Freehold is a borough in and the county seat of Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey., National Association of Counties. Accessed January 21, 2013. Known for its Victorian era homes and extensive colonial history, the borough is located in the Raritan Valley region within the New York metropolitan area, located about from Manhattan and from Staten Island.Distance from Freehold, NJ to New York, NY, Distance between cities. Accessed September 10, 2020.Distance from Freehold, NJ to Tottenville, Staten Island, New York, NY, Distance between cities. Accessed September 10, 2020.Cheslow, Jerry. "If You're Thinking of Living in: Freehold Borough", The New York Times, January 26, 1992. Accessed September 10, 2020.Tarabour, Brooke. "New Jersey-Bound: The Staten Island Migration", The New York Times, January 10, 1993. Accessed June 10, 2022. The borough has grown to become a commuter town of New York City. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,538, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 486 (+4.0%) from the 12,052 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,076 (+9.8%) from the 10,976 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.

The Freeholds region, which includes the borough and Freehold Township (which completely surrounds the borough), is a commercial hub for central New Jersey. The borough is located relatively close to the Raritan Bayshore communities to the north, including The Amboys, Old Bridge, Matawan, Keyport, Keansburg, and Middletown, along with being relatively close to the Tri-City region of Jersey Shore municipalities (and their vicinities) to the east, including Red Bank, Long Branch, and Asbury Park."What are the Tricities?", Tri-City News. Accessed April 16, 2021.

What is now Freehold Borough was originally incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 25, 1869, from portions within Freehold Township. The town became independent of the township in 1888. On April 15, 1919, Freehold was incorporated as a borough, including all of Freehold and additional portions of Freehold Township, based on the results of a referendum held on July 8, 1919. Additional portions of Freehold Township were annexed on September 7, 1926.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 179. Accessed March 15, 2012.

The Hispanic and Latino population has been rapidly growing in Freehold Borough for the last 40 years. The Hispanic population making up 4.6% (0.2% Mexican) in the 1980 census, 11.3% (2.8% Mexican) in the 1990 Census,1990 Census of Population General Population Characteristics New Jersey Section 1 of 2, United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 15, 2012. 28.0% (17.3% Mexican) in 2000, 42.9% (29.6% Mexican) in 2010, and recently in 2020, a majority at 53.0% Hispanic. Meanwhile, the Black or African American population has decreased in recent decades: 17.1% in 1970, 19.8% in 1980, 18.2% in 1990, 15.8% in 2000, 12.6% in 2010 and 9.4% in 2020.

In 2021, Freehold Borough became one of few towns in the state (including, Bellmawr, Egg Harbor Township, Montclair and Woodbridge Township) that has authorized the sale of cannabis through authorized dispensaries and for the allowance of cultivators, distributors, wholesalers, and manufacturers.Guion, Payton. "Marijuana legalization would force tough choice for N.J. towns", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 15, 2017. Accessed July 25, 2021. "NJ Advance Media reached out to mayors in all five towns that have medical dispensaries: Bellmawr, Cranbury, Egg Harbor, Montclair and Woodbridge."Rosenthal, Nicole. "Pot Businesses OK In Freehold Borough, Council Says", Freehold, NJ, Patch, July 22, 2021. Accessed August 8, 2022.Strupp, Joe. "A cannabis oasis: Freehold moving forward with new legal weed outlets", Asbury Park Press, March 30, 2023. Accessed April 4, 2023.

History Early history The Lenni Lenape Native Americans were the earliest known people to live in the area that became Freehold.History, Township of Freehold. Accessed November 30, 2022. The Lenape were a hunter-gatherer society. They were largely sedentary, changing campsites seasonally. They were prolific hunters of small game and birds. They were also skilled fisherman, and were known to harvest vast amounts of clams from the bays and inlets on the Jersey Shore. They also practiced some agriculture to augment their food supply. During this time, an important crossroad of two major Lenape trails was located in the area of Freehold.Pepe, p. 19.

By the late 17th century, the English had begun to take over the area. In 1664, the Duke of York (later James II & VII) granted a patent to Sir George Carteret to develop the area. In 1685, Scottish Presbyterians from Scotland, along with English Baptists and Quakers from New England fleeing religious persecution at home, became the first to settle within the area. In 1693, along with Middletown and Shrewsbury, Freehold was established by act of legislature as one of the three original townships in Monmouth County.Lurie, Maxine ed.; "Freehold Township", Encyclopedia of New Jersey, p. 291. Rutgers University Press; New Brunswick, NJ; 2004. Accessed August 28, 2013. . The name of the borough comes from the word Freehold, an English legal term describing fee simple property ownership.

Colonial Freehold

In 1714, when the colonial government was deciding where to locate the county seat and courthouse, Freeholder John Reid, the first Surveyor General of East Jersey, wanted the county seat located in Freehold Township. Reid sold land suitable for use as a courthouse to the Board of Chosen Freeholders at a bargain price, and this may have been the deciding factor why Freehold was selected over Middletown and Shrewsbury. In return for the heavily discounted price, Reid placed a restrictive covenant in the deed that, should the property ever cease being used as a courthouse, ownership would revert to the Reid family. Direct descendants of John Reid still reside in Freehold Township.History of the Hall of Records , Monmouth County, New Jersey. Accessed January 28, 2008.

Freehold was officially designated as the seat of the Monmouth County government, and a court house was commissioned to be built on the land purchased from John Reid. The Monmouth Courthouse opened in 1715.Pepe, p. 10. A small village quickly began to develop around the courthouse. At first, the village was called Monmouth Courthouse. Variant names: Monmouth, Monmouth Court House, Monmouth Courthouse Over time, other government buildings opened near the courthouse, including a sheriff's office, a prison and a post office. A number of homes and commercial businesses also sprang up in the village, including a blacksmith, a general store, a bank, a hotel, and saloon.Pepe, p. 25.

In the area surrounding Monmouth Courthouse, many successful farms began to appear. The farms in Freehold were particularly well known for the production of potatoes, beans, and rye, which were sold in the markets of nearby cities. Freehold also became known for its excellent horse farms. The differences within Freehold between the growing village around the courthouse and the surrounding farmland were the seeds for the eventual division of Freehold into two separate municipalities in the early 20th century.

As of 1745, the majority of families in Freehold were still Scottish immigrants. In modern Freehold today, many important streets bear the name of early colonial families, including Barkalow, Applegate, Rhea, Throckmorton, and Schanck.Pepe, p. 29.

Revolutionary War

Freehold was deeply impacted by the American Revolution. By the early 1770s, the Sons of Liberty were actively recruiting local members in Freehold, and were agitating against British control over the colonies.Adelberg, p. 15. In 1775, immediately after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Capt. Elias Longstreet recruited the first company of Freeholders to join the Continental Army.Adelberg, p. 16. Freehold was a known center of patriot activity. The Declaration of Independence was publicly proclaimed, read aloud, from the steps of the Freehold Courthouse just a few days after being signed in Philadelphia. However, after British victory at the Battle of Long Island, Freehold and all of Monmouth County fell under the control of Loyalists.Adelberg, p. 17. The Freehold Courthouse, staffed by Loyalists, continued to operate, and several local Patriots were arrested and tried for treason at the courthouse. The American victory at the Battle of Trenton helped to weaken Loyalist control of Freehold.Adelberg, p. 18.

On June 15, 1778, British troops under Sir Henry Clinton evacuated Philadelphia, and a long, slow moving column of soldiers and Loyalist families transporting military equipment marched through New Jersey destined for New York City. On June 28, 1778, an American army under Charles Lee and George Washington intercepted the column in Freehold (the area is now part of Freehold & Manalapan Townships).Adelberg, p.20 The ensuing battle was one of the largest of the war, involving over 25,000 soldiers. Lee began the battle by attempting to destroy a British covering party, which failed when British reinforcements arrived, leading to a general American retreat. A successful American rearguard action allowed Washington to form a strong defensive line that prevented his army's collaps and led to a two-hour artillery duel. Washington proceeded to launch counterattacks on Clinton's withdrawing infantry units, though an attempt to probe the British flanks was halted at sunset. On that night, Clinton's army quietly slipped away, ending the battle. Though ultimately inconclusive, both sides claimed victory, while Lee was court-martialed for his actions.Adelberg, p. 11 wounded.

In the aftermath of the Battle of Monmouth, Loyalist control of Freehold faltered. The town ceased to have a functioning municipal government, and the courthouse was closed until the end of the war. Minor clashes between Loyalists and Patriots flared up in town, with the violence peaking around 1780.Adelberg, p.22 Colonel Tye, an escaped slave and leader of a prominent Loyalist guerilla force, conducted several raids in and around Freehold. One famous incident was the capture and hanging of Joshua Huddy by a group of Loyalists led by Richard Lippincott in retaliation for Huddy's role in the murder of the Loyalist Philip White. Tye was mortally wounded during the raid on Huddy's home.PBS Resource Bank. Colonel Tye", "Africans in America". Accessed October 13, 2013. "In September, 1780 Tye led a surprise attack on the home of Captain Josiah Huddy, whom Loyalists had tried to capture for years. Amazingly, Huddy and his friend Lucretia Emmons managed to hold off their attackers for two hours, until the Loyalists flushed them out by setting the house afire. During the battle, Tye was shot in the wrist, and days later, what was thought to be minor wound turned fatal when lockjaw set in." Patriots later cut down Huddy's body hanging from the gallows and buried it in Freehold, at Old Tennent Church.The Joshua Huddy era , Monmouth County. Accessed December 14, 2006. At the end of the war, the community was deeply divided, and nearly 120 Loyalist families left Freehold, fearing persecution from their neighbors. Most of these families re-settled in Canada.Adelberg, p.23

19th century