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History
Bemardsville is located in the northern part of Somerset County with Morristown to the north and Somerville to the south.
Known for its equestrian farms, historical mansions and recreational facilities,
it was originally the Vealtown section of Bernards Township.
During the 1700s many Scottish, Irish, English and German settlers arrived in the area.
Soldiers under the command of Gen. George Washington encamped in Morristown and regularly visited Vealtown Tavern,
which later became the Bernardsville Library, which with its rich history, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the years, it expanded several times.
In the early 1980s, the Library Association donated the library and its property to the borough.
Plans for constructing a new library began in the mid-1980s.
When the borough purchased land on Anderson Hill Road for this purpose in the early 1990s,
the association began a fund drive.
It raised more than $2 million for construction and furniture, resulting in the new facility in use today.
Borough Hall, a cerca 1800 building,
formerly was known as Bunn's Mill and operated as a gristmill, sawmill, cider mill and distillery in the mid 1800s.
In 1840, Vealtown's name was changed to Bernardsville, in honor of Sir Francis Bernard,
Colonial governor of New Jersey from 1758 to 1760.
During the late 1860s, settlers from New York began building mansions on Bernardsville Mountain
as summer estates and later as permanent homes.
The railroad extension from New York City through the area in 1872 brought more new residents
and contributed to the development of the downtown.
It wasn't until 1924,
nearly 25 years after a campaign began to successfully separate from Bernards Township
and establish the Borough of Bernardsville, that voters approved the proposition.
Bernardsville has a land area of 12.85 square miles and 7,400 residents,
who enjoy its small town charm with only two traffic lights in town.
Through strict zoning ordinances, land use is maintained at 82.44 residential,
5.21 percent commercial, 4.75 percent vacant, and 3.33 percent farmland.
Bernardsville formed its own school district in 1948 and
created the Somerset Hills School District with Far Hills and Peapack-Gladstone in 1994.
Children from all three towns attend Bedwell Elementary School, Bernardsville Middle School and Bemards High School.
The high school, celebrating its centennial this year, also receives students from Bedminster Township.
All the schools are in Bernardsville.
The borough recently began a biannual newsletter to keep its citizens informed of upcoming events and issues.
An elected mayor and six-member council govern the borough.
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