Historical Preservation Properties

When the Franklin Township Council adopted the ordinance that established the Open Space Trust Fund, they included "historic preservation" as one of the permitted uses. Preserving elements of our township's rich history has become an important part of the work of the Open Space Advisory Committee.

The Open Space Advisory Committee has identified three different ways to preserve our historic resources:

• The first way is to preserve greenbelts around our township's many historic villages. If suburban sprawl is permitted to creep around our villages, then the historic nature of the village itself is compromised. Recent acquisitions of land in the Middlebush, Franklin Park and Griggstown sections of the township have advanced this goal. 
  
  
• The second way to preserve historic resources that the township has identified is the outright purchase of historic structures. The recent effort to preserve Tulipwood, a late 19th Century mansion on Hamilton Street was an example of this. As with past township acquisitions of historic structures, after the township purchased Tulipwood, it was leased to the Meadows Foundation. The Meadows Foundation is a private non- profit organization based in Franklin Township that is dedicated to keeping Franklin Township's history alive. They currently manage six historic homes in the township.