 Bass River was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 30, 1864, from portions of Little Egg Harbor Township and Washington Township.The township's name derives from the Bass River, a tributary of the Mullica River, that was in turn named for Jeremiah Basse, who served as governor of both West Jersey and East Jersey.According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 78.265 square miles (202.706 km2), including 75.040 square miles (194.354 km2) of land and 3.225 square miles (8.352 km2) of water (4.12%).