Basking Ridge is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located within Bernards Township in the Somerset Hills region of Somerset County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the population for the

ZIP Code Tabulation Area ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are statistical entities developed by the United States Census Bureau for tabulating summary statistics. These were introduced with the Census 2000 and continued with the 2010 Census and 5 year American Community ...

(ZCTA) 07920 was 26,747.DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 from 2010 Demographic Profile Data for ZCTA5 07920
,

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

. Accessed August 27, 2013. The area was settled during

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

. It was home to the old

AT&T AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile ...

Headquarters, now operated by

Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...

. Basking Ridge is the current headquarters for Collabera,

Verizon Wireless Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...

, Vencore Labs, Lawyer.com, and

Barnes & Noble College Booksellers Barnes & Noble Education is one of the largest operators of college bookstores in the United States. As of the end of 2020, Barnes & Noble Education operated 760 campus bookstores and school-branded e-commerce sites through its Barnes & Noble C ...

. The community of Basking Ridge is part of greater Bernards Township, which also includes the neighborhoods of Liberty Corner,

Lyons Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

and West Millington.

History

Basking Ridge was originally settled in the 1720s by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Presbyterians Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

escaping religious persecution. The land was bought from the

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

Native Americans. Bernards Township was officially chartered on May 21, 1760 granted by King George II and granted to Sir Francis Bernard, first governor of the noted section which includes Basking Ridge. On the morning of December 13, 1776, General Charles Lee was captured by the British at Widow White's tavern. Lee had ranked next to Washington in command. The downtown area of Bernards Township known as Basking Ridge was added to the New Jersey and National Registries as a Historic District. on August 8, 1974.

Demographics

As Basking Ridge is not an independent municipality, demographic data is based on the

figures for the

(ZCTA) for the 07920 ZIP Code.

Census 2000

As of the

2000 United States Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 c ...

U.S. Census website
,

. Accessed September 4, 2014. there were 24,600 people, 9,300 households, and 6,517 families residing in the ZCTA. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,137.1 people per square mile (1830.0/km). There were 9,537 housing units at an average density of 440.8/sq mi (709.3/km). The racial makeup of the ZCTA was 89.2% Caucasian, 1.4%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.0%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.4% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.6% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race.DP-1 - Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 from Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for ZCTA5 07920
,

. Accessed August 27, 2013. There were 9,300 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.15. In the ZCTA the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18 , 3.2% from 18 to 24 , 31.2% from 25 to 44 , 25.4% from 45 to 64 , and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.3 years. The median income for a household in the ZCTA was $105,471, and the median income for a family was $131,618. Males had a median income of $93,436 versus $60,101 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the ZCTA was $54,753. 1.4% of the population and 0.6% of families were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. Out of the total population, 1.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Arts and culture

Cultural events

Street scene cropped Basking Ridge New Jersey with trees and church

Basking Ridge has an annual event in May called Charter Day. Many rides are set up in the Oak Street field—a bounce house, inflatable race tracks, and spinning rides. Also, in the center of the town hundreds of stands are set up mostly promoting school sports, but there are also many kettle corn stands, which is a traditional food children eat during Charter Day. At night, the traditional Battle of the Bands takes place, which many teenagers sign up for to play their favorite songs.

Historic sites

*Basking Ridge was home to the Old Oak Tree, a 600-year-old

white oak The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...

, perhaps the oldest white oak in the world.Hickey, Magee
"Basking Ridge rallies behind 600-year-old white oak tree"

WPIX WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship of ...

, June 29, 2016. Accessed July 2, 2016. The tree was located on the historic graveyard of the local Presbyterian church. The tree was high and had a trunk circumference of and its lower branches were supported. In 2016 the tree showed signs of distress as its upper parts failed to sprout leaves. A big portion of the tree was cut down in 2017 due to decay. The tree has since been cut down as of April 26, 2017. * A specially designed experimental hospital was built in 1779 by local resident John "Rebel Banker" Morton with the help of Dr. James Tilton in the winter of 1779-80. The hospital was built with three wards, that held patients in its hub and each of the three wards held eight patients. Patient beds were oriented so that their heads were closest to the walls of the buildings. When temperatures fell, a "fire was built in the midst of the ward, without any chimney, and the smoke circulating about, passed off through an opening about 4 inches wide in the ridge of the roof." Tilton described how the design of the building allowed infection to be fought using smoke, "without giving the least offense to the patient, for it always rose above their heads, before it spread abroad in the ward." This hospital, which could accommodate up to 55 patients, provided an uncrowded but fully ventilated space in which those with infectious disease could be kept apart from those who were wounded. * The Bernards Township Municipal Hall was once owned by the Astors. The estate was built in 1912 by Samuel Owen of Newark, New Jersey. *The

Brick Academy Brick Academy is the nickname for a Federal-style brick building built in 1809 to meet the growing needs of the ''Basking Ridge Classical School'' located in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. That school ...

was built in 1809 as the ''Basking Ridge Classical School''; its function was to prepare young men for the College of New Jersey (now known as

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

). It has also served as a public school, a union hall, a public library, and the municipal hall for Bernards Township. It now serves as a historic museum for Basking Ridge and as the home of The Historical Society of the Somerset Hills. *The Van Dorn Mill was built in 1768 as a wooden structure; it was rebuilt in 1843 with foundations extending below ground level, using thousands of stones hauled from the

hedge A hedge or hedgerow is a line of closely spaced shrubs and sometimes trees, planted and trained to form a barrier or to mark the boundary of an area, such as between neighbouring properties. Hedges that are used to separate a road from adjoi ...

rows of nearby farms. *The Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church is a

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

church built in 1839 and expanded in 1869, that is listed on the

New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office with ...

and added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on December 31, 1974. Warren Kinney Oak, Basking Ridge, NJ - May 2013

*The Warren Kinney Memorial Oak Tree commemorates the life of a well-known dairy farmer and community leader from New Vernon, NJ. According to Mr. Kinney's 1975 obituary, he "helped lead a fight to prevent a jetport from being built on the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge in Morris County," and was "a founding member of the Madison Square Club, and trustee of the New York Zoological Society." *The Devil's Tree is a solitary oak with some dead limbs growing in an undeveloped field on Mountain Road, opposite Emerald Valley Lane. Local legend, documented in ''

Weird NJ ''Weird NJ'' (sometimes abbreviated ''WNJ'') is a semi-annual magazine that chronicles local legends, purported hauntings, ghost stories, folklore, unusual places or events, and other peculiarities in New Jersey. The magazine originated in 1989 as ...

'' magazine and the book based on it, tells that the tree is cursed or the property of the Devil and has been a site of lynchings by the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...

in the past. *Alward Farm House is a Colonial era farmhouse representing the simple lifestyle of early settlers. Built c.1740, it is one of the first structures in Bernards Township. Entered in State and National Registers, 1986.

National Register of Historic Places

Basking Ridge has several properties on the

.New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Somerset County

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) is a government agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is responsible for managing the state's natural resources and addressing issues related to pollution. NJDEP now has a staff ...

Historic Preservation Office, updated November 20, 2017. Accessed November 30, 2017. *Alward Farmhouse, added March 13, 1986 * Basking Ridge Classical School, added July 21, 1976 *Coffee House, added November 7, 1977 * Presbyterian Church in Basking Ridge, added December 31, 1974 * Lord Stirling Manor Site, added June 22, 1978 *Basking Ridge Historic District, added August 8, 1974.

Parks and recreation

There are several parks within Basking Ridge. Four are county parks: Lord Stirling Park, Rebel Hill, Southard, and Harry Dunham. The fifth is Pleasant Valley Park which contains the town pool and miles of woodchip trails.

Education

Bernards High School Bernards High School is a comprehensive four-year regional public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The school is part of the Somerset Hills Regional School District, a ...

was founded by the Bernards Township Board of Education in 1924. When Bernardsville separated from Bernards Township, the schools still remained one system until 1947 when the original high school became the property of

Bernardsville Bernardsville () is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is nestled in the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,707,

. From 1948, however, township students continued attending Bernards High School as tuition students. In 1960 a contract was issued for the construction of a new

Ridge High School Ridge High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades from Bernards Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the ...

and Cedar Hill School which were built on approximately of land. William Annin Middle School was originally named after a colonial patriot who settled in Basking Ridge in 1722. Construction started in 1968 and the school was dedicated on September 28, 1969 as William Annin Junior High School and contained grades 6 through 8. The following year it shifted to grades 7 through 9. It became a middle school in 1982. It currently contains grades 6 through 8. The school is one of the few in the United States to have a

seismograph A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground noises and shaking such as caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The outpu ...

. There are four elementary schools in Basking Ridge. *Liberty Corner School, was built for a farming community in 1905. It is the oldest school in the district. Part of the original building still remains today. It is located in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards Township. *Oak Street School was built in 1938, although it was completed late. It was dedicated on November 21, 1939 and opened on November 23, the day before Thanksgiving. Dr. Horatio Gates Whitnall originally owned the property on which Oak Street School was built. The land was used for farming and his home was what is now the Summit Bank. Over the years, the population rose rapidly. It serves downtown Basking Ridge which is the area around the Presbyterian Church and the Old Oak Tree. * Cedar Hill School was built 1956. It is situated on land which was once the property of a succession of wealthy families: Owen, Lee, Bissell, and Astor. It was donated in the Mid 1950s by the Lees. It serves the area around William Annin Middle School and

. *Mount Prospect was built in 1999. The school was built because a new population rolled in by 2000. Basking Ridge was extended southward and a new subdivision was built: The Hills. Mount Prospect is the newest school in the district and serves the Hills. *The former Maple Avenue School, a two-story, eight classroom structure, was demolished in the 1970s to make room for the current Basking Ridge Public Library.

Transportation

Shops and sidewalk and lamps in Basking Ridge New Jersey

Trains

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

Gladstone Branch The Gladstone Branch (also known as the Gladstone Line) is a commuter rail line operated by NJ Transit from Gladstone station, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, to either Hoboken Terminal or New York Penn Station. It is one of two branches of t ...

runs through Basking Ridge. There are two stations that residents can use to get to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Hoboken Terminal Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...

: * Basking Ridge: Built in 1912 by the

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...

, it serves downtown and north Basking Ridge. *

: Built in 1931 by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, it serves the Hills, and south Basking Ridge in addition to Liberty Corner. Lyons gets more passengers than Basking Ridge.

Buses

Ice cream shop and tree and sky in Basking Ridge New Jersey

Lakeland Bus Lines (Route 78) provides service to and from the

Port Authority Bus Terminal The Port Authority Bus Terminal (colloquially known as the Port Authority and by its acronym PABT) is a bus terminal located in Manhattan in New York City. It is the busiest bus terminal in the world by volume of traffic, serving about 8,000 bus ...

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildi ...

during peak commuting hours.

Roads and highways

Two Interstates are located near Basking Ridge: *

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland T ...

: Travel west towards

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

or east towards

and Newark *

Interstate 287 Interstate 287 (I-287) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US states of New Jersey and New York. It is a partial beltway around New York City, serving the northern half of New Jersey and the counties of Rockland and Westchester in ...

: Travel north towards upstate

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

or south towards Edison.

Notable people

Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (1726 – 15 January 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He was considered male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirling through Scottish lin ...

’
Legacy and his grand Stirling Manor
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Basking Ridge include: *

J. C. Chandor Jeffrey McDonald Chandor (born November 24, 1973), better known as J. C. Chandor (), is an American filmmaker, best known for writing and directing the films ''Margin Call'' (2011), '' All Is Lost'' (2013), ''A Most Violent Year'' (2014), '' Trip ...

(born 1974),

Academy award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-nominated writer/director of the 2011 film ''

Margin Call ''Margin Call'' is a 2011 American drama film written and directed by J. C. Chandor in his feature directorial debut. The principal story takes place over a 24-hour period at a large Wall Street investment bank during the initial stages of the ...

''. * Chris Daggett (born 1950), former regional administrator of the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

and Commissioner of the

who ran for

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...

in 2009 as an independent. * Scott Fischer (1955–1996), climber and guide who was the first American to climb

Lhotse Lhotse ( ne, ल्होत्से ; , ''lho tse'', ) is the fourth highest mountain in the world at , after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. The main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu ...

, the fourth-highest mountain in the world. He died on May 11, 1996 in an attempt to climb

Mount Everest Mount Everest (; Tibetan: ''Chomolungma'' ; ) is Earth's highest mountain above sea level, located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point. Its elevation (snow hei ...

in the

1996 Everest Disaster The 1996 Mount Everest disaster occurred on 10–11 May 1996 when eight climbers caught in a blizzard died on Mount Everest while attempting to descend from the summit. Over the entire season, 12 people died trying to reach the summit, making it ...

. *

Patricia Lee Gauch Patricia Lee Gauch (born January 3, 1934) is an author who has written over 30 works of children's literature. In 1993, Gauch was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. She has been a resident of the Basking Ridge section of Bernards ...

(born 1934), author of over 30 works of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

who was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame in 1993. * Jeff Grace, comedian,

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

and actor, who directed ''

Folk Hero & Funny Guy ''Folk Hero & Funny Guy'' is a 2016 American comedy film written, directed, and produced by Jeff Grace, in his directorial debut. It stars Alex Karpovsky, Wyatt Russell, Meredith Hagner, Michael Ian Black, Hannah Simone, Heather Morris, Melani ...

''. *

Jon Gutwillig The Disco Biscuits are an American jam band from Philadelphia. The band consists of Allen Aucoin (drums), Marc "Brownie" Brownstein (bass guitar, vocals), Jon "The Barber" Gutwillig (guitar, vocals), and Aron Magner (keyboards, synths, voc ...

(born 1974), guitarist of the Disco Biscuits. *

Tobin Heath Tobin Powell Heath (born May 29, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for OL Reign of the NWSL, as well as the United States national team. Heath has been described as "perhaps the USA's most skillful player" ...

(born 1988), 2x World Cup Champion and 2x Olympic gold medalist soccer player with the United States women's national team. * Vincent R. Kramer (1918–2001),

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

who was a

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ta ...

expert and was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. * Peter Kuhn (1955-2009), race car driver who won both the USAC and SCCA

Formula Super Vee Formula Super Vee was an open-wheel racing series that took place in Europe and the United States from 1970 to 1990. The formula was created as an extension of Formula Vee, a racing class that was introduced in 1959. Formula Super Vee in Europe wa ...

championships in 1980. *

Philip Lindsley Philip Lindsley (1786–1855) was an American Presbyterian minister, educator and classicist. He served as the acting president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) from 1822 to 1824, and as the first president of the now-defun ...

(1786–1855), Presbyterian minister, educator, and classicist who served as the acting president of the College of New Jersey (now

) from 1822 to 1824. *

Page McConnell Page Samuel McConnell (born May 17, 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American multi-instrumentalist most noted for his work as the keyboardist and a songwriter for the band Phish. In addition to having been a member of Phish since 1985, ...

(born 1963), keyboardist best known for his work with

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike G ...

. * Robert E. Mulcahy III (born 1932), former athletic director at

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

. * Akshay Nanavati (born 1984), United States Marine Corps veteran, speaker, entrepreneur, ultra runner and author of ''Fearvana''. *

Jasbir Puar Jasbir K. Puar (born 1967) is a U.S.-based philosopher and queer theorist. She is a professor and graduate director of women's studies and gender studies at Rutgers University, where she has been a faculty member since 2000. Her most recent boo ...

(born 1967), queer theorist, Professor of Women and Gender Studies at

and author of ''The Right to Maim''. * Samuel Lewis Southard (1787–1842), served as

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

, and the 10th

. *

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

(born 1949), multiple Oscar-winning actress *

LaDainian Tomlinson LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers se ...

(born 1979), former NFL running back who played for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. * The founding members of punk rock band

The Bouncing Souls The Bouncing Souls are an American punk band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast light-h ...

grew up in Basking Ridge.Rockland, Kate
"The Band They All Ache To Become"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', December 5, 2004. Accessed January 24, 2015. "The Bouncing Souls are true sons of New Jersey and have the tattoos to prove it.... And on a dark, foggy November night straight out of a Goth girl's dream, the boys, who grew up in Basking Ridge, were back home." *John Jacob Astor VI - Son of John Jacob Astor IV who lost his life on the Titanic in 1912 was a resident of Basking Ridge from 1950-1960 at what is known locally as the Astor Estate

References

External links

Basking Ridge History web siteBasking Ridge's most famous resident. Lord Stirling's Legacy and his grand Stirling ManorThe History of Religion in Basking RidgeComparing the Basking Ridge Historic Oak to other old treesThinking of living in Basking Ridge?
Top 10 Reasons
What is Bernards Township Charter Day?The History of Bernards Twp Municipal Hall - The Astor EstateHistory of the Great White Oak Tree in Basking RidgeBasking Ridge Fire Company No. 1 WebsiteHistory of Ridge High SchoolHistory of Bowling in the Somerset Hills and Basking RidgeMeryl Streep was from Basking RidgeSomerset Hills Most Famous ResidentsThe Mr. Local History Project - History in Bernards Twp.
* {{Authority control Bernards Township, New Jersey Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Somerset County, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in Somerset County, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in New Jersey