About Chatham Township:

Chatham Township is a quiet, carefully developed, residential community in north-central New Jersey near Exit 7 of Route 24. Located 25 miles west of New York City on the southern edge of Morris County, Chatham has many fine homes, townhouses, garden apartments, and condominiums and offers suburban attractiveness as well as efficient railroad, bus, and highway commuting to New York City and surrounding metropolitan North Jersey. There are excellent shopping facilities available locally in the Hickory Tree section and at nearby Short Hills Mall. Cultural opportunities include historical, art, garden and musical groups, as well as the facilities and programs of neighboring universities. The Chatham Regional school system consistently ranks highly and the Library of the Chathams is a valuable resource to the residents. Chatham Township is a family community whose residents take pride in their green, forested land at the edge of the Great Swamp.

History of Chatham Township:

Ages ago Chatham Township was the southerly edge of a glacial field. A large, deep lake covered what is now the Great Swamp. The same glacier gave the township many of its other distinguishing features: the Passaic River along the entire southern border, the wooded ridge parallel to the river and the gentle rolling hills that offer an expansive view over and beyond the Great Swamp.

The first white settlers arrived around 1710, attracted by the fertility of the soil and the rich iron ore deposits in the region. During the Revolutionary War, the entire area shared in the activity of the Morristown encampment.

In 1806, the Township of Chatham was incorporated and included the areas that are now the Borough of Chatham, Madison and Florham Park. It was named Chatham in honor of Sir William Pitt, the elder Earl of Chatham, who had spoken in favor of the colonists in Parliament.