Harrington Township, New Jersey facts for kids
Harrington Township was a type of local government area, like a town or district, that existed in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It was around for a long time, from 1775 until 1916.
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What Was Harrington Township?
Harrington Township got its name from the Harring family. They were some of the very first people to settle in that area, way back in 1633. The original spelling of the name was "Harington," but it changed to "Harrington" later in the 1800s.
How It Started
Harrington Township was officially created on June 22, 1775. This happened through a special document called a Royal Charter, which was like a formal permission from the king. The new township was formed by taking northern parts from two other townships: New Barbadoes Township and Hackensack Township.
When it was first created, Harrington Township was quite large. It stretched from the Hudson River in the east all the way to the Saddle River in the west. To the north, it reached the border of New York state.
Changes Over Time
Over the years, parts of Harrington Township were used to create new towns and townships. This was a common way for new communities to form as the population grew.
One of the first changes happened on April 13, 1840. The areas west of the Hackensack River were separated from Harrington Township to form a new place called Washington Township.
The "Boroughitis" Era
A big change came in the late 1800s because of a new law called the "Borough Act." This law made it easier for smaller areas to become their own independent "boroughs." This period was sometimes called "Boroughitis" because so many new boroughs were created.
Many parts of Harrington Township became new towns during this time:
- Delford (which is now Oradell) was formed on March 8, 1894.
- Eastwood was created on June 6, 1894. This borough only lasted until 1896 and then became part of Old Tappan.
- Schraalenburgh (now Dumont) was formed on July 20, 1894.
- Old Tappan was created on October 8, 1894.
More changes happened in the early 1900s. On April 8, 1903, parts of Harrington Township were used to help form Demarest and Alpine.
The final group of towns to break away from Harrington Township included:
- Closter on January 1, 1904.
- Haworth on February 24, 1904.
- Harrington Park on March 29, 1904.
- Norwood on March 14, 1905.
The End of Harrington Township
Finally, on March 15, 1916, the last remaining part of Harrington Township became a new town called Northvale. With the creation of Northvale, Harrington Township officially stopped existing. It had been a part of New Jersey's history for 141 years.
