[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 11, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF BERNARDS TOWNSHIP

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                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 11, 2010

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Bernards 
Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, which is celebrating its 
250th Anniversary in 2010.
  Originally inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape Indians, the area that is 
now Bernards Township was purchased by John Harrison in 1717 on behalf 
of King George I of England. In 1760, the land was named Bernardston 
Township by King George II in recognition of the fifth provincial 
governor of New Jersey, Francis Bernard. There were many buildings 
erected following this period that still stand today: The Lord Stirling 
Manor site, Basking Ridge Classical School and the Basking Ridge 
Presbyterian Church, all rich in history. In the yard of the Basking 
Ridge Presbyterian Church stands a great oak tree where General George 
Washington and Marquis de Lafayette picnicked and colonial troops 
practiced their drill steps. The Classical School provided education to 
many distinguished leaders of our country; graduates include Samuel 
Lewis Southard, New Jersey's tenth governor, who along with his father, 
Henry, became the first father and son pair to serve in Congress; 
Theodore Frelinghuysen, U.S. Senator and vice-presidential candidate in 
1844; and William Lewis Dayton, U.S. Senator and Minister to France.
  Today, Bernards Township consists of Basking Ridge, Liberty Corner 
and Lyons. It is home of the Lyons Campus of the Veterans 
Administration New Jersey Health Care System, the Bonnie Brae 
Educational Center and Verizon Corporate Headquarters and many 
excellent schools. This vibrant municipality is home to approximately 
28,000 residents who look enthusiastically toward their future but also 
cherish and preserve their history.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Bernards Township as they celebrate their 250th 
Anniversary.

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