At the Hillsborough Township Municipal Building, you will find, prominently displayed, the 1860 Farm Map of Hillsborough. Here is a portion of the map.
By 1876, this map would be radically changed. Do you know why? Here's a hint: In 1865 there was one, by 1872 there were three, by 1876 there were four - then back to three by 1880, and today we have two.
Any guesses?
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ReplyDeleteHi Dan!
ReplyDeleteThe answer is Railroads!
In 1872, the Mercer & Somerset Railroad joined the Jersey Central's South Branch and the Lehigh Valley main line (today's Norfolfk Southern). In 1876, the Philadelphia and Reading's Delaware and Bound Brook line (today's CSX)opened in direct competirion with the Mercer and Somerset, which went out of business by 1880.