๐บ๐ธ Springfield Township is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The township is located on a ridge in northern-central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area.
The township's name derives from springs and brooks in the area. The Battle of Springfield was fought here, the last of many battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in New Jersey.
Springfield is the home of the Baltusrol Golf Club, which was the host to the 2016 PGA Championship. It has also hosted other golf major championships, including the U.S. Open, held on seven occasions at Baltusrol. Golfweek magazine ranked Baltusrol as the 36th best in its rankings of the "Best Classic Courses" in the country. New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Springfield as the 85th best place to live in New Jersey.
History Springfield is celebrated as the site of a Battle of Springfield between the American Continental Army and British forces on June 23, 1780. The British, under Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, advanced from Elizabethtown about 5 o'clock in the morning. They were opposed by General Nathanael Greene, but owing to the superior number of the enemy he was compelled to evacuate Springfield, which was then burned by the British. During the action the Rev. James Caldwell, chaplain in the New Jersey brigade, is said to have distributed the Watts hymn books from the neighboring Presbyterian Church among the soldiers for wadding, saying at the same time, "Now put Watts into them, boys". This battle prevented further advance on the part of the British. The American loss was about 15 and that of the British about 150.
Some historical landmarks from the Revolution still stand: the Cannon Ball House, which has since been converted into a museum, was (according to the township's official website) "Built circa 1741 and served as a farmhouse at the time of the Revolutionary War. During the Battle of Springfield (June 23, 1780) the British used it as a hospitalโฆ It was one of only three buildings left standing when all others including the Presbyterian Church where Reverend James Caldwell had taken Watts hymnbooks for rifle wadding, were set on fireโฆ In later years the house became a tavern to serve travelers on Morris (Ave) Turnpike. The farmland was later sold off, and it served then as a private residence. The property was acquired by the Springfield Historical Society in 1955. It has become known as The Cannon Ball House because a cannonball was found on the west side embedded in a beamโฆ The Cannon Ball House has five revolutionary era rooms, some American Civil War items, early tools, a Battle diorama and a colonial garden. It has just been (1998) renovated to its original appearance and color".
After being burned down by the British, First Presbyterian Church was rebuilt. A statue of a Continental soldier was erected in 1903 at the site of the smallest state park in New Jersey.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 5.17 square miles (13.40ย kmยฒ), including 5.16 square miles (13.36ย kmยฒ) of land and 0.02 square miles (0.04ย kmยฒ) of water (0.31%).
The Township of Springfield is located on the northern edge of Union County and is bordered by Millburn to the north in Essex County, by Union Township to the east, by Kenilworth to the south-east, by Westfield and Cranford to the south, by Mountainside to the south-west and by Summit to the northwest.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Baltusrol, Branch Mills and Milltown.
Parks and recreation The Rahway River Parkway greenway along the Rahway River runs through the township. Parks include: โข Briant Park, which crosses into Summit โข Lenape Park, which covers 450 acres (180ย ha) and also includes portions of Cranford, Kenilworth, Union Township and Westfield.
Education The Springfield Public Schools serve students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. As of the 2018โ19 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,273 students and 167.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a studentโteacher ratio of 13.6:1. All of the township's schools are named after notable Springfieldians. For instance, the township's high school is named after Jonathan Dayton, a signer of the United States Constitution. Schools in the district (with 2018โ19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Edward V. Walton Early Childhood Center with 627 students in grades Pre-Kโ2, James Caldwell Elementary School with 255 students in grades 3โ5, Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School with 261 students in grades 3โ5, Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School[00] with 512 students in grades 6โ8 and Jonathan Dayton High School[01] with 578 students in grades 9โ12.[02]
Adjacent to Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School is Saint James the Apostle School, a Catholic school serving students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grades with an enrollment of 148 students, operating under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark.[03][04]
Transport: Road As of Mayย 2010, the township had a total of 56.53 miles (90.98ย km) of roadways, of which 39.82 miles (64.08ย km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.63 miles (13.89ย km) by Union County and 8.08 miles (13.00ย km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[05]
Interstate 78,[06] U.S. Route 22,[07] Route 24[08] and Route 124,[09] as well as CR 509 Spur and CR 577, are among the highways and roadways that pass through Springfield Township.
Public transportation NJ Transit provides bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan in New York City and to points in New Jersey including Newark Penn Station. Parking is available for a fee at a municipal lot near the centre of town (Hannah Street and Center Street) and in the Duffy's Corner lot at Morris and Caldwell Place, which provide easy access to all NJ Transit buses that run through town. Annual permits are available from the town hall.
Although there is no train station in Springfield, the Millburn and Short Hills NJ Transit stations are located nearby, though neither allows commuter-hour parking for non-residents. The closest stations that allow out-of-town residents access to parking are Maplewood and Summit. The 70 bus provides access from the centre of town to NJ Transit's Summit and Millburn stations; Eastbound it terminates at NJ Transit's Newark Penn Station with connections to Amtrak, NJ Transit trains to New York Penn Station, and Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) trains. The township also runs a jitney that operates on weekdays during morning and evening rush hours from the community pool to NJ Transit's Short Hills station. NJ Transit buses 65, 66 and 70 (to Newark), the 114 (to Midtown Manhattan's Port Authority Bus Terminal) and local service on the 52 route also run along the town's major roadways. Bus #114 runs at a frequency of 2-3 buses per hour during rush hour and 1 per hour outside of rush hour.
Newark Liberty International Airport is approximately 10 miles (16ย km) east of Springfield, putting hundreds of direct international and national flights within a 20 min reach of the town's residents.
Historical transportation The Rahway Valley Railroad passed through the community, and during the early 20th century offered both freight and passenger service, but is currently out of service. The section of the railway that extended from Springfield to Summit was taken out of service in 1976, though special trains were operated to provide service to Baltusrol during the 1980 U.S. Open.
A trolley line called the Morris County Traction Company, ran trolley service through Springfield to/from Newark and Morris County, in the early part of the 20th century.
Springfield has a population of over 17,520 people. Springfield also forms part of the wider Union County which has a population of over 575,345 people. Springfield is situated 20 km west of Newark.
๐ช๐ธ Chamartรญn 40.702
๐บ๐ธ New York City 40.715
๐บ๐ธ Jersey City 40.726
๐บ๐ธ Philipsburg 40.695
๐บ๐ธ West Valley City 40.69
๐น๐ท Karamรผrsel 40.683
๐บ๐ธ Old Bridge -74.309
๐บ๐ธ Woodbridge -74.279
๐บ๐ธ East Orange -74.217
๐จ๐ด Santa Marta -74.205
๐บ๐ธ Gloversville -74.35
๐บ๐ธ Plainfield -74.416
๐บ๐ธ Middletown -74.417
๐บ๐ธ Atlantic City -74.417
๐บ๐ธ Parsippany -74.423
๐บ๐ธ New Brunswick -74.446
๐บ๐ธ Piscataway -74.461
๐บ๐ธ Morristown -74.488
Locations Near: Springfield -74.3344,40.698
๐บ๐ธ Irvington -74.233,40.724 d: 9.1
๐บ๐ธ Plainfield -74.416,40.615 d: 11.5
๐บ๐ธ Elizabeth -74.212,40.664 d: 11
๐บ๐ธ East Orange -74.217,40.752 d: 11.6
๐บ๐ธ Woodbridge -74.279,40.555 d: 16.6
๐บ๐ธ Newark -74.173,40.724 d: 13.9
๐บ๐ธ Morristown -74.488,40.794 d: 16.7
๐บ๐ธ Parsippany -74.423,40.86 d: 19.5
๐บ๐ธ Edison -74.399,40.518 d: 20.8
๐บ๐ธ Piscataway -74.461,40.546 d: 20
Antipodal to: Springfield 105.666,-40.698
๐ฆ๐บ Bunbury 115.637,-33.327 d: 18810.1
๐ฆ๐บ Mandurah 115.721,-32.529 d: 18739.9
๐ฆ๐บ Rockingham 115.717,-32.267 d: 18718.2
๐ฆ๐บ City of Cockburn 115.833,-32.167 d: 18702.6
๐ฆ๐บ Vincent 115.834,-31.936 d: 18683.1
๐ฆ๐บ Perth 115.857,-31.953 d: 18683.1
๐ฆ๐บ Albany 117.867,-35.017 d: 18773.2
๐ฆ๐บ Wanneroo 115.803,-31.747 d: 18668.8