The History of Murray Hill Square

THE HISTORY OF MURRAY HILL SQUARE

The very land that the Square stands on was surveyed to Peter Wilcox when he came here from England in 1720. The surveyor for the "Elizabethtown Associates" laid out four hundred and twenty-four acres of land abounded in heavy timber and game in "Turkey". The Indians had named the area Turkey because of the abundance of turkeys, venison, geese, ducks, pidgeons, cranes and swans along the Passaic Pesayuck or Pessyunk River. The first record of the town being called New Providence, after the act of a balcony of the Presbyterian Church fell sparing those on and under it, was in a deed dated 1759. The "Murray Hill" label came when Gabl Schultz built the Railroad Station in 18__ so that the Passaic and Delaware trains would stop on their way to Bernardsville.

The land sat idle as far as records can tell as the country gained its independence after the mother country had imposed grevious restrictions on American commerce and industry. Later numerous mills, forges, ferries and stage wagons developed to meet the demands of internal trade. Other signs of prosperity are found in shopkeepers' lists of wares, the sale of books, and the stylish furniture and gentler manners that became in vogue.

In 1849 John Wilcox, a descendent of Peter Wilcox deeded this land to Edmund Wilcox who probably built the first structure here. A receipt dated 1849 from Wilcox to Dayton Badgley shows that for four days work on a shed he was paid the sum of $3.00. It is surmised, however, that a commercial mill was probably not established until the railroad went in 18__.

After one hundred and seventy-seven years of belonging to the same family Frank H. Wilcox, an heir of Edmund, sold the mill to the Crane Brothers. The Crane Brothers, Thomas, Newton and William all had been born and lived in New Providence and they must have immediately set out to expand their operations as the New Providence Borough Tax Receipts books indicate. The Crane Brothers taxes for their Murrary Hill operations were $22.00 for the year in 1900 and $39.44 for the year in 1903! 

In 1916 the Crane Brothers sold the buildings to Samuel Baldwin, who moved his family here from Liberty Corner. He built the house that the Conti Construction Co. office is in for his family to live. The mill and store consisted of two separate buildings until at least 1929. The one nearest to the street was divided in three vertical sections and used to store oats, wheat and corn. The grinding wheel was in the cellar and it was powered by a steam engine and the water supply came from a large well. The other building has a conveyor for removing the coal from the freight cars on the railroad siding and storing it in the building. It was up high on pilings so the horse and wagons could drive under the building to fill up with coal for deliveries. Later the building was dropped and used for storing grain in wooden barrels. The horses were kept in the stable. During the twenties the two buildings were connected for selling space and more store space was added after World War II in the front of the buildings.

Nat Conti purchased the property in 197_ from Lewis 'Spike' Baldwin, son of Samuel, and he has (is) restoring the old buildings and

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