Clark, New Jersey Real Estate
Clark: Celebrating A Rich Colonial History

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Clark Township is located on the Rahway River in Union County, New Jersey. The territory that would become Clark was originally a part of several of the early villages of the State and of Union County, but it was in 1858 after the village of Rahway incorporated itself into a city, that the land of present-day Clark officially became a community. The City of Rahway designated this land as the 5th Ward of Rahway and Clark remained a part of Rahway until 1864 when the 357 residents of the ward declared their independence and established their own town. The Township was named for Abraham Clark, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Clark Township is rich in Revolutionary War history. Though neither Rahway nor Clark witnessed any known battles, they were sometimes called the crossroads of the Revolutionary War because of the constant troop movement, skirmishes, and "a lot of Colonial Revolution activity." Some of that history can be seen at the Municipal Museum in Clark's municipal building, where the Historic Society has preserved many files and artifacts dating back to the 1700s. The Doctor William Robinson Plantation is a fully restored farmhouse in the Dutch tradition, dating back to 1690. Jackson Falls is a section of Clark settled by the Lenni Lenape Indians and Colonials.

Like so many other towns in the state, Union County's Clark witnessed great changes during the post-World War II years. Visitors walking around the family neighborhoods of Clark today may be surprised to learn that it was mainly a farming community until the late 1940s, when the Garden State Parkway bisected the town. Local farmers were facing economic issues just as a housing shortage appeared, leading many to sell some or all of their land to housing developers. In the 50 years that followed, Clark's appearance evolved from a district of wide-open spaces to the suburban town with thriving residential and business districts that it is today.