Knowlton Township, New Jersey

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Map of Knowlton Township in Warren County

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. It is part of the eastern region of the Lehigh Valley.

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).^[1]

Knowlton is named after its "natural features or the appearance of its surface"^[2] (a corruption of the word knoll).^[2] The town is organized into two postal ZIP Codes under Columbia (07832) and Delaware (07833), although a small number of Knowlton residents receive postal deliveries via the Blairstown Township post office. The town is comprised of several small hamlets such as Polkville, Hainesburg, New Jersey, Mount Pleasant, Warrington, Centerville and Knowlton itself.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 65.6 km² (25.3 mi²). 64.2 km² (24.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.09%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 2,977 people, 1,028 households, and 816 families residing in the township. The population density was 46.4/km² (120.1/mi²). There were 1,135 housing units at an average density of 17.7/km² (45.8/mi²). 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.

Knowlton Township's rural character is evident in this view of the Delaware Water Gap from Linaberry Road.

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.

The former Hainesburg Inn (presently 'Somewhere in Time') 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.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The Knowlton Township Committee consists of Mayor Frank Van Horn (term ends December 31, 2006), Deputy Mayor Ronald Farber (2008), René Mathez (2007), Keith Siroky (2007) and Peter Summers (2008).^[4]

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

[edit] Federal, state and county representation

Knowlton Township is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd Legislative District.^[5]

New Jersey's Fifth Congressional District, covering the northern portions of Bergen County, Passaic County and Sussex County and all of Warren County, is represented by Scott Garrett (R, Wantage Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 23rd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Leonard Lance (R, Flemington) and in the Assembly by Michael J. Doherty (R, Oxford) and Marcia A. Karrow (R, Raritan Township). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Warren County is governed by a three-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Warren County's Freeholders are: Freeholder Director Richard D. Gardner (term ends 2006), Freeholder Deputy Director John DiMaio (2008) and Freeholder Everett A. Chamberlain (2007).

[edit] Education

Children in grades K through 6 attend the Knowlton Township Elementary School, which serves 351 students.

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

[edit] 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). (See photo.)

[edit] Transportation history

Sequestered in the woods near Hainesburg is the Paulinskill Viaduct on the Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line in Knowlton Township. It's 115 feet tall and 1,100 feet 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 & Western Railroad; 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.

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.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Knowlton Township website
• Warren County page for Knowlton Township
• North Warren Regional School District
• North Warren Regional High School's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Statistics data for the North Warren Regional High School

This box: view • talk • edit Municipalities of Warren County, New Jersey (County seat: Belvidere)
Boroughs	Alpha | Washington
Towns	Belvidere | Hackettstown | Phillipsburg
Townships	Allamuchy | Blairstown | Franklin | Frelinghuysen | Greenwich | Hardwick | Harmony | Hope | Independence | Knowlton | Liberty | Lopatcong | Mansfield | Oxford | Pahaquarry (defunct) | Pohatcong | Washington | White
Communities	Allamuchy-Panther Valley | Beattystown | Brass Castle | Great Meadows-Vienna
Rivers	Bear Creek | Beaver Brook | Cory's Brook | Dead River | Delaware River | Lopatcong Creek | Musconetcong River | Paulins Kill | Pequest River | Pohatcong Creek | Pophandusing Creek | Yard's Creek