Province Line Road

In 1664, the Duke of York sold New Jersey, or "Nova Caesaria," to Lord Berkley and Sir George Carteret. Berkley sold a half in 1673 to associates of the Society of Friends, who thereafter became proprietors of West Jersey, and Carteret's trustees sold a half in 1682 to twelve associates, who thereafter became proprietors of East Jersey. The location of the line between the two halves persisted by convention, and although not final, the Keith Line of 1687 permanently influenced the structure of New Jersey. Extending from Little Egg Harbour on a straight line to the Delaware River, north-northwest and fifty minutes more westerly, the line is perpetuated by Province Line Road and forms part of the bounds of Hunterdon, Somerset, Mercer, Monmouth, Burlington, and Ocean Counties. Title remained in the proprietors, but government of both provinces returned to the British Crown in 1702, and the issue was finally resolved by the American War for Independence.

New Jersey · United States