Pine Brook’s post office opened in 1836, and 1 of its places is on the National Register
Most of Pine Brook was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. Below: 1 old photo or paper and old-book passages.
Over 10,000 years ago, the area now known as Pine Brook was settled by Lenape tribes as part of the Lenapehoking. The Lenape tribes maintained peace, and no significant battles were recorded in the area today known as Montville Township.
In the 1710s, Dutch farmers from New Amsterdam settled in Pine Brook. They produced dairy products as well as fruits and vegetables, and for many years there existed a large business in cider making and distilling of cider brandy in nearby cider mills.
Passages that mention Pine Brook, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 151Read the page →
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Schools — The first schools in the present township were established at Pompton Plains, Beavertown and Pine Brook. The first school house on Pompton Plains of which there is authentic record, was built several years prior to 1800, and stood on the opposite side of the street from the present school house, and near the present church. About 1808 a portion of the people of the district became dissatisfied with the school, and built a house about half a mile north of the church, employing David Provost as teacher.
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History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 252Read the page →
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such transportation, and there is scarcely any legitimate business for a tavern at this point. There are only two taverns in Montville township, and four stores — one at Pine Brook, two at Montville and one at White Hall; there are post-offices at Pine Brook, Montville and Whitehall.
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A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 190Read the page →
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touching points of doctrine, led off one party to the division that resulted, and founded an organization which was called “The True Reformed Dutch Church.” This congregation erected a small house of worship two miles south, on the road to Pine Brook. After the division the Montville church was presided over by various pastors until 1856 when ground was purchased on the opposite side of the road and the present edifice erected. Rev. Nathaniel Conklin was then pastor and served in all for nineteen years, his term expiring in 1871.
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History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 287Read the page →
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The next school building was also a log house, and stood abput half a mile south of the present schoolhouse, on the road leading to Pine Brook. The third school-house, which was also of logs, with its broad open fireplace and clay and stick chimney, stood about 175 feet south of the present residence of Levi Stiles, and it was at this place, under a teacher named Simon Basco, that Mr. Stiles learned his letters;
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Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
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). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikimedia Commons (1), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
Date?
2007