Frequently Used Telephone Numbers (908):
Police	464-1111 or 911	Board of Education	464-1601
Fire	464-2220 or 911	Public Library	464-9333
Rescue Squad	464-1141 or 911	Post Office	464-1115
City Hall	464-2700

HISTORY:

From 1664 to 1793 the area was part of Elizabethtown. Settlers arrived in the 1730's, and by 1737 had a village settlement at Four Corners (Springfield Avenue and South Street), the junction of two Indian trails. By the turn of the 18th century, more people discovered the "salubrious mountain air" and healthful mineral waters of this mountain paradise and left New York and Brooklyn in the summer. Most of the early settlers were of British origin, but a group of Germans arrived in the first half of the 19th century. At the same time, an influx of French came to establish a silk industry. "Silk fever" took hold and many residents tried to raise the worms, but the climate was not favorable and the venture was unsuccessful. Early in the community's development, Peter Wilcox established a 424 acre track along Blue Brook (Peter's Hill), constructed a dam and built a grist mill, followed by others establishing grist mills and cider mills in the area. In 1896, the Frey family utilized the abundant local clay for the Frey Pottery Company. The Italians arrived in the 1880's, mostly employed as farm laborers. But by the early 1900's, many were store proprietors in the growing town center around the intersection of Plainfield and Springfield Avenues. The Free Acres Association was developed as a single tax colony to "give people without means a chance to have a summer home." On Emerson Lane, it continued as a summer resort until the Depression economy made it necessary to adapt the houses to year-round use. During its heyday, it attracted many talented residents, among whom were artist Will Crawford, writers McKinley Kantor and Theodore Smith and actor James Cagney. Bell Labs, the first research firm in the United States to locate in a suburban area, created a tremendous demand for housing. Many other firms followed, and soon scores of scientists and professionals were buying houses in new subdivisions. Berkely Heights, part of New Providence until the late 19th century, is an established residential community with a mix of old and new - though the newer is predominant and the styles are more likely to be colonials, split levels and ranches. *1990 Census figures

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