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==History== The written history of New Providence begins in 1664 when [[James, Duke of York]] and brother to [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]], purchased the land that became known as the [[Elizabethtown Tract]] from the [[Lenape]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]]. Its first European settlers were members of a [[Puritans|Puritan]] colony established in 1720, which was the first permanent settlement of its type.<ref>[http://ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/history-of-union-county/ History of Union County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512114047/http://ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/history-of-union-county/ |date=May 12, 2012 }}, [[Union County, New Jersey]]. Accessed July 25, 2012.</ref> The settlement was originally called "Turkey" or "Turkey Town", due to the presence of wild turkeys in the area.<ref>Meola, Patricia E. [http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2008/12/data_reveal_much_about_life_in.html "Data reveal much about life in New Providence"], ''Independent press'', December 16, 2008. Accessed July 25, 2012. "Once named Turkey Town, the more modern New Providence contains an abundance of older homes, with 84% constructed prior to 1969 and the majority of the homes built in the mid-1950s."</ref><ref name=History>[http://www.newprov.org/about/HistoryofNewProvidence.cfm History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322110145/http://www.newprov.org/About/HistoryofNewProvidence.cfm |date=March 22, 2012 }}, Borough of New Providence. Accessed July 25, 2012.</ref> The [[Presbyterian Church]] established in 1737 was a focal point for the community, and the lack of serious injuries when the church's balcony collapsed in 1759 was deemed to be an example of [[Miracle|divine intervention]], leading residents to change the area's name to New Providence.<ref name=History/><ref>Hutchinson, Viola L. [http://mapmaker.rutgers.edu/356/nj_place_names_origin.pdf#page=23 ''The Origin of New Jersey Place Names''], New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 10, 2015.</ref> According to local tradition, [[George Washington]] spent the night in a local home, which still stands to this day. Supposedly, the local stream, Salt Brook, is named for an incident when the salt supply of the colonial village was dumped into the brook to prevent passing British soldiers from taking it. Ironically, the British Army never crossed the [[Watchung Mountains]] into this region. Salt Brook winds through town, starting near the [[eponymous]] Salt Brook Elementary School. On April 14, 1794, [[Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey|Springfield Township]] was formed, which included the present-day township, along with the towns of [[Summit, New Jersey|Summit]], New Providence, and [[Berkeley Heights, New Jersey|Berkeley Heights]].<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. 239 re New Providence, p. 241 re Springfield Township. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref> Growth continued in the area, and on November 8, 1809, New Providence Township was formed from within Springfield Township. It included what is now Summit, New Providence, and Berkeley Heights.<ref name=Story/> On March 23, 1869, [[Summit, New Jersey|Summit]] withdrew from the New Providence Township and reincorporated as a township without any other town.<ref name=Story/> On March 14, 1899, New Providence also withdrew from New Providence Township and was reincorporated as a borough.<ref name=Story/> With ''[[Boroughitis]]'' sweeping across the state, many communities within townships were reverting to small, locally governed communities (mostly reincorporating as [[borough (New Jersey)|borough]]s) due to acts of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] that made it economically advantageous for communities so do so. New Providence Township was renamed to [[Berkeley Heights, New Jersey|Berkeley Heights]] as of November 6, 1951.<ref name=Story/> The cultivation of roses played an important role in the local economy in the 1900s.<ref>[http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=18527 New Providence community profile], [[EPodunk]]. Accessed October 10, 2007.</ref> New Providence had long been a semi-dry town, under which there were no bars and no restaurants permitted to sell alcoholic beverages. Retail liquor sales were legal and restaurant-goers may [[BYOB|bring their own alcoholic beverages]]. In 2011, the borough announced that it was considering issuing on-premises liquor licenses, which could bring in as much as $500,000 for each bar granted a license, with plans to use the money raised to pay for improvements to recreation areas.<ref>Neavill, Mike. [http://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2011/04/council_ponders_cocktail_mixin.html "Council ponders cocktail mixing booze, Open Space"], ''The Independent Press'', April 8, 2011. Accessed April 8, 2011. "Sobered by a thirst for improved recreational facilities coupled with limited funds, the governing body is taking the unprecedented move of shifting the borough from 'dry' to 'wet'. Although there are package stores in New Providence, there are no on-premises consumption licenses. Basically, the borough has been a 'bring your own' town. 'We're looking for ways to generate income for turf fields,' Mayor J. Brook Hern said."</ref> Liquor licenses were granted in 2015 to a pair of restaurants, ending a 100-year period in which the borough had no on-premises liquor licenses.<ref>Ivers, Marianne. [https://www.tapinto.net/towns/new-providence/sections/food-and-drink/articles/two-new-providence-restaurants-to-obtain-liquor-l "Two New Providence Restaurants to Obtain Liquor Licenses"], TAP Into New Providence, December 23, 2015. Accessed June 28, 2016. "Councilman Robert Robinson noted that the borough has been without a liquor license for more than 100 years."</ref> The 2011 film ''[[Win Win (film)|Win Win]]'' is set at New Providence High School, having been written by [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]] and Joe Tiboni, two former students at the school.<ref>Angelo, Megan. [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/movies/win-win-arises-from-tom-mccarthys-wrestling-days.html "Just Like the Good Old Days in the Ring"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 18, 2011. Accessed July 25, 2012. ""I just called Joe and said, 'Let's develop a movie based on New Providence wrestling,' " Mr. McCarthy said.... Because of tax credits, they shot on Long Island rather than in New Providence. But they scouted locations tirelessly, most notably the office and home that Mr. Giamatti's character shuttles between.... Though the locations might have been fudged, the filmmakers kept New Providence High School in the film by using its banners, uniforms and wrestling mats, an effort facilitated by one of their former classmates, who's now the school's principal."</ref> ===Landmarks=== [[File:Bell Laboratories at New Providence, New Jersey (7235324892).jpg|thumb|Bell Laboratories, New Providence]] * [[Nokia Bell Labs]], formerly known as Bell Telephone Laboratories, is located in the New Providence neighborhood of [[Murray Hill, New Jersey|Murray Hill]]. Researchers at this facility were credited with the development of [[radio astronomy]], the [[transistor]], the [[laser]], the [[photovoltaic cell]] and other advances in technology. Nine [[Nobel Prizes]] have been awarded for work completed at this facility.<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Arthur Ashkin delivers his Nobel Lecture at Nokia Bell Labs |url=https://www.nokia.com/about-us/news/releases/2018/12/18/2018-nobel-prize-in-physics-laureate-arthur-ashkin-delivers-his-nobel-lecture-at-nokia-bell-labs/ |publisher=Nokia news release |access-date=28 September 2020}}</ref> * The Presbyterian Church is a large, white, historic church in the center of town. * The Village Shopping Center is a [[shopping center]] that takes up the majority of downtown New Providence. * New Providence School District currently links together the computer networks of its buildings by using a [[802.11b|wireless]] [[LAN]] which includes [[Yagi antenna]]s at two towers by the large copper pyramid-shaped roof. * Our Lady of Peace is a [[Roman Catholic]] church and school located on South Street. The parking lot at OLP becomes the home of the town's OLP fair, held for three days each spring, complete with rides, games, food, and an indoor auction/junk fest. * The Salt Box Museum, located at 1350 Springfield Avenue, is an 18th-century farmhouse owned by the New Providence Historical Society.<ref>[https://newprovidencehistorical.com/saltbox-museum/ Salt Box Museum], New Providence Historical Society. Accessed December 2, 2019.</ref>
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