Cedar Grove, New Jersey
Cedar Grove was incorporated as a township with Verona in 1842 and then as an individual township in 1908. In the early 1700s, Thomas Jacobus purchased the entire valley from the Indians, and his family - the Van Ripers, Personettes, Canfields, and Bowdens - established large farms. Cedar Grove remained an agricultural area devoted to farming and dairy production until the early 20th century.
After World War II, Cedar Grove developed rapidly into the mainly residential community that it is today. Morgan's Farm, the townships last productive farming facility, was inherited by the community after the death of J. Courtnay Morgan in 1985. The Cedar Grove Historical Society has just restored the farmhouse, and the township has developed the surronding 14.5 acre tract into a park. Essex County Hospital Center and the Essex County Police Academy are both located in Cedar Grove.
