Stillwater Township, New Jersey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stillwater Township is a Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a farming community with a small "village." Stillwater is known for its lakeside summer residences, abundant limestone and lime kilns. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 4,267.
Crandon Lakes (2000 Census population of 1,150) is a census-designated place and unincorporated area split between Hampton Township and Stillwater Township.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 73.5 km² (28.4 mi²). 70.2 km² (27.1 mi²) of it is land and 3.3 km² (1.3 mi²) of it (4.44%) is water.
Stillwater is the home of Swartswood State Park, established in 1914 as the first State Park established by the state of New Jersey. In the center of the park lies the Little Swartswood and Swartswood Lake. The park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
[edit] Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 706 |
|
|
| 1940 | 679 | -3.8% | |
| 1950 | 816 | 20.2% | |
| 1960 | 1,339 | 64.1% | |
| 1970 | 2,158 | 61.2% | |
| 1980 | 3,887 | 80.1% | |
| 1990 | 4,253 | 9.4% | |
| 2000 | 4,267 | 0.3% | |
| historical data source: [1] | |||
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 4,267 people, 1,494 households, and 1,154 families residing in the township. The population density was 60.7/km² (157.3/mi²). There were 2,030 housing units at an average density of 28.9/km² (74.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.96% White, 0.16% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.09% of the population.
There were 1,494 households out of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.6% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $63,750, and the median income for a family was $71,563. Males had a median income of $48,580 versus $35,505 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,933. About 1.6% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.1% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History timeline
- 1741, Casper Shafer built the Stillwater gristmill about half a mile from the present mill site.
- 1764, the Stillwater gristmill is moved to its present location. It operated there until 1840.
- December 27, 1824, the township was created by an act passed by the New Jersey Legislature[2].
- 1844, the gristmill is rebuilt and powered by water from the Paulins Kill. Casper's son, Nathan Armstrong Shafer lived in Whitehall Manor, which he built near what is now the center of the village. Aline Murray Kilmer, the widow of poet Joyce Kilmer, lived the last decade of her life at Whitehall, passing away there on October 1, 1941.
- Early 1900s, Swartswood Lake became a major resort. Weekenders took the train into nearby Blairstown through the 1940s to stay at such places as the North Shore Inn, The Casino, and The Dove Island Inn (now a private home). Later, summer cabins became popular with Brooklyn weekenders.
- 1910, the Stillwater creamery was built. Borden later took control of the creamery.
- 1920s, the Paulinskill River was dammed to create Paulinskill Lake and many summer residences sprang up. These summer cottages have grown into what is now a year-round community.
Today the Presbyterian Church is the most prominent feature in Stillwater village. Opposite the church is the former Stillwater Academy, an old schoolhouse. The old schoolhouse is now home to the local historical society museum. Stillwater was, and still is, primarily agricultural. The area is dotted with lime kilns, which used to burn lime to enrich the soil, but are now obsolete, becoming lost to history and the overgrowth of vegetation. An intact mill still exists on Millbrook Road, a little more than two miles from Stillwater village.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Township of Stillwater operates under the Township form of government. Five Committee Members are elected at large for a three-year term on a staggered basis, with either two seats or one seat coming up for election each year. The Mayor andDeputy Mayor are appointed to one-year terms by the Township Committee members at the annual reorganization meeting. Each Committee Member serves a three-year term of office, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.
Members of the Stillwater Township Committee are Mayor Al Fuoco (term ends December 31, 2006), Deputy Mayor Jay Burd (2007), William Morrison (2009), Diane Schlecter (2007) and Lou Sylvester (2006).[3]
[edit] Federal, state and county representation
Stillwater Township is in the Fifth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 24th Legislative District.[4]
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 24th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Robert Littell (R, Franklin) and in the Assembly by Guy R. Gregg (R, Flanders) and Alison Littell McHose (R, Sparta). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Sussex County is governed by a five-member Board of Chosen Freeholders. Sussex County's Freeholders are Director Gary R. Chiusano (term ends December 31, 2008), Deputy Director Harold J. Wirths (2007), Steven V. Oroho (2007), Glen Vetrano (2006) and Susan M. Zellman (2006).
[edit] Education
Students in Kindergarten through sixth grade attend the Stillwater Township School with a population of 450 students.
The students of middle and high school age in grades 7-12 attend Kittatinny Regional High School located in Hampton Township, which serves 1,300 students who reside in Fredon Township, Hampton Township, Sandyston Township, Stillwater Township and Walpack Township. The high school is located in Hampton, about seven minutes outside of the County seat of Newton.
[edit] See also
- Harmony Hill Methodist Church (Stillwater, New Jersey)
- Paulins Kill
- Stillwater Cemetery (Stillwater, New Jersey)
- Stillwater Presbyterian Church (Stillwater, New Jersey)
[edit] References
- ^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
- ^ 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, pg. 383
- ^ Stillwater Township Committeemen, accessed April 21, 2006
- ^ League of Women Voters: 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, p. 64, accessed August 30, 2006
[edit] External links
- Stillwater Township web site
- Stillwater Township School
- Stillwater Township School's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the Stillwater Township School
- Kittatinny Regional High School
- Skylands Guide to Stillwater
- Skylands Guide to Stone Mills
- Virtual tour of the village of Stillwater
- Historical Society of Stillwater Township
|
(County seat: Newton) |
||
| Boroughs | Andover | Branchville | Franklin | Hamburg | Hopatcong | Ogdensburg | Stanhope | Sussex |  |
| Town | Newton | |
| Townships | Andover Township | Byram Township | Frankford Township | Fredon Township | Green Township | Hampton Township | Hardyston Township | Lafayette Township | Montague Township | Sandyston Township | Sparta Township | Stillwater Township | Vernon Township | Walpack Township | Wantage Township | |
| CDPs and other communities | Crandon Lakes | Highland Lake | Lake Mohawk | Stockholm | Vernon Valley | |
| Rivers | Clove Brook | Delaware River | Flat Brook | Lubbers Run | Musconetcong River | Papakating Creek | Paulins Kill | Pequannock River | Pequest River | Punkhorn Creek | Wallkill River | Wawayanda Creek | |
