Millburn / Short Hills

 

Corporate / Residential Community

Millburn Township is a beautiful residential community located in the southwest corner of Essex County. The Township is easy to reach via the midtown direct line of NJ Transit, the Garden State Parkway, NJ Turnpike, and is also convenient to Routes 24 and 78.

Millburn Township has an excellent school system. New Jersey Magazine has ranked the Millburn Township school system among the top 3 school districts in the state. In addition, Township schools also receive a national ranking as having one of the most academically challenging high schools in the country, offering many advance placement courses to students who excel in those classes.
The Township offers a wide variety of recreation programs, including a Community Pool and a Par 3 Golf Course, making the community appealing for families. In addition, Millburn Township has many fine restaurants, a movie theater, the Hilton Short Hills, rated by AAA as a Five Diamond Hotel, and a wide variety of cultural events, including the renowned Paper Mill Playhouse and the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum and Bird Sanctuary.

Millburn Township is unique in that it offers upscale, high-end, fifth avenue shopping along with quaint small town shopping of a traditional downtown. The Mall at Short Hills, located on the western side of the Township, is a beautiful regional shopping center in which many fine shops and stores are located. The downtown and local shopping areas offer a variety of unique specialty shops, service-based businesses, and professional offices.

 

History

Millburn began as a colonial settlement with agricultural origins, followed by a 19th century mill/factory economy and eventually became a Victorian -- and later -- residential community. There are many examples of this rich history still present in the township, from the Hessian House, the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum, the Paper Mill Playhouse, and the many beautiful homes from all phases of our history, to our two historic districts, Short Hills Park and Wyoming.

Millburn Township was once part of Elizabethtown and Newark settlements in New Jersey, created by a grant from Charles II to his brother James in 1664. In 1793 Springfield Township was created and it included Millburn. In 1857 Springfield became part of the new Union County and Millburn became a separate township within Essex County.

The topography of Millburn has determined its development. The last glacier that covered North America ended here, forming a "terminal morraine." As the glacier melted and retreated, it deposited a layer of sand, silt, clay, and boulders over the hard basalt substructure, creating irregular surfaces. The first inhabitants, the Lenape Indians, beat trails around these small or 'short' hills; streams cascading through them fueled colonial mills and 19th century factories; the railroad was built at the base of their slopes; and developers of suburban homes found knolls and uneven terrain attractive building sites.

With George Washington's army camped at Morristown and the British attacking through the Hobart Gap, Millburn was brought into the Revolutionary War. Washington allegedly viewed his troops from atop a strategic point in the South Mountain Reservation, now known as Washington Rock. The Battle of Springfield, June 23, 1780, marked the last thrust of the British into New Jersey and the first battle since Bunker Hill won by local militia supporting Continental troops. A reminder of the war still exists in the Parsil family cemetery on White Oak Ridge Road, where Nicholas Parsil was buried after being killed in a skirmish with the British.

After the Revolution, the town underwent another change. The Rahway River was dammed in five places to form mill ponds. Samuel Campbell built the first paper mill in 1790 and manufactured banknotes. Most of the early mills were paper mills, among them the Diamond Mill, now the site of the Paper Mill Playhouse, but hat mills eventually became dominant. In 1835 the Morris and Essex Railroad was finally completed, linking Millburn to the big cities in the east and the coal regions in the northwest.

Millburn has had many names, from Rum Brook, Vauxhall, Milltown, and Millville. In 1857 'Millburn' was decided upon, partly because many of the town's residents were from Scotland and the mill burn (Scotch word for 'river' or 'stream') reminded them of home. Later there were disputes over the spelling of Millburn, but the double-L advocates won.

Once again, because of location, Millburn underwent another change: the creation of two residential suburbs within its borders. In 1872 the Wyoming Land and Improvement Company purchased 100 acres of land and the first speculative real estate development was started and named Wyoming. Stewart Hartshorn acquired 1552 acres to build his ideal village called Short Hills, the first planned commuter suburb in America.

 

Location and Transportation

Millburn is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 19,765.

Millburn Township is served by two New Jersey Transit railroad stations along the Morristown Line: the Millburn station, located at the intersection of Essex Avenue and Lackawanna Place near the Millburn Free Public Library, and the Short Hills station, located near The Crescent Street between Hobart Avenue and Chatham Road. The latter station is also the site of the Millburn-Short Hills Historical Society museum.

In addition, New Jersey Transit operates multiple bus lines along Millburn and Essex Avenues, including the #70 route that stops at the Millburn RR station on a route between Newark and Livingston.

 

Recreation

It is the policy of the Millburn Township Recreation Commission to offer activities and programs for the recreational benefit of all Township residents; to support, regulate and encourage participation in these programs; and to facilitate the use and enjoyment of the Township parks and recreational facilities for all residents.

Program cancellation line (973) 564-7096

 

Facilities

Taylor Park (16 acres) Main Street (973) 564-7750: Includes Bauer Community Center, ball fields, pond, tennis and basketball courts, walking path and playground

Gero Park (36 acres) White Oak Ridge Road: Includes Gero Park Recreation Building (973) 379-2221, ball fields, lighted tennis, basketball and roller hockey courts and playground.

Township Pool located in Gero Park (973) 379-3822: Open Memorial Day through Labor Day and available to all residents. Includes main pool with water slide and large 0 depth entry wading pool with water umbrella, changing rooms, snack bar, swim team, and swimming lessons.

Township Par 3 Golf Course located in Gero Park (973) 379-4156: Opens April 1st Memberships available to all residents and a limited number of employed in town and out of town memberships are available.

Old Short Hills Park (41 acres) Old Short Hills Rd: Open for passive recreation and home of Greenwood Gardens

Hobart Ave. Park (1.5 acres) Hobart Ave: ball field and play area

Programs & Services: baseball, basketball, cheerleading, camera & movie clubs, chess, concerts, cross country, egg hunt, field & tennis court reservations, field hockey, fishing derby, football, Four Mile Run, golf and tennis lessons, Manners Matter, playground camps, pony share, roller hockey, skiing, smart sitter, Sneakers, softball, summer bus, teen center, track, trips, wrestling, etc.

 

Education

The Millburn Township Public Schools serve students in prekindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district consist of five K-5 elementary schools ( Deerfield Elementary School, Glenwood Elementary School, Hartshorn Elementary School, South Mountain Elementary School and Wyoming Elementary School) and Millburn Middle School, which serves prekindergarten through eighth grade. Millburn High School, which serves grades 9-12, was recently ranked as Number 148 in Newsweek Magazine's recent listing of "America's Best High Schools" in the August 5, 2005 issue. Factors contributing to the ranking include campus size, number of classes, average GPA, and a large Advanced Placement course enrollment.

Far Brook School is a private, nonsectarian coeducational day school located in the Short Hills section of Millburn, serving students in nursery through eighth grade. The school has a total enrollment of 197 students.

 

Parking Services

Parking for either Millburn or Short Hills train stations is on a “first come, first served” basis. Parking is not guaranteed. Permits are for residents only. Cost is $300 per year for the first car, $400 per year for an additional car. Costs are slightly pro-rated if you apply for a permit mid-year. Checks are payable to “Township of Millburn.”

Submit application, payment, enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope and a copy of the vehicle registration* issued to your Millburn or Short Hills address to:

 

Tax Collector

PO Box 1034

Millburn, NJ07041

 

Or in drop box located outside of Millburn Town Hall.

Permits are issued by the Tax Collector located at Town Hall, 375 Millburn Avenue, Millburn, 07041.They can be reach by phone at 973-564-7084 and the office hours are 8:30-4:30.

*If the vehicle is leased, a copy of the registration AND copy of the insurance card issued to your Millburn or Short Hills home address.

 

Millburn Township Resources