Pearl River’s history dates back to 1696, originally part of the Kakiat Patent granted to Daniel Honan and Michael Hawdon. By 1713, it was divided into two plots and subdivided further post-Revolutionary War.

Initially a wooded, swampy land called Muddy Creek, it was segmented into five areas in the 1870s: Middletown, Sickletown, Pascack, Muddy Creek, and Naurashaun. In 1872, Muddy Creek was renamed Pearl River.