Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey

Franklin Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 62,300. Traditionally a farming community, it has become a fast-growing suburb with massive development in the later 20th and 21st centuries. It is also a diverse community, with a melting pot of races, religions and cultures. In 2008, Franklin Township ranked #5 on Money Magazine's list of America's Top 100 Best Places to Live.

What is now Franklin Township was originally formed circa 1745 as Eastern precinct. Franklin Township was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. 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).

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 46.8 square miles (121.3 km²), of which, 46.8 square miles (121.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.15%) is water. The community is three-fourths rural.

Communities of Franklin Township
The following are census-designated places, unincorporated enclaves, and historical communities located within Franklin Township. While they have their own separate identities, they are all unincorporated areas.
 * East Millstone, New Jersey
 * Franklin Park, New Jersey
 * Griggstown, New Jersey
 * Kingston, New Jersey (officially designated as a Village Center by the New Jersey State Planning Commission.) The Kingston Village Advisory Committee, jointly appointed by the Councils of Franklin and South Brunswick Townships, advises Franklin on matters of concern to Kingston's citizens.
 * Middlebush, New Jersey
 * Pleasant Plains, New Jersey
 * Six Mile Run, New Jersey
 * Somerset, New Jersey (CDP with 2000 population of 23,040)
 * Ten Mile Run, New Jersey
 * Weston, New Jersey
 * Zarephath, New Jersey religious community in western part of the township, centered around the Pillar of Fire Church

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 50,903 people, 19,355 households, and 12,987 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,088.3 people per square mile (420.2/km²). There were 19,789 housing units at an average density of 423.1 per square mile (163.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 55.11% White, 25.98% African American, 0.18% Native American, 12.74% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.56% from other races, and 2.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.11% of the population.

There were 19,355 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the township the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $67,923, and the median income for a family was $78,177 (these figures had risen to $87,417 and $99,526 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $52,351 versus $41,101 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,209. About 3.1% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
The Township of Franklin is chartered under the Faulkner Act as Council-Manager, Plan D. The Township Council consists of nine members - a Mayor elected from the Township at large, five elected for each of the five wards and three elected from the Township at large.

The Mayor is the Chief Legislative Officer of the Township and is elected by the voters to serve for a four-year term. The Township Manager is the Chief Executive Officer of the Township, provides for the administration of the Township's daily operations, and is hired by and serves at the pleasure of the Township Council. Council elections are held at the June Primary and November General Elections in odd numbered years.

In 1998 the township voted 6,092 to 2,834 to raise their property taxes by 3 cents per $100 of assessed valuation with the money to be used to preserve open space.

Members of the Township Council are:
 * Brian D. Levine, Mayor (term ends December 31, 2011)
 * Rajiv Prasad, Deputy Mayor At-Large (2011)
 * Kimberly Francois, At-Large (2011)
 * Brian G. Regan, At-Large for unexpired term of Daniel Glicklich starting 3/22/11 (2011)
 * Theodore Chase, 1st Ward (2013)
 * Rozalyn Sherman, 2nd Ward (2013)
 * Phillip Kramer, 3rd Ward (2013)
 * Carl Wright, 4th Ward (2013)
 * James Vassanella, 5th Ward (2013)

Federal, state and county representation
Franklin Township is split between the 6th and 12th Congressional Districts.

Franklin Township is in the

Culture and history
It has been unclear if the Township was named for founding father Benjamin Franklin or for his illegitimate son William Franklin, a Loyalist and the last Royal Governor of New Jersey (from 1763 to 1776). In 2000, after considering the evidence set forth by William B. Brahms in his books Images of America: Franklin Township (1997) and Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, commissioned by the Franklin Township Public Library, 1998, Chapter 12, Municipal Government, The Case for William Franklin and The Case for Benjamin Franklin), the Township Council chose the theory that the Township was indeed named for Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin 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. In fact, 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. Washington, however, kept his troops at Chimney Rock, just north of Franklin, until the British withdrew. Several of the prosperous Middlebush farms were destroyed by the British soldiers during their retreat. 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. In 1783, Washington composed his farewell address to his army while staying at Rockingham near Kingston, NJ.

One of the most important developments for Franklin was the building of the Delaware & Raritan Canal in 1834. Twenty-two miles of this continuous water route from New York to Philadelphia run through the Township. During the Civil War, up to 200,000 tons of freight were hauled by mule and horse-drawn barges, a great economic boon for the area. The building of the railroads led to the decline of this once successful mode of transportation. Today the canal is the source of drinking water and provides recreation for area residents and visitors to the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.

The Van Wickle House, located next to the Delaware and Raritan Canal in the Somerset section of the township, in between New Brunswick and South Bound Brook, was built in 1722 by Dutch settlers and is now owned and maintained by The Meadows Foundation. The lovely old home sits peacefully next to Rutgers Preparatory School, away from busy Easton Avenue behind some trees and a Revolutionary War-era graveyard.

Franklin Township enjoyed passenger and freight railroad service during the later half of the 19th century via the Millstone and New Brunswick Railroad (M&NB) which opened in 1854. The railroad was built and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), from a junction with the PRR mainline at Jersey Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey to East Millstone, New Jersey. The M&NB is now known as the Conrail Millstone Secondary Branch. The branch line is still operated by Conrail up to just west of Clyde Road in Somerset, New Jersey, serving local industry in the industrial section of Somerset.

In 1922, the infamous Hall-Mills Murder took place in Franklin Township, in the area adjacent to New Brunswick known as Somerset.

Points of interest

 * The Blackwells Mills Canal House, located at Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road (598 Canal Road, Somerset) on the Delaware and Raritan Canal, was built around 1835, at the same time as the canal. It was constructed to house the bridge tender, who would open the swing bridge when canal boats came through, then close it to allow traffic to cross over the canal. The building is leased from the State and is maintained and operated by the Blackwells Mills Canal House Association in conjunction with the Meadows Foundation.
 * Colonial Park, part of the Somerset County Park System, is a 685.5 acre facility located in the western portion of Franklin Township near East Millstone with entrances off Mettlers Lane and Elizabeth Avenue. The park offers many recreational activities, including picnicking, hiking, biking, fishing, golf and tennis.  It features a 144 acre Arboretum, a 3 acre leash-free dog area, a 1.4 mi fitness parcourse, paddleboat rentals, a unique 18-hole putting course, the 18 hole championship Spooky Brook Golf Course, 3 stocked fishing ponds, softball fields, tennis center, playground, nature trail, a 5 acre Perennial Garden, the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden, an accredited All-America Rose Selections (AARS) display garden, and the Fragrance and Sensory Garden, designed to be of special interest to visitors who are visually or physically impaired.
 * A portion of the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park runs for some 22 miles (35 km) along much of the northern and western borders of Franklin Township eventually making its way as far south as Trenton with a feeder canal following the Delaware River north for another 22 miles (35 km) to Bull's Island near Frenchtown. The canal and adjacent tow path offer many recreational activities, from hiking and biking to fishing and boating.  Access points with parking can be found near most road crossings of the canal, via bridges at Colonial Park (see above) and the Van Wickle House (see below) in Franklin Township as well as at many of the locks on the canal.
 * The John W. Flemer Preserve is a 7.4 acre preserve adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal in Kingston that features a 2 mi trail on the east bank of the Canal that offers a connection to the tow path on the west side of the Canal for a round trip hike.
 * The Franklin Inn, at 2371 Amwell Road (Route 514), East Millstone, NJ a farmhouse built c. 1752 by Cornelius Van Liew, it has also been known as Annie Van Liew's House and, after being remodeled into a tavern and inn, the Franklin House Hotel.
 * The Hageman Farm, at 209 South Middlebush Road, is a c. 1861 historic farm. Owned by Franklin Township, the farm is under the stewardship of the Meadows Foundation.
 * The William L. Hutcheson Memorial Forest, a 500 acre natural preserve that includes a 65 acre virgin old growth forest designated a National Natural Landmark, is located at 2150 Amwell Rd. (Route 514) about 3/4 of a mile east of East Millstone.
 * The Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve is a 164 acre preserve located between Bennets Lane and Skillmans Lane in the Somerset section that features 111 acre of grassland, forest and scrubland and a 2.5 acre wetland attracting migratory birds and amphibians with over 3 mi of pedestrian trails, bird boxes and interpretive signage.
 * Rockingham State Historic Site, near Kingston on CR 603 (Somerset County), adjacent to the Delaware and Raritan Canal. George Washington wrote his Farewell Address to the Revolutionary Army while staying here in the fall of 1783.
 * Six Mile Reservoir Site, part of the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, is located in the central portion of Franklin Township. The 3,037 acre park consists of land that was set aside in c. 1970 for water resource needs that still remains largely undeveloped and that offers numerous multi-use recreational trails.  Access is provided via the former D&R Canal Main Office parking area off Canal Road just south of Blackwells Mills Road.
 * Spieden & Hoebel Farms, Little Valley Natural Area is a 120 acre area at 1327 and 1345 Canal Road with several miles of trails through forest and along field edges. Across Canal Road is access to the Delaware and Raritan Canal tow path and the Millstone River and flood plain.
 * Ten Mile Run Greenway is a 684 acre greenway over 4 mi in length running between Canal Rd. south of Bunker Hill Road in Griggstown and S. Middlebush Road near Old Vliet Road in Franklin Park. It runs along the Ten Mile Run. It features four sections including:
 * Bunker Hill Natural Area, accessed from the north side of Bunker Hill Road near the intersection of Rt. 27 features trails through mature forest and meadows and along Ten Mile Run stream. Trails connect to the Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve and the Catalpa Farm areas.
 * Catalpa Farm, Old Vliet Road offers trails along field edges and a small forest that connect to the Bunker Hill Natural Area.
 * Environmental Education Center, 255 Bunker Hill Road (parking is available at 287 Bunker Hill Road), is a 95-area the features a deciduous forest known as Graeber Woods, a one-mile (1.6 km) self-guided nature trail and the “Glass House”, a home that has been renovated and is now used as a classroom and conference center to provide a wide range of instructional, hands-on activities in natural habitats, and a 20' climbing tower and a high ropes course adventure area. The Environmental Education Center is a cooperative effort of the Township of Franklin, the Franklin Township Board of Education, and the Green Acres Program. A trail connect to the Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve and the rest of the Ten Mile Run Greenway.
 * Griggstown Native Grassland Preserve accessed from Canal Road in Griggstown (1091 Canal Road) has over 100 acre of grassland and hundreds of acres of forest and features over 6 mi of mapped trails. Trails connect to the other sections of the Ten Mile Run Greenway.
 * Tulipwood, at 1165 Hamilton Street, is a c. 1892 designed by J. August Lienau, the son of Detlef Lienau for his brother-in-law Stephen Guion Williams whose family owned the Williams & Guion Black Star Line. Owned by Franklin Township, the site is under the stewardship of the Meadows Foundation.
 * The Ukrainian Cultural Center at 135 Davidson Avenue, serves as the headquarters of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA and includes at the site (some open by appointment only):
 * St. Sophia Seminary and Library, founded in 1975,
 * St. Andrew Memorial Church, completed and consecrated in 1967 in memory of the 7-14 million people who died in the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33 is a unique example of Ukrainian Cossak Baroque architecture in the area,
 * St. Andrew Cemetery, founded in 1952,
 * The Ukrainian Historical and Educational Center, founded in 1972, which contains priceless treasures of Ukrainian cultural, historical, social, religious, literary and political life including Easter eggs, lacework, hand embroidery, statuary and church vessels.
 * The Ukrainian Cultural Center, dedicated in 1985,
 * St. Andrew Ukrainian School, founded in 1962 and located in the Cultural Center,
 * St. Andrew Bookstore and Ecclesiastical Supply, founded in 1992,
 * The historic Fisher Homestead, built in 1688, the home of Hendrick Fisher, New Jersey's delegate to the Continental Congress, and the site of the Fisher Family Cemetery.
 * The Van Liew-Suydam House, at 280 South Middlebush Road, was built in the 18th century by Peter Van Liew. Joseph Suydam later built the part of the house that is visible today. The newest and largest portion of the house was built in 1875. Although the most recent long term owner of the house was named French, the house has been named after its two initial owners. Owned by Franklin Township, the farm is under the stewardship of the Meadows Foundation.
 * The Van Wickle House, at 1289 Easton Avenue is a historic house built c. 1722 by Symen Van Wickle. Operated by the Meadows Foundation which holds special annual events here.
 * The Wyckoff-Garretson House, at 215 South Middlebush Road, was built in 1730 by Cornelius Wyckoff. The house is currently being restored by the Meadows Foundation.

Transportation
Franklin has a variety of county routes, and other major roads that pass through. Some of the major county route that are in the township are CR 514, CR 518 and CR 527. Route 27 runs along the border between New Brunswick, and the townships of both South and North Brunswick. Interstate 287 runs through the northern part with two interchanges.

Franklin Township was to house the northern end of the Somerset Freeway at I-287 back in 1964 until it was later proposed to end in Piscataway. An additional spur, Interstate 695, was also proposed as part of the project. This road was to complete Interstate 95 at the proposed southern end in Hopewell at I-95 and I-295. However the entire project was ultimately cancelled in 1982.

Education
The Franklin Township Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are six K-4 elementary schools — Conerly Road School (427 students), Elizabeth Avenue School (515), Franklin Park School (953), Hillcrest School (358), MacAfee Road School (426), Pine Grove Manor School (384) — Sampson G. Smith School for grades 5-6 (1,085), Franklin Middle School for grades 7-8 (1,113) and Franklin High School for grades 9-12 (1,922).

Rutgers Preparatory School, a prestigious private day school, is located in Franklin Township and occupies a nearly 400 acre campus between Easton Avenue and the Raritan River.

Emergency services
Fire Companies Franklin Township is served by 10 all-volunteer Fire Departments in 4 Fire Districts.
 * Community Fire Co. / Station 25 (Dist 3)
 * Elizabeth Ave. Fire Co. / Station 26 (Dist 1)
 * East Franklin Fire Dept. / Station 27 (Dist 3)
 * Middlebush Fire Dept. / Station 44 (Dist 1)
 * Millstone Valley Fire Co. / Station 28 (Dist 1)
 * Franklin Park Fire Dept. / Station 31 (Dist 2)
 * Griggstown Fire Co. / Station 35 (Dist 2)
 * Kingston Fire Co. / Station 39 (Dist 4)
 * Little Rocky Hill Fire Co. / Station 41 (Dist 2)
 * Somerset Fire & Rescue Co. #1 / Station 56 (Dist 1)

First Aid Squads Franklin Township is served by 5 First Aid and Rescue Squads
 * East Millstone First Aid Squad / Station 52
 * Franklin Somerset First Aid Squad / Station 71
 * Rocky Hill First Aid & Rescue Squad / Station 53
 * Kendall Park First Aid & Rescue Squad
 * Kingston First Aid & Rescue Squad / Station 72

Notable residents
Notable current and former residents of Franklin Township include:
 * Avery Brooks (born 1948), actor who portrayed Captain Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Hawk on Spenser: For Hire and A Man Called Hawk, as well as film and theatre.
 * Nicole Brown (born 1990), Division III track and field athlete of The College of New Jersey.
 * Will Carnevale (Born 1992), also known as Chaz Phenom or Fresh. 1st Place winner of the Partnership For a Drug Free New Jersey's "NJ Shouts Down Drugs" 2009 music competition. Hip-hop artist.
 * Clifford P. Case (1904–1982), politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
 * Upendra J. Chivukula (born 1950), represents the 17th legislative district in the New Jersey General Assembly, and has served on the Franklin Township Council since 1997, serving as its Mayor in 2000 and its Deputy Mayor in 1998.


 * Charles Leavitt Edgar (1860–1932), mechanical engineer working in the area of central power stations noted for several firsts, president of Boston Edison (1900) and National Electric Light Association
 * Hendrick Fisher (1697–1778), represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Colonial Assembly, was one of three delegates representing New Jersey at the First Colonial Congress ("The Stamp Act Congress") in New York in 1765, was elected to New Jersey's Committee of Correspondence, served as a member of the Committee of Safety, was President of the Colonial Assembly, was the first President of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey in 1775, was labeled an arch traitor and "Enemy of the Crown", and a founder and first President of the board of trustees of Queen's College (Now Rutgers University). His homestead and grave are currently located on the grounds of the Ukrainian Cultural Center on Easton Avenue west of Davidson Avenue in the Somerset section.
 * Jean-Guillaume, baron Hyde de Neuville (1776–1857), French aristocrat, diplomat, and politician who resided in Franklin Township between 1811 and 1814 on a 100 acre farm on Easton Avenue in the area of the current Neuville Drive.,
 * Roy Hinson (born 1961), Franklin Township High School and Rutgers University stand-out who was a 1st round pick in the 1983 NBA Draft and played eight seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets.
 * John Honeyman (1729–1822), purported spy for George Washington who was primarily responsible for gathering the intelligence crucial to Washington's victory in the Battle of Trenton.
 * Matthew Leydt (1755–1853), the first graduate of Queen's College (now Rutgers College of Rutgers University) in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
 * John Wyckoff Mettler (1878–1952), former President and founder of Interwoven Stocking Company, at the time the largest male hosiery company in the world.
 * Middlebush Giant (1837–1889), most commonly known as Colonel Routh Goshen, a stage name created by P. T. Barnum, he was billed as the tallest man in the world at 7 ft, 11 inches and 620 pounds.
 * Paul Muldoon (born 1951), writer, academic and educator, as well as Pulitzer Prize-winning poet originally from County Armagh, Northern Ireland.
 * Peter Davis Oakey (1861–1920) politician who served in the United States House of Representatives 1915-17
 * Michael J. Pappas (born 1960), former U.S. Congressman known for securing the release of the battleship USS New Jersey to the state of New Jersey as a museum, and his infamous singing of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Kenneth Starr" on the House floor, former Mayor of Franklin Township.
 * Randal Pinkett (born 1971), winner of The Apprentice 4, entrepreneur, speaker, author, scholar and community servant. Co-Founder, President and CEO of BCT Partners, a Rutgers University Rhodes Scholar with four advanced degrees from University of Oxford and M.I.T..
 * Joe Porter (born 1985), football player for Rutgers University, the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, and Oakland Raiders.
 * Ferdinand Schureman Schenck (1790–1860), politician who represented New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1833-1837.
 * Charlie Weis (born 1956), head coach of the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, former Offensive coordinator for New England Patriots during Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX, Football coach for Franklin High School during 1989 state championship season.
 * Helen Westley (1875–1942), movie actress popular in the 1930s and 1940s, starring in such films as The Age of Innocence, Anne of Green Gables, and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.
 * Bishop Alma Bridwell White (1862–1946), founder of the Pillar of Fire Church and Zarephath community, first consecrated woman Bishop in the United States.
 * Bruce Williams (born 1932), radio talk show host; currently the longest running talk show in history. Member of Radio Hall of Fame, former Mayor of Franklin Township from 1967-1975.