With a history that reaches back to the Revolutionary War, Bedminster’s residents are committed to maintaining the township’s rural atmosphere. Gentle hills, open green fields, and horse properties characterize miles of winding country roads. The township was created by Royal Charter in 1749 after being formally incorporated by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature in 1798.
Bedminster is one of the most important Revolutionary War sites in the state. The town served as military headquarters for General Knox during the war; it was used as an artillery range and was actually a forerunner to West Point.
A farming community until 1890 when the railroad linked the area to Newark and New York City, wealthy families from the cities were attracted to Bedminster’s natural beauty and built expansive country estates here. Among the prosperous New York businessmen who purchased large parcels for their estates were Grant Schley, Charles Pfizer, Clarence Dillon, and James Cox Brady.
After World War II, AT&T created the township’s first business campus, a trend that was followed by many other top enterprises. In the late 1960s, Interstate Highway 78 opened along the township’s southern border, and Interstate 287 was constructed along its eastern border, making it easy to reach points throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.