History
General Information for Today's Warren County
Warren County is divided into twenty three municipalities. The Town
of Belvidere is the county seat. The county was separated from Sussex
County by an act of the Legislature passed November 20,1824. The first
Europeans to settle in the county were the Dutch, who came to Pahaquarry
Township and dug for copper around 1650. During this period, they
constructed a road from Pahaquarry to Kingston, New York, over which
they transported the proceeds of their mining ventures. This road, the
first commercial highway built in the United States, is known as "Old
Mine Road."
The County of Warren occupies an area of 364.55 square miles, is 32
miles long with an average width of 13 miles, and ranks ninth in size
among the state's twenty one counties. Within the county is some of the
most rugged and scenic terrain to be found in the state. The landscape
is characterized by a series of ridges and valleys in a
northeasterly/southwesterly direction. Elevations range from 125 feet to
1,600 feet above sea level. Mountain ranges and ridges which divide
fertile river valleys include Kittatinny Mountain, Jenny Jump Mountain,
Scott's Mountain and Pohatcong Mountain. Streams and rivers, all
emptying into the Delaware River, include the Musconetcong, Paulinskill
and Pequest Rivers and the Pohatcong and Lopatcong Creeks. These fertile
valleys have enabled the county to become an important agricultural
district in the state.
There are 17 districts and individual properties listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The Town of Belvidere, the county seat, is
noted for its Victorian style architecture. The town's residents
celebrate its heritage annually in its Victorian Day extravaganza. The
Warren County Cultural & Heritage Commission organizes the Warren County
Heritage Festival in Oxford Township. Reenactments, arts and crafts
displays, and musical concerts are among the events that are centered
around the Oxford Furnace and Shippen Manor which were built in the
1740's. The county is renovating the Shippen Manor, the ironmaster's
home, using state, county and private funds.
Morris Canal remnants can be viewed by participants of an annual bus
tour of the 33 miles of the historic canal within Warren County. The
county is currently in the process of acquiring canal right-of-way from
Main St. Stewartsville to Rt. 22.
In the largest recent development affecting Warren County tax ratables,
a consortium of seven regional electric utilities created Merrill Creek
Reservoir, a 1.1 square mile reservoir mandated by the Delaware River
Basin Commission. This 2,000 acre watershed, with its 650 acre, 31
billion gallon reservoir and 290 acre nature preserve open to the public
is assessed at more than $190 million.
Land & Tax Records
Tax Records Colonial tax lists & federal assessment lists
Boroughs, Towns, & Townships
Warren County Municipalities A brief description and history of Warren County's 23 municipalities.
Warren County Local Place Names Shows which municipality a place is part of.
This directory is off-site, use browser's back button to return here.
1887
Directory 1 Hardwick, Frelinghuysen, Greenwich, Hope, Allamuchy &
Franklin
1887
Directory 2 Blairstown, Harmony, Pohatcong, Belvidere & Pahaquarry
1887
Directory 3 Washington Borough, Hackettstown & Washington Twp
1887
Directory 4 Phillipsburg
Historical Places & County Traditions
Various Historic Places Court House, Ingersoll Dam, Union Square Hotel & more
Edison Cement Plant History of the plant in New Village, NJ from an article in a 1996 edition of the Express-Times newspaper.
Morris Canal A brief history of the canal by the Warren County Morris Canal Committee.
Maps, Atlases, Iconography
| Click on images for a larger view, if available | |
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Boroughs: Alpha & Washington Towns: Belvidere & Hackettstown Townships: Allamuchy, Blairstown, Franklin, Frelingheysen, Greenwich, Hardwick, Harmony, Hope, Independence, Knowlton, Liberty, Lopatcong, Mansfield, Oxford, Pahaquarry, Pohatcong, Washington & White. Note: Pahaquarry and Hardwick Townships merged in 1997. |
Historical Maps courtesy of Rutgers Special Collections and Archives
Easton, PA. and Phillipsburg, NJ, 1900
Other History Resources
USGenWeb Archives Local History
USGenWeb Archives Land Records