Jump to content

Knowlton Township, New Jersey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mschel (talk | contribs) at 16:38, 13 October 2009 (Reverted edits by Mschel (talk) to last version by 208.17.74.66). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Knowlton Township, New Jersey
Township
An old barn in Knowlton Township
An old barn in Knowlton Township
Map of Knowlton Township in Warren County
Map of Knowlton Township in Warren County
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountyWarren
Royal CharterFebruary 23, 1763
IncorporatedFebruary 21, 1798
Government
 • TypeTownship (New Jersey)
 • MayorFrank Van Horn (2009)
Area
 • Total25.3 sq mi (65.6 km2)
 • Land24.8 sq mi (64.2 km2)
 • Water0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation
[1]
548 ft (167 m)
Population
 (2006)[2]
 • Total3,180
 • Density120.1/sq mi (46.4/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
07832 - Columbia
07833 - Delaware
07825 - Blairstown
Area code908
FIPS code34-37320Template:GR[3]
GNIS feature ID0882241Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.knowlton-nj.com

Knowlton Township is a Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 2,977. The township is located in the Kittatinny Valley which is a section of the 700 mile long Great Appalachian Valley that stretches from Canada to Alabama.

Knowlton Township was created by Royal Charter on February 23, 1763, from portions of Oxford Township, while the area was still part of Sussex County. Knowlton Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, and then became part of the newly-created Warren County on November 20, 1824. Portions of the township were taken to form Hope Township (April 8, 1839) and Blairstown Township (April 14, 1845).[4]

Knowlton is named after Thomas Knowlton, a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution who was killed in action at the the Battle of Harlem Heights.[5] The town is organized into three postal ZIP Codes under Columbia (07832) and Delaware (07833), although a small number of Knowlton residents receive postal deliveries via the Blairstown Township (07825) post office. The town comprises several small hamlets such as Polkville, Hainesburg, Mount Pleasant, Warrington, Centerville and Knowlton itself.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 25.3 square miles (65.6 km²), of which, 24.8 square miles (64.2 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (2.09%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19301,049—
19401,0843.3%
19501,26016.2%
19601,44214.4%
19701,73820.5%
19802,07419.3%
19902,54322.6%
20002,97717.1%
2006 (est.)3,180[2]
Population 1930 - 1990.[6]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 2,977 people, 1,028 households, and 816 families residing in the township. The population density was 120.1 people per square mile (46.4/km²). There were 1,135 housing units at an average density of 45.8/sq mi (17.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.45% White, 0.40% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.47% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population.

File:November 2006 - 2 008.jpg
Knowlton Township's rural character is evident in this view of the Delaware Water Gap from Linaberry Road.
File:November 2006 - 2 015.jpg
The Brugler Road bridge crosses the bucolic Paulins Kill.

There were 1,028 households out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.6% were non-families. 15.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 101.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

File:November 2006 - 2 021.jpg
The former Hainesburg Inn (presently Animal Mansion, a veterinary hospital) on Route 94 is considered by many to be the signature piece of architecture in Knowlton. Local legend has it that the third floor is haunted by the ghost of a young girl.

The median income for a household in the township was $63,409, and the median income for a family was $72,130. Males had a median income of $46,250 versus $35,326 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,631. About 1.5% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over. The Township's economic data (as is all of Warren County) is calculated by the US Census Bureau as part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Government

Local government

The Knowlton Township Committee consists of Mayor Frank Van Horn (D, term ends December 31, 2009), Deputy Mayor Ronald Farber (R, 2008), George James (D, 2010), René Mathez (D, 2010) and Scott Odorizzi (R, 2008).[7][8]

The annual Halloween bonfire at Smitty's in Delaware draws a large percentage of Knowlton's 3,000 residents.

Federal, state and county representation

Knowlton Township is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.[9]

For the 118th United States Congress, New Jersey's 5th congressional district is represented by Josh Gottheimer (D, Wyckoff).[10][11] New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027)[12] and George Helmy (Mountain Lakes, term ends 2024).[13][14]

For the 2024-2025 session, the 23rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Doug Steinhardt (R, Lopatcong Township) and in the General Assembly by John DiMaio (R, Hackettstown) and Erik Peterson (R, Franklin Township).[15] Template:NJ Governor

Warren County is governed by a three-member Board of County Commissioners, who are chosen at-large on a staggered basis in partisan elections with one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects one of its members to serve as Commissioner Director and other as Deputy Director.[16] As of 2024, Warren County's Commissioners are:

Deputy Director Jason J. Sarnoski (R, Lopatcong Township; 2025),[17] Lori Ciesla (R, Lopatcong Township; 2026),[18] and Director James R. Kern III (R, Pohatcong Township; 2025).[19][20]

Constitutional officers of Warren County are: Clerk Holly Mackey (R, Alpha; 2027),[21][22] Sheriff James McDonald Sr. (R, Phillipsburg; 2025)[23][24] and Surrogate Michael J. Doherty (R, Washington; 2025).[25][26][27]

Education

Children in grades K through 6 for public school attend the Knowlton Township Elementary School, which served 318 students as of the 2005-06 school year.[28]

Public school students in grades 7 through 12 attend the North Warren Regional High School (1,044 students) in Blairstown, a public high school, serving students from the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton Township.[29]

Recreation

Tunnel Field is the primary recreational site in the township with several baseball and softball diamonds and soccer fields. Tunnel also has a play area (including swings and play area), a basketball court and concession stand. The field is located by Route 94 and is divided by the Lackawanna Cut-Off and is connected through an old tunnel (hence the name).

Transportation history

File:October 2006 021.jpg
Sequestered in the woods near Hainesburg is the Paulinskill Viaduct along the Lackawanna Cut-Off, the former main line of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad in Knowlton Township. The Viaduct is 115 feet (35 m) tall and 1,100 feet (335 m) long, and was the largest reinforced concrete structure in the world when it was completed in 1910. It is also known as the Hainesburg Viaduct.

Much of Knowlton's development from about 1850 on can be traced to the presence of the five railroad lines that criss-crossed the township: the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Old Road and, later, the Lackawanna Cut-Off; the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway; the Lehigh & New England Railroad; and the Blairstown Railway. Ironically, all of these rail lines have since been abandoned. In their heyday, however, two rail lines and three railroads served the town of Delaware: the New York, Susquehanna and Western (formerly Blairstown) Railway; and the Old Road of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (which also had granted trackage rights to the Pennsylvania Railroad--technically a sixth railroad). The town of Columbia was also served by the NYS&W (Hainesburg also had a station), with the Lehigh and New England Railroad also passing through town.

File:November 2006 - 2 043.jpg
The Portland-Columbia Pedestrian Bridge replaced the last of the covered bridges spanning the Delaware River in this photo facing towards New Jersey. The original covered bridge was destroyed by the remnants of Hurricane Diane on August 19, 1955, a storm that caused record flooding throughout the region, but particularly within the watershed of the Delaware.

In more recent years, the development within Knowlton has been tied to the presence of U.S. Route 46 and, since the early 1970s, Interstate 80. Indeed, many Knowlton residents use Route 80 to commute to their jobs either further east in New Jersey or further west in Pennsylvania. Route 94 crosses through the township. Two bridges cross the Delaware River, connecting the township to Pennsylvania; the Portland-Columbia Toll Bridge connects Route 94 to Pennsylvania Route 611 in Portland, Pennsylvania, as does the Portland-Columbia Pedestrian Bridge.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Knowlton Township include:

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Knowlton, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Census data for Knowlton township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed August 21, 2007.
  3. ^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  4. ^ "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 246.
  5. ^ Snell, James P. (1881) History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Centennial ed., Harmony, NJ: Harmony Press, 1981) pgs. 623, 625
  6. ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  7. ^ Township Committee Members, Knowlton Township. Accessed March 14, 2008.
  8. ^ Township of Knowlton, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed March 14, 2008.
  9. ^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 59. Accessed September 30, 2009.
  10. ^ Directory of Representatives: New Jersey, United States House of Representatives. Accessed January 3, 2019.
  11. ^ Biography, Congressman Josh Gottheimer. Accessed January 3, 2019. "Josh now lives in Wyckoff, New Jersey with Marla, his wife who was a federal prosecutor, and their two young children, Ellie and Ben."
  12. ^ U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  13. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/23/nyregion/george-helmy-bob-menendez-murphy.html
  14. ^ Tully, Tracey (August 23, 2024). "Menendez's Senate Replacement Has Been a Democrat for Just 5 Months". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  15. ^ Legislative Roster for District 23, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Governmental Structure, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022. "Warren County operates under the County Commissioner form of county government. The Board of County Commissioners consists of three Commissioners each elected at large for staggered terms of three years. The Commissioner Director is chosen by the full board at the board's annual reorganization meeting in January. The Commissioners supervise, direct and administer all county services and functions through the various departments, autonomous boards, agencies, and commissions. Reporting to the Board of County Commissioners is an appointed County Administrator."
  17. ^ Jason J. Sarnoski, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Lori Ciesla, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  19. ^ James R. Kern III, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Board of County Commissioners, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  21. ^ County Clerk: Contact Us, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  22. ^ Members List: Clerks, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  23. ^ About, Warren County Sheriff's Office. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Members List: Sheriffs, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  25. ^ Surrogate's Court, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  26. ^ Members List: Surrogates, Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  27. ^ Constitutional Officers, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed February 22, 2022.
  28. ^ Data for the Knowlton Township School District, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed March 12, 2008.
  29. ^ School Profile, North Warren Regional High School. Accessed March 12, 2008. "North Warren Regional is a public secondary school district, serving students in grades 7-12 in the townships of Blairstown, Frelinghuysen, Hardwick, and Knowlton. The district covers 96.8 square miles (251 km2) bordering the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in scenic Warren County."
  30. ^ Philip Johnson, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed October 11, 2007.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Knowlton_Township,_New_Jersey&oldid=319647087"