Located in northern Somerset County, historic Bernardsville Borough is bordered by Mendham, Harding, Peapack-Gladstone, Bedminster and Basking Ridge/Bernards Township. Established after seceding from Bernards Township in 1924, Bernardsville has the distinction of being the only town with that name in the United States. Rich in historical significance dating back to pre-Revolutionary times, Bernardsville has a resounding and colorful past. In its early days, the borough was located in a section of Bernards Township known as Vealtown. The town was re-named Bernardsville in 1840, a tribute to Sir Francis Bernard, a Colonial-era governor of New Jersey from 1758 to 1760. The origin of Bernardsville’s Old Army Road is linked to General George Washington’s troops, who were quartered at nearby Jockey Hollow.
Bernardsville’s bustling downtown district winds along Route 202 and offers shops, services, boutiques, a movie theater, two supermarkets, several restaurants and a New Jersey Transit train station for service to New York.
According to their website, Bernards High School is ranked in the top 1/2 percent of high schools in the country. Noteworthy alumni include Academy Award-winning actress Meryl Streep and rock musician John Geils Jr. of the J. Geils Band. Private schools in the borough include the School of St. Elizabeth, a Catholic school for students from pre-kindergarten to grade 8 and the Palmer School, and early education facility for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, New Jersey Transit’s Bernardsville train station is part of the Gladstone Branch of the Morristown Line. It offers connecting service to New York’s Penn Station, Newark or Hoboken Terminal. Lakeland Bus provides commuter service to midtown Manhattan’s Port Authority.
