History of Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ

Parsippany-Troy Hills Township, commonly called Parsippany, is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 50,649. The name Parsippany comes from the Lenape Native American word parsipanong, which means “the place where the river winds through the valley”. Parsippany-Troy Hills is the most populous municipality in Morris County.

Parsippany-Troy Hills was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 12, 1928, from portions of Hanover Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 9, 1928.

In 2006, Parsippany-Troy Hills was recognized by Money magazine as the 17th-ranked of the Best Places to Live in the United States, the highest-ranked location in New Jersey. In 2008, it moved up to 13th position. The township was not on the 2007 list because that year’s list included only municipalities with a population of 50,000 or less.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 25.4 square miles (66 km2), of which 23.9 square miles (62 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) (5.82%) is water.

Geology
Parsippany lies in the Newark Piedmont Basin. Around five hundred million years ago, a chain of volcanic islands crashed into the proto North America. These islands rode over the North American plate and created the highlands of New Jersey. The highlands start in western Parsippany. This strike also created land formations in the rest of eastern New Jersey. Then around four hundred fifty million years ago, a small continent, long and thin, collided with North America. This created folding and faulting in western New Jersey and southern Appalachia.

Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
Morris County, New Jersey
Cobbs Corner, Lake Hiawatha, Littleton, Mt. Tabor, Parsippany, Pinebrook, Rainbow Lakes, Sedgefield, Troy Hills

History: Of Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey
Pre-colonial days  The Lenni-Lenapi Indians lived in the area known as Parsippanong, the place where rivers come together.
1250 B.C. to 1570 A.D.  — The Rock House rock shelter.
Early 18th century  The Dutch and English settled in the area. Parsippany was part of Hanover Township (at that time only one of three townships comprising all of Morris County).  Until 1928 Hanover Township encompassed the villages of Parsippany, Littleton, Rockaway Neck, Troy, Boonton Manor, Rainbow Lakes, Fox Hills, Mount Tabor, Hanover Neck, Whippany, Hanover, Malapardis and Cedar Knolls. ¨Iron forges established.
c. 1720  — Smith-Green House built.
1723  — Cory – A.J. Smith House built.
c. 1740  —  Forge Pond, dam and raceway.
1740  —  Cobb-Crowell  House built.
c. 1743  —  Troy Hamlet Mill ruins, raceway and sluice gate.
1745  — Vail cemetery.
1763  —  Howell House built.
c. 1770  — Righter House built.
1771  —  Cameron Hutchinson, Doremus and  J.C. Smith houses built.
Revolutionary War (1775-1782)  — The iron forges help provide supplies to the American troops.
1780  — Munroe-Howell  House built.
1783  —  Isaac Beech House built.
1785  —  Miller House built.
1790  —  Littleton School built.
1798  —  Bowlsby- DeGelleke House.
1800  —  J. Grannis House built.  Dudley Baldwin Kimball House also built.
1800  — Meeker Store established.
c. 1800  — Kitchell House built.
1820 —  Benjamin Green house built.
1828  —  E. F. Smith House built.
1828  — Presbyterian Church built.
1830  —  Livingston Benedict House.
1832 —  Ogden Farrand House built.
1845  —  Hiram-Smith House built.
c. 1850  —  Righter House and Peer House built.
1853  — Smith Baldwin House built.
The area became a popular summer vacation area for city people.
1861-1865 — Civil War¨1869 — The Methodist Camp Meeting Assoc. established the Mount Tabor campground.
1870  — Condit House built.
1875  — G.B. Smith House built.
1876  —  Parsonage House built.
1885  — Mt. Tabor Tabernacle.
1891  — Keller House built.
1903  — New Jersey Reservoir Dam.
c. 1908  —  Craftsman Farm, Gustav Stickley.
1908  —  Troy School built.
1909  — Rockaway Neck School built.
1911  —  Stiles House built.
1920’s  —  Camps established at Rainbow Lakes, Lake Hiawatha, Lake Intervale and Lake Parsippany, built by the New York Daily Mirror Newspaper and selling lots for $98.50 with a six month subscription to the paper.1928  —  Formation of the Mount Tabor-Littleton Community Club, meeting at Mount Tabor School, to advocate separation from Hanover Township.  Some of the key speakers were Dudley B. Kimball, William Baldwin, Charles Dehart Condit and C. Howell Bates.
1928  — The population of Parsippany-Troy Hills was 6,800.
1928 —  Parsippany was still a rural area.  They even had some blacksmith shops.1928 (March 12)  —  the New Jersey State Legislature adopted legislation creating the Townships of Parsippany-Troy Hills and East Hanover, provided that a referendum vote of the residents of Hanover would ratify the creation of the two new townships.1928 (May 9)  — Hanover resident voters approved the separation idea. 1928 (June 6)  —  voters adopted the Township Committee form of government.
1928  — The only public schools were Mount Tabor and the Parsippany School both of which were quite small.
1932  —  Central Middle School built and in
1932  — new Mount Tabor School opened.
World War II  —  1941-1945
Following WWII   —  Many summer homes converted to year-round residences, causing a major increase in permanent town population.
1949  —  Lake Parsippany School built.
1950s  —  Parsippany Plaza and Morris Hills Plaza shopping centers established.
1952  — Lake Hiawatha School built.
1953  — Parsippany was the first town in the state to adopt the Council-Manager Plan E form of government with a non-partisan, five member council elected at large, with unstaggered terms and a full-time, paid Town-Manager.
1956  —  Parsippany High opened.
1958  —  Littleton School opened.
1960s  —  Baldwin Plaza and Troy Hills Plaza shopping centers established. 1963  —  Knollwood School opened.
1964  — The Mayor-Council Plan E was adopted, providing for partisan, staggered elections of a 5 member council and a Mayor. 1965  —  Brooklawn Junior High opened.
1966  —  Troy Hills School opened.
1967  —  Rockaway Meadow and Intervale schools opened.
1968  — Eastlake and Northvail schools opened.
1969  —  Parsippany Hills High School opened.
1970 —  The population peaked at 55,000.
Late 70’s and 80’s  — development of Lanidex, the Prudential Campus, Waterview, Gatehall and Morris Corporate Center.
2000  — The population decreased from 1970 by 5,000 to 50,000.Today  — Parsippany is the largest suburban commercial real estate market in New Jersey  with many Fortune 500 companies in town. The town has preserved the Condit House, The Olde Littleton School House and the Bowlsby-DeGelleke house.

Sources:
Welcome to Parsippany: Town History and Historic Places/Historical Society: About the Town.  http://www.parsippany.net/