HISTORIC CRANBURY

1697 sign

Welcome to Historic Cranbury NJ, 08512. Cranbury is located in Middlesex County, east of Princeton, north of Trenton, and south of New Brunswick. For a more detailed map, visit MapQuest.

Cranbury covers an area of 13 .5 square miles and has a population of 2,500.Cranbury celebrated its 300th Anniversary in 1997.

To honor this historic event, the Cranbury Lions Club, a non-profit  community organization, sponsored the creation of this Website on the Internet. The Website is now sponsored by Cranbury Township and is managed and maintained by volunteers.

Once you've visited Cranbury, either in person or vitually on our Website, you might want to learn more about our history. There are several books about Cranbury:

  1. "Images of America, Cranbury Volume II" is the second book by Cranbury natives, Peggy S. and Frank J. Brennan, Jr. It is a visual history of Cranbury from 1833 to 1977. The book can be purchased from local bookstores and at 85 North Main Street. The book costs $16.99.
  2. "Cranbury.....1697-1997"  commemorates our 300th Anniversary and can be purchased from the Cranbury Historical & Preservation Society.
  3. "Images of America ---Cranbury," by Peggy S. and Frank J. Brennan, Jr. The book is available from Arcadia Publishing. It is a visual history of Cranbury from 1863 to 1949.
  4. "Cranbury, Past and Present" is a pictorial history of Cranbury from 1860 to 1989 by Ruth Berg Walsh.

STATE AND NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT

Cranbury's special characteristics were recognized when most of the village was entered on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on August 9, 1979, and on the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980. In recognition of Cranbury's historical and architectural significance the nomination stated that
"Cranbury is the best preserved 19th century village in Middlesex County........While there are many small mill towns in New Jersey, few are in such undisturbed enviroment as that of Cranbury"
The preservation of Cranbury's historic character can be attributed to the concern and effort of its residents, past and present.

The Historic Preservation Advisory Committee (HPAC) was established in 1988 for the purposes of protecting, enhancing and perpetuating historical resources within the Township. On February 27, 2006, the HPAC Ordinance Chapter 93 was repealed and replaced with Chapter 21 entitled the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) and a new Chapter 93 entitled "Historic Preservation" pursuant to the N.J.S.A. 40:55D-107 et seq. and which is intended to perform all of the functions of a historic perservation commission pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-109.
The Commission identifies and designates historic landmarks and districts. It also advises the Planning and Zoning Boards and residents of the impact of development applications on designated historic landmarks within the Township's historic districts. Applications for building permits for improvement or structures within the historic district or modifications to historic landmarks require review by HPC before issuance.

Cranbury Preservation Project Report - May 2002, Final Report

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Updated January 11, 2009