The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the 1830s, stretching 22 miles (35 km) to connect New York City and Philadelphia, led to significant growth in the township, with as much as 200,000 tons of goods shipped on barges using the canal by the 1860s. In 1783, Washington composed his farewell address to his army while staying at Rockingham near Kingston, New Jersey. In 1777, near the mill on the Millstone River at Weston, the Continental Army and local militia engaged and successfully drove off a British foraging party of about 600 troops, sent out of New Brunswick by General Cornwallis. Several of the prosperous Middlebush farms were destroyed by the British soldiers during their retreat.
Washington, however, kept his troops at Chimney Rock, just north of Franklin, until the British withdrew. Two British generals, Cornwallis and DeHeister, tried to lure General George Washington and his Continental Army into battle on the plains of Middlebush and East Millstone. Portions of the township were taken to form South Bound Brook (formed within Township, became independent municipality as of April 11, 1907) and East Millstone (February 18, 1873, returned to Franklin Township on December 31, 1949).įranklin Township was very much a part of Revolutionary War history and the scene of many raiding parties along Route 27, then known as the King's Highway. Franklin Township was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. What is now Franklin Township was originally formed circa 1745 as Eastern precinct. In 2008, Franklin Township ranked #5 on Money magazine's list of America's Top 100 Best Places to Live. Traditionally a farming community, it has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the later 20th and 21st centuries as a diverse blend of races, religions, and cultures. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 62,300, reflecting an increase of 11,397 (+22.4%) from the 50,903 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 8,123 (+19.0%) from the 42,780 counted in the 1990 Census. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, within the New York Metropolitan Area. 08873, 08875 - Somerset (also used as East Millstone)įranklin Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.
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