A township with much larger beginnings
Howell Township was incorporated in 1801 and named for New Jersey governor Richard Howell. Its original territory was considerably larger than the township today. The official history explains that later municipal divisions removed areas associated with Wall and communities farther south. These changes are important when reading older records: a place described as part of nineteenth-century Howell may now belong to another municipality.
Villages and rural work
Early community life developed around farming settlements such as Adelphia, Ramtown, Squankum and Ardena. Farms required mills, roads and local businesses, creating several centers rather than one single village. The municipal account places these communities within a broader landscape of waterways and agricultural work.
The Howell Works era
Industry also played a major role. James P. Allaire acquired land in 1822 for the enterprise associated with Howell Works. The official history describes a substantial iron-making community with workers, buildings and supporting activities. This industrial chapter belongs to the territory of historical Howell; later boundary changes placed the Allaire village area in Wall. Howell's story therefore includes both rural settlement and an important nineteenth-century manufacturing landscape.
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