The community grew after the completion of the Morris Canal in 1831. It had a boat basin and was located near Inclined Plane 5 West. The canal store was built in 1836. The Morris and Essex Railroad was constructed in 1850. The train station was built around 1909–1914 and handled both passenger and freight trains. The McCrea Memorial Methodist Church was built in 1895 and features Shingle style architecture. The Italianate house built by Samuel McCrea around 1860–1873 became the Methodist Church Parsonage in 1898. The former Mansfield Baptist Church was built in 1842, with the belfry added in 1894.[3]