Editing Roseland, New Jersey (section)

==History==
Roseland was part of the [[Horseneck Tract]], which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of [[Caldwell, New Jersey|Caldwell]], [[West Caldwell, New Jersey|West Caldwell]], [[North Caldwell, New Jersey|North Caldwell]], [[Fairfield Township, Essex County, New Jersey|Fairfield]], [[Verona, New Jersey|Verona]], [[Cedar Grove, New Jersey|Cedar Grove]], [[Essex Fells, New Jersey|Essex Fells]], Roseland, and portions of [[Livingston, New Jersey|Livingston]] and [[West Orange, New Jersey|West Orange]].<ref>Lurie, Maxine N.; and Mappen, Marc. [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZmLPKplSCawC&pg=PA256 "Essex County"], ''[[Encyclopedia of New Jersey]]'', p. 256. [[Rutgers University Press]], 2004. {{ISBN|0-8135-3325-2}}. Accessed November 10, 2011. "The Horseneck Tract, present-day West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Caldwell, Verona, Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Essex Fells, Roseland and Livingston, separated from Newark in 1798."</ref> In 1702, settlers purchased the {{convert|14,000|acre|km2}} Horseneck Tract—so-called because of its irregular shape that suggested a horse's neck and head—from the [[Lenape|Lenni Lenape]] [[Native Americans of the United States|Native Americans]] for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the [[Watchung Mountains|First Mountain]] to the [[Passaic River]].<ref>[http://www.essex-countynj.org/p/index.php?section=parks/sites/bec Becker Park], Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. Accessed November 10, 2011. "Originally a piece of the Horseneck Tract and later part of Caldwell. By the late nineteenth century approximately half of its acreage was covered by the Becker Dairy Farm. It separated from Caldwell during the early 20th century and became a borough in 1908."</ref>

Originally named Centerville, the name of the community was changed in 1874 to Roseland to avoid confusion with the several other Centervilles spread across the state, most specifically [[Centerville, Hunterdon County, New Jersey]], which already had a post office under that name. Roseland was chosen over the alternative proposed name of "Roselyn".<ref>Read, Philip. [http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/nj_man_works_to_bring_steam-po.html "N.J. man works to bring steam-powered Locomotive 1501 back to Roseland"], ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'', August 8, 2010. Accessed November 10, 2011. "Much of the railroad in Centerville — which was Roseland's name until 1908 — is now with the Phillipsburg Rail Road Historians in Warren County, which runs some of the diesels on a short stretch of track."</ref><ref name=History>[http://www.roselandnj.org/about_us/borough_history.php History], Borough of Roseland. Accessed September 25, 2015. "In 1873, one of Centreville's prominent residents, Judge Rufus Harrison, led an effort to get the community its own post office. Since a Centreville post office already existed in Hunterdon County, a meeting was called in the schoolhouse to choose a new name for the section. Roselyn was suggested by Sarah Condit Harrison. Whether through misspelling or design, Roselyn became Roseland, and the post office became a reality on April 14, 1874.... At its peak, the Becker Farm encompassed 1,000 to 1,200 acres, almost half the town."</ref>

One of the most notable places of interest in the borough was the [[Becker Farm Railroad]], otherwise known as the Centerville & Southwestern Railroad. A miniature railroad operated from 1938 until 1972 on the Becker Farm, which once comprised nearly half of the total area within Roseland and which is now mostly a large business complex.<ref name=History/> Some vestiges of the railroad still exist.<ref>Annan-Brady, Rita. [http://newjerseyhills.com/the_progress/entertainment/article_efce2b23-b2d3-51f3-8da0-de3c9271e50b.html "Roseland's Becker Farm Railroad Rolls On In Phillipsburg"], ''The Progress'', August 13, 2010. Accessed November 10, 2011. "Area residents who remember fondly the Becker Farm Railroad, also known as the Centerville and Southwestern Railroad, which ran on the Becker Farm in Roseland, may want to travel west for a bit of nostalgia the first Sunday in September."</ref>

In 1907, a delegation of residents petitioned Livingston Township officials to construct a school for the growing population in Roseland. The rejection of their request led to the efforts to create an independent municipality, which was established on April 10, 1908.<ref name=Story/><ref name=History/>

Roseland was incorporated as a borough by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on April 10, 1908, from portions of [[Livingston, New Jersey|Livingston Township]].<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. 84. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref><ref>Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nOkkAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA245 ''Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896-1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the 'General Statutes' and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period''], p. 245. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 25, 2015.</ref>