_History.html History], Montville Reformed Church. Accessed September 19, 2011.</ref>

=== English settlement ===
In 1712, [[William Penn]] bought a tract of land that included parts of modern-day [[Pequannock Township, New Jersey|Pequannock]] and Montville that included [[Pine Brook, Morris County, New Jersey|Pine Brook]].<ref name=":0" />

In 1760, the first schoolhouse in the Montville township was built out of [[Log building|logs]] in [[Pine Brook, Morris County, New Jersey|Pine Brook]]. It was located on "the road leading to Boonton," which could refer to multiple northwest-facing roads including Changebridge Road. Additional schools were constructed in 1785, 1816, and 1852.<ref name=":0" />

During the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]] (1775–1783), Montville was on a major military route from [[Morristown, New Jersey|Morristown]] to the [[Hudson River]]. General [[George Washington]]'s troops often took this route and Washington stayed in the Towaco section of what is now Montville Township in June 1780.<ref> Mendez, Zenaida. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/439179425 "Washington slept here at Doremus; Historic commission's $114,016 grant will help restore Montville home"], ''[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]]'', August 9, 2004. Accessed August 6, 2013. "In June 1780, George Washington, then commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, his aides and his troops were encamped at Rockaway Bridge awaiting the outcome of the battle of Springfield."</ref> The French troops under the leadership of [[Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau|General Rochambeau]] spent four days passing through Montville Township on their way to the War's final victory at [[Yorktown, Virginia|Yorktown]], [[Virginia]], as part of a group of 5,000 soldiers, 2,000 horses, 500 oxen, possibly 900 cattle, artillery, boats and followers.<ref>Nynka, Andrew. [https://www.proquest.com/docview/439339921 "Revolutionary War re-enactors retracing route to Va. through Morris"], ''[[Daily Record (New Jersey)|Daily Record]]'', August 27, 2006. Accessed August 6, 2013.</ref>

The Mandeville Inn was established ''circa'' 1770 and was pronounced "Mondeveil" by the Dutch, which in turn was corrupted to Montville. The Montville Inn was, up until July 2006, located at the site of the pre-Revolutionary War Mandeville Inn, which burned down in the early 20th century.<ref>Parish, Stan. [http://njmonthly.com/restaurantreviews/the-montville-inn.html "The Montville Inn; A $3-million renovation rejuvenates an inn with Revolutionary roots. Chef John Livera's food—from serious steak to fanciful donuts—might even make Montville a dining destination."], ''[[New Jersey Monthly]]'', August 11, 2008. Accessed September 19, 2011. "The property was once home to the colonial Mandeville Inn, established circa 1770. The inn gave the town its name—Montville was the Dutch settlers' pronunciation. The Mandeville burned down and was replaced by the Montville Inn in the early 1900s."</ref> Other sources attribute the township's name to its location in the mountains of Northern New Jersey.<ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=21 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 8, 2015.</ref>

In 1809, the first store in Montville was opened by Conrad Esler. In 1820, Montville contained 16 houses, two [[bark mill]]s, a [[Gristmill|grist mill]], a [[cider mill]] and distillery, a [[blacksmith]] shop, a [[Carpentry|carpenter]] shop, a [[wheelwright]] shop, and a small [[General store|store]]; at the time, Montville was considered a business center compared to nearby towns. By 1880, it contained 40 houses, a bark mill, two grist mills, a tannery, a saw mill, a [[Natural rubber|rubber factory]], two blacksmith shops, two [[Taverns in North America|taverns]] and two stores.<ref name=":0" />

The construction of the [[Morris Canal]] in this area was completed in 1828, bringing commercial navigation to the Montville/Towaco area. The mid-19th century saw the development of two smaller village centers set apart from Montville: [[Pine Brook, Morris County, New Jersey|Pine Brook]], a fertile agricultural area in the Township's southern end, and [[Towaco, New Jersey|Towaco]], situated on the Morris Canal.<ref name=About/>

In 1867, Montville and [[Boonton Township, New Jersey|Boonton]] split off from [[Pequannock Township, New Jersey|Pequannock]] township.<ref name=":0" />

=== 20th century ===
By 1910, the population of Montville was 690.<ref name=":0" />

The Pine Brook Speedway, which operated from July 1962 until October 1989, was designed for [[midget car racing]] and became one of the earliest sites for [[microstock (racing)|microstock]] racing. [[Mario Andretti]] raced at the track and had some of his earliest success as a race car driver at the Speedway.<ref>Oberto, Dino. [http://standardspeaker.com/sports/vintage-racing-at-its-best-1.1339118 "Vintage racing at its best"], ''Standard-Speaker'', July 5, 2012. Accessed May 1, 2017. "Saturday's race is also taking place one day after the 50th anniversary of the opening of Pine Brook Speedway in Pine Brook, N.J., so that milestone will be noted as well. The Pine Brook track, the first purpose-built track for TQ Midgets, debuted on Friday evening, July 6, 1962, with Bob Dini claiming the historic first victory. Pine Brook is also the track in which Mario Andretti recorded his early career success and was also the birthplace of Micro Stock racing."</ref>