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A−History
History · Bernards Township

Bernards Township dates to 1760, and 11 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #97 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Bernards Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. 11 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 128 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1790.

1760founded
11on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Bernards Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Bernards Township began

When was Bernards Township founded?

1760

Bernards Township dates its founding to 1760 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 2,377 in 17902020 census: 27,830266 years

How historic is Bernards Township?

A−

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Bernards Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bernards Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #97 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bernards Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1760, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19404.6% of homes (±1.2) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register11 listings, 142 historic buildings, 50.5 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 79%

New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Bernards Township’s 50.5 sits above most of its state (81% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 142 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1760.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Bernards Township’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Bernards Township, and 7 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1910 and 1930, then grew more than tenfold.A historic districtThe Liberty Corner Historic District takes in 82 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Baskenridge
1802–1857
Liberty Corner
1811–today
Basking Ridge
1857–today
Lyons
1873–1969
Mine Brook
1892–1908
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Basking RidgeLiberty CornerLyonsMadisonvilleMine BrookThe HillsVan Dorans Mills
Gone or out of use
Millington QuarrymineSchley Polo FieldparkSomerset Hills Airportairport
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Bernards Township
EvergreenHoly CrossMillington BaptistSomerset HillsVail Family

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Bernards Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bernards Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewAT&T Basking Ridge: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Bernards Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,000180018501900195020004,608 in 1910Low: 2,293

Lost half of its people between 1910 and 1930, then grew more than tenfold.

23 censuses, 1790–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bernards Township’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Bernards Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Bernards Township.

Read it all →

Bernards Township was originally formed by royal charter on May 24, 1760, as Bernardston Township from remaining portions of Northern precinct. It was incorporated as Bernards Township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Warren Township (March 5, 1806), Far Hills (April 7, 1921) and Bernardsville (March 6, 1924). The township celebrated its 250th charter anniversary in May 2010.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Bernards Township, 1760 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1760
    FoundingBernards Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1802Post officeThe Baskenridge post office opens
  5. 1809BuiltBasking Ridge Classical School is built
  6. 1811Post officeThe Liberty Corner post office opens
  7. 1857Post officeThe Baskenridge post office closes
  8. 1857Post officeThe Basking Ridge post office opens
  9. 1891On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 20th century
  11. 1930BuiltLyons Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District is built
  12. 1931BuiltLyons Station is built
  13. 1991In the archiveAT&T Basking Ridge
  14. 21st century
  15. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 27,830
By decade

Bernards Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
AT&T Basking Ridge1991AT&T Basking Ridge
Today8 recent
Bernards Township, NJ War Memorial, April 20262026Bernards Township, NJ War Memorial, April 2026Pluckemin Presbyterian Churchyard - 052025Pluckemin Presbyterian Churchyard - 05Millington Trestle 20111006-jag98892011Millington Trestle 20111006-jag9889Old book - Basking Ridge Historical Society2008Old book - Basking Ridge Historical SocietyCensus Bureau map of Bernards Township, New Jersey2008Census Bureau map of Bernards Township, New JerseyMapTheHills-BernardsTwp2006TheHills-BernardsTwpSomersetHills-aerial2006SomersetHills-aerialBernards twp nj 0352005Bernards twp nj 035
On the map

Bernards Township on the map, 1891 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bernards Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bernards Township on the 1891 USGS mapBernards Township on the 1905 USGS mapBernards Township on the 1947 USGS mapBernards Township on the 1954 USGS mapBernards Township on the 1970 USGS mapBernards Township on the 1981 USGS map1891Somerville sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bernards Township.

On the National Register

11 listings protect 142 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
11
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
142
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge
Presbyterian Church in Basking RidgeFranklin Corners Historic DistrictBasking Ridge Classical School, built 1809Coffee HouseStirling, Lord, Manor SiteLyons Station, built 1931Liberty Corner Historic DistrictKennedy-Martin-Stelle FarmsteadBoudinot-Southard FarmsteadLyons Veterans Administration Hospital Historic District, built 1930Alward Farmhouse
BuildingsDistrictsSites
Presbyterian Church in Basking RidgeBuilding
Franklin Corners Historic DistrictDistrict
Basking Ridge Classical SchoolBuilt 1809
Coffee HouseBuilding
Stirling, Lord, Manor SiteSite
Lyons StationBuilt 1931
Liberty Corner Historic DistrictDistrict
Kennedy-Martin-Stelle FarmsteadDistrict
All 11 listings
Boudinot-Southard FarmsteadBuilding · listed 2009Lyons Veterans Administration Hospital Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2013Alward FarmhouseBuilding · listed 1986

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Basking Ridge6 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarding Township4 historic placesB+Warren Township5 historic placesBLong Hill Township3 historic placesBMillington3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBernardsville5 historic placesA−Lyons2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFar Hills2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLiberty Corner1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townThe HillsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Bernards Township’s history

What year was Bernards Township founded?

In 1760, according to Wikidata. Bernards Township’s post office opened in 1802, and the first U.S. census counted 2,377 people here in 1790.

How does Bernards Township rank for history?

Bernards Township is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #97 of 468 in New Jersey. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Bernards Township?

11 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge (listed 1974, the first), 4 historic districts with 128 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 142 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Bernards Township?

5% of Bernards Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1987.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (9), Wikidata (9), the National Register of Historic Places (11), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.