History of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament

An old photo of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament can be found here:  http://www.roselandhistsocnj.org/photos/church/chcat.htm

History of Roseland

The Borough of Roseland was originally known as the Centreville section of Livingston. In 1873, one of Centreville's prominent residents, Judge Rufus Harrison, led an effort to get the community it's own post office. Since a Centreville post office already existed in Hunterdon County, a meeting was called in the schoolhouse to choose a new name for the section. Roselyn was suggested by Sarah Condit Harrison. Whether through misspelling or design, Roselyn became Roseland, and the post office became a reality on April 14, 1874.

By the early 1900's, Roseland, still part of Livingston Township, was growing in population. At a school district meeting in Livingston Township in 1907, a large delegation from Roseland was outvoted when they requested that a new school be built for their area. Following this meeting, a resident named Bill Teed led a drive to petition for the establishment of a new borough. The petition was circulated and presented to the State Legislature, and on April 10, 1908, the Borough of Roseland came into existence.

On April 29, 1908, the first election of the newly incorporated borough was held in Willard "Gus" Osborne's general store, located at the south side of Eagle Rock Avenue facing Roseland Avenue. The election resulted in George F. DeCamp as mayor and Henry C. Becker, Willard A. Osborn, Joseph C. Conover, Charles Braunworth, Ezra A. Williams, and Clarence Harrison as councilmen.

You can't really talk about the development of Roseland without talking about the Becker Farm, which operated from 1880 -1964 and whose legacy still has a major impact on the borough. At it's peak, the Becker Farm encompassed 1,000 to 1,200 acres, almost half the town. Today, most of the land upon which the Becker Farm rested is now the center of several large corporate office complexes.

Until the late 1950's Roseland remained a small rural town. Presently, the town has a resident population of approximately 5,000. It boasts an elementary school, a public works building, a library, the latest firefighting equipment, and a popular recreation center with 3 baseball fields, tennis, volley ball, and basketball courts and an ice skating rink.

Bond Force Legacy: The Bond Force Legacy is a feature-length historical documentary that chronicles the lives of the Bonds and the Forces along with the history of Centerville, New Jersey, now known as Roseland. The Bonds and the Forces were two families from Roseland and Livingston, New Jersey, who lived in The Bond Force House from the late 1700s until the last of the line that inhabited the house died in the late 20th Century.

The Bond Force Legacy is the first full-length documentary by attorney/historian/filmmaker Jack A. Gordon. It is a product of Bumble Bee Productions, LLC -- an independent production company based in Roseland, NJ.

View the Bond Force Legacy Website here: http://www.thebondforcelegacy.com/index.html