Around 1720, three brothers—Thomas, Ichabod, and Jeremiah Genung—were among the pioneers who came to this area, and the region became known as the Genungtown Settlement. In 1805, a school was built at the northeast corner of East Madison and Greenwood Avenues to provide organized education for children. It also housed one of the first libraries in New Jersey and served as a meeting place for early Methodists. Children attended from a wide rural area that included the communities of Columbia (Florham Park) and Bottle Hill (Madison). The school remained in use until closing in 1905.