Our Town   (Previous << Contents)

A town is nothing without people, and it has been the people of Green Brook that have made the Township into "Our Town." As the name suggest, it is a community with a common sense of pride in its history, shared responsibilities, and accomplishments. When something needed doing, the people did it: sometimes with their own labor, sometimes with their own funds, or sometimes with their neighbors. But if it were needed by the community, it got done.

When a Police Department was needed, they started one. When a Fire Department was needed, they organized one. When a Rescue Squad was needed, they created one. As soon as it became clear that a traffic light was needed at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Rt. 22, the Lions Club spearheaded a drive to Trenton to get one. A short time later, the State installed the light.

A history of Green Brook cannot possibly include all the deeds and individual efforts that have been undertaken through the years by people of good will who transformed a small scattered farming settlement into a community of people dedicated to Our Town.

The Town Hall

In 1932, the Green Brook Township separated from North Plainfield Township and incorporated as a 
separate township. A three-member Township Committee was elected to look after the affairs of the residents. The first Township Committee was consisted of Fred Bruns, John B. Buckalew and Clarence Smalley who was elected Mayor. Edward J. Kapplemann, who served for 16 years, was the first Township Clerk.

From 1932 until 1938, Green Brook had no town hall and meetings were held in the Firehouse. When the Andrew Street School was completed in 1938, and the teachers moved their classes into the new building, the old school was converted into the new "Town Hall."

In 1967, the building was expanded and renovated to meet the growing demand for township office space. It also acquired a Georgian-Colonial architecture with red brick exterior, white trim, pillars, and a cupola.

Following the devastating 1973 flood, the Town Hall was entirely renovated inside and out. The basement was set aside for the Tax Collector's Office, and a new split-level addition housed a complex of offices for the conduct of official business as well as a modern police department.