Roseland (Centreville Section of Livingston) Borough History

Roseland was part of the Horseneck Tract, which was an area that consisted of what are now the Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange.
 
In 1702, settlers purchased the 14,000 acre (57 km²) Horseneck Tract — so-called because of its irregular shape that suggested a horse's neck and head — from the Lenni Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the First Mountain to the Passaic River.

Whether through misspelling or design, Roselyn became Roseland, and the post office became a reality on April 14, 2004.

By the early 1900's, Roseland 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 and a popular recreation center with 3 baseball fields, tennis, volley ball, and basketball courts and an ice skating rink.