Pleasant Plains, New Jersey
| Pleasant Plains | |
|---|---|
| — Unincorporated area — | |
 Pleasant Plains
|
|
| Coordinates: 40°26′54″N 74°33′27″W / 40.44833°N 74.5575°WCoordinates: 40°26′54″N 74°33′27″W / 40.44833°N 74.5575°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| County | Somerset |
| Township | Franklin |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP codes | |
| FIPS code | |
| GNIS feature ID | |
Pleasant Plains is an unincorporated area and hamlet located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey. [1] Having no distinct boundaries, a large area in the center of Franklin Township centered on the intersections of South Middlebush Road with Claremont and Suydam Roads (referred to locally as Laird's Corner) is generally considered Pleasant Plains.
Prior to the development of K. Hovnanian's Town and Country Estates in 1998, the area included little more than a collection of 18th and 19th century farms and rural lanes. Its historic rural character may be seen in an estimate from 1882 which listed the Pleasant Plains population at 46.[2]
An icon in the area has been the early 19th century general store and blacksmith shop buildings known since the late 1800s as Laird's Brothers Hardware and Laird's Corner Store (currently closed and for sale).[3]
Another area feature is the Pleasant Plains Cemetery on South Middlebush Road just south of Laird's Corner that has been in use from early settlement of the area until the present day.[4]
Since the early 19th century (and possibly even earlier), the area featured a one-room schoolhouse known as the Pleasant Plains School. Located on the north side of Suydam Road about a half mile west of Laird's Corner, it remained in use until about 1931 when the Township started decommissioning its one-room schoolhouses in favor of larger regional schools. Moved across the road on log rollers, it was converted into a residence and used until the late 20th century when it was threatened with demolition to make way for the Town and County development. Instead, it was moved to the Township's Municipal Complex on DeMott Lane were it awaits further rehabilitation.[5]
The Six Mile Run Historic District listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places includes a number of properties in the Pleasant Plains area.
[edit] References
- ^ William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3 pp. 430-432.
- ^ William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3 p. 430.
- ^ William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3 pp. 213, 430-431.
- ^ William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3 p. 559.
- ^ William B. Brahms, Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, FTPL; ISBN 0-9668586-0-3 pp. 355, 509.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
