Harrison Township was created by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 13, 1840, and was part of
Hudson County
Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who explored the area in 1609. Part of New Jersey's Gateway Region in ...
which was created from portions of Bergen County, on February 22, 1840.
Harrison Township was established from the southern portions of Lodi Township. The town lines were
Paterson Plank Road
Paterson Plank Road is a road that runs through Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties in northeastern New Jersey. The route, originally laid in the colonial era, connects the city of Paterson and the Hudson River waterfront. It has largely been su ...
which ran along the town's northern boundary, the
Hackensack River
The Hackensack River is a river, approximately 45 miles (72 km) long, in the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and New Jersey, emptying into Newark Bay, a back chamber of New York Harbor. The drainage basin, watershed of the ri ...
which ran along the eastern boundary, the Passaic River which ran along the western boundary and southern boundary where it met with the Hackensack River. In 1852, the residents of northern section of the township wished to return to Bergen County and on February 19, 1852, Union Township was created from Harrison Township with its northern boundary being Paterson Plank Road, the southern boundary being the Belleville Turnpike, and having the same east and west boundaries as Harrison Township. During that 1852-1867 period, the township boundaries corresponded to the 1671 bounds of the colonial plantation of
William Sandford
William Sandford (26 September 1841 – 29 May 1932) was an English-Australian ironmaster, who is widely regarded as the father of the modern iron and steel industry in Australia.
Early life in England
Sandford was born at Torrington in ...
. Kearny Township was created from parts of the township on April 8, 1867. The remaining section was reincorporated as the town of
Harrison, New Jersey
Harrison is a town in the western part of Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey, and is located from New York City.
As of the 2 ...