In the 1800s and early 1900s, local streets and byways were lined with blacksmith and carpentry shops, grist mills, general stores, taverns, churches and creameries.Įarly enterprises in Pittstown included a nail factory, iron foundry, distillery and a pump organ builder, while Quakertown manufactured grandfather clocks and hats. Small villages in Franklin include Pittstown, Quakertown and Cherryville.

A large shopping center on Route 513/Pittstown Road near Interstate 78 includes a Walmart, Shop-Rite, TJ Maxx and other shops, services and eateries. In order to retain its picturesque country setting, the township maintains over 3,200 acres of preserved farmland, open space and conservation easements.īucolic landscapes dominate Franklin, but 21st century conveniences are close by. Soybeans, hay, corn and nursery stock are some of the major crops produced in Franklin today.

Long an agricultural center, the township is still characterized by open fields, meadows, orchards and pick-your-own farms. Geologically speaking, Franklin Township has some of New Jersey’s most productive farming soils, a fact that is enhanced by its many streams and creeks. Data from 2007 reported a population of 3,119 residents. Franklin borders neighboring townships of Alexandria, Clinton, Delaware, Kingwood, Raritan and Union as well as the town of Clinton. Established in 1845, rural Franklin Township encompasses approximately 23 square miles in the center of Hunterdon County.

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