Allamuchy Township, New Jersey
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Allamuchy Township is a
township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in Warren County, in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,335, an increase of 1,012 (+23.4%) from the 2010 census count of 4,323, which in turn reflected an increase of 446 (+11.5%) from the 3,877 counted in the 2000 census. Allamuchy Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and ...
on April 4, 1873, from portions of Independence Township.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 245. Accessed May 30, 2024.
The township's name comes from the Native American word "Allamachetey", meaning "place within the hills".


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the township had a total area of 20.27 square miles (52.51 km2), including 19.99 square miles (51.78 km2) of land and 0.28 square miles (0.73 km2) of water (1.39%). The townships southeastern border is formed by the Musconetcong River. Allamuchy CDP (with a 2010 Census population of 78) and Panther Valley (2010 population of 3,327) are
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
s and
unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
located within the township.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, p. III-5, August 2012. Accessed May 28, 2013. "Warren County... Deleted CDPs: Allamuchy-Panther Valley (parts taken to form all of Allamuchy and Panther Valley CDPs)".
As of the 2000 United States census, the two CDPs were consolidated as Allamuchy-Panther Valley, which had a 2000 Census population of 3,125. Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Alphano, Long Bridge, Quaker Church, Saxton Falls and Warrenville. Allamuchy Township borders the municipalities of Frelinghuysen Township, Hackettstown and Independence Township in Warren County; Mount Olive Township in Morris County; and both Byram Township and Green Township in Sussex County.


History

Prior to European settlement, what is now Allamuchy Township was inhabited for centuries by the
Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...
Native Americans, until they were forced west by 1742. The Bird House Archaeological Site is located within the Township.


Quaker Settlement

Acting as a surveyor, John Reading laid out a tract of land for
William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...
in 1715 that became the Quaker Settlement, the first non-Native Americans to live in Allamuchy.Johnson, ''History of Allamuchy'' (1973), p. 4. By 1752, the
Society of Friends Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
, or Quakers, established a community in the northeast corner of what is now Allamuchy Township.Johnson, ''History of Allamuchy'' (1973), p. 5. The settlement was chartered in
Kingwood, NJ Kingwood Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on the Hunterdon Plateau. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,802, a decrease of 43 (−1.1%) from the 2010 census c ...
, and the first
Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...
to arrive in Allamuchy brought with them the materials to build their homes. The land controlled by the Quaker Settlement spanned an area not just in Allamuchy, but what is now considered Green Township, NJ as well. This settlement was known as the "Hardwick Friends," because what is now Allamuchy Township was then a part of Hardwick Township. In 1735, Quakers selected a plot of land for use as a burying ground with accompanying stone wall and first constructed a wood meeting house in 1752, replacing it in 1764 with a stone building. The Hardwick Meeting sided with a branch of the Society of Friends known as the
Hicksites Elias Hicks (March 19, 1748 – February 27, 1830) was a traveling Quaker minister from Long Island, New York. In his ministry he promoted doctrines deemed unorthodox by many which led to lasting controversy, and caused the second major schism w ...
in 1827, an event that compelled many of the Settlement's residents to leave for other Quaker communities. On February 2, 1854, the last Quaker meeting took place in the Settlement; it was formally dissolved in 1855. The Friends' Burying Ground was used until 1918, when its stone wall was repaired and a small monument installed; it was later restored in 1940. The location of the Quaker meeting house was later used as a public school.Johnson, ''History of Allamuchy'' (1973), p. 6. There, in Fall 1921, the Quaker Grove School served as an experimental research station for rural education by researchers Fannie W. Dunn and Maria A. Everett from
Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...
. The result of their fieldwork was the book, ''Four Years in a County School'', which detailed their findings with regards to the single-teacher model, curriculum, and observations about rural education in general. In 1940, the Township consolidated its four public schools into a single location, the present-day Allamuchy Township School, and the Quaker Grove school reverted to private ownership.


Grand Estates

In the late 1700s,
John Rutherfurd John Rutherfurd (September 20, 1760February 23, 1840) was an American politician and land surveyor. He represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1791 to 1798. Early life and education Rutherfurd was born on September 20, 1760, in ...
began construction of his vast home in Allamuchy.
Lewis Morris Rutherfurd Lewis Morris Rutherfurd (November 25, 1816 – May 30, 1892) was an American lawyer and astronomer, and a pioneering astrophotographer. Early life and work Rutherfurd was born in Morrisania, New York, to Robert Walter Rutherfurd (1788–1852) ...
later occupied the estate, where he took the first telescopic photographs of the Moon from his home at Tranquility Farms in 1865. His son,
Rutherfurd Stuyvesant Rutherfurd Stuyvesant or Stuyvesant Rutherfurd (September 2, 1843 – July 4, 1909) was an American socialite and land developer from New York, best known as the inheritor of the Stuyvesant fortune. Early life Rutherfurd was born on September ...
, raised
Holstein cattle The Holstein Friesian is an international breed or group of breeds of dairy cattle. It originated in Frisia, stretching from the Dutch province of North Holland to the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. It is the dominant breed in industrial ...
,
Dorset sheep In the context of sheep, Dorset may refer to: * the Dorset Down, a British sheep breed * the Dorset Horn, a British sheep breed * the Polish Modified Dorset, a Polish sheep breed developed at the University of Life Sciences in Poznań The Univ ...
, English
pheasant Pheasants ( ) are birds of several genera within the family Phasianidae in the order Galliformes. Although they can be found all over the world in introduced (and captive) populations, the pheasant genera's native range is restricted to Eura ...
s and hunting dogs on the estate, which included a deer preserve. Under
Rutherfurd Stuyvesant Rutherfurd Stuyvesant or Stuyvesant Rutherfurd (September 2, 1843 – July 4, 1909) was an American socialite and land developer from New York, best known as the inheritor of the Stuyvesant fortune. Early life Rutherfurd was born on September ...
, the 47-room house was known as the Stuyvesant Mansion, and was decorated with imported and
Duncan Phyfe Duncan Phyfe (1768 – 16 August 1854) was one of nineteenth-century America's leading cabinetmakers. Rather than create a new furniture style, he interpreted fashionable European trends in a manner so distinguished and particular that he beca ...
furniture, Ming Dynasty pottery, and 15th and 16th century suits of armor. The Stuyvesant Mansion was last occupied in 1947 and its contents sold in 1951 and 1955. The Mansion was destroyed by fire in September 1959.
Winthrop Rutherfurd Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd (February 4, 1862 – March 19, 1944) was an American socialite from New York, best known for his romance with Consuelo Vanderbilt and his marriage to Lucy Mercer, mistress to American President Franklin D. Roosevel ...
commissioned
Whitney Warren Whitney Warren (January 29, 1864 – January 24, 1943) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who founded, with Charles Delevan Wetmore, Warren and Wetmore in New York City, one of the most prolific and successful architectural practices in the U ...
, architect of
Grand Central Terminal Grand Central Terminal (GCT; also referred to as Grand Central Station or simply as Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal station, terminal located at 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York Ci ...
, in 1902 to design
Rutherfurd Hall Rutherfurd Hall is a historic house located in Allamuchy Township, Warren County, New Jersey, US. The property was added as a historic district to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2013, for its significance in architectur ...
. Completed in 1906, the Hall served as a hunting lodge family residence where prominent guests could be entertained, most famously U.S. president
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
who was a close friend of Winthrop's second wife
Lucy Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
. The eponymous family later gave
Rutherfurd Hall Rutherfurd Hall is a historic house located in Allamuchy Township, Warren County, New Jersey, US. The property was added as a historic district to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2013, for its significance in architectur ...
to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in 1959 after the completion of
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
brought more traffic and noise to the area. The Church changed the Hall's name to Villa Madonna and used it as a convent for an order of nuns for five decades before selling it the town to be used as a museum and community education facility. Now listed on the National Historic Register, Rutherfurd Hall first opened to the public in 2012. The Panther Ledge Farms estate was owned by Clendenin J. Ryan, former secretary to New York Mayor
Fiorello La Guardia Fiorello Henry La Guardia (born Fiorello Raffaele Enrico La Guardia; December 11, 1882September 20, 1947) was an American attorney and politician who represented New York in the U.S. House of Representatives and served as the 99th mayor of New Yo ...
and politician who later ran an unsuccessful campaign for New Jersey Governor in the 1953 election. Ryan's estate acquired this name due to a rock bluff on the property, where local legend holds as the location the last
mountain lion The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...
was hunted in the state.Hoff and Johnson, "Allamuchy Township," in ''Historical Sites in Warren County,'' Harpster, ed., (1965), p. 3-4. Panther Ledge Farms featured a private zoo, pheasant hatchery, helicopter, greenhouse, bloodhound kennel, and a collection of paintings Ryan bought from
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American newspaper publisher and politician who developed the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His extravagant methods of yellow jou ...
. In 1972 a left-wing group called the Allamuchy Tribe, led by activists
Rennie Davis Rennard Cordon Davis (May 23, 1940 – February 2, 2021) was an American anti-war activist who gained prominence in the 1960s. He was one of the Chicago Seven defendants charged for anti-war demonstrations and large-scale protests at the 1968 ...
and
Jerry Rubin Jerry Clyde Rubin (July 14, 1938 – November 28, 1994) was an American social activist, anti-war leader, and counterculture icon during the 1960s and early 1970s. Despite being known for holding radical views when he was a political activist, h ...
and funded by ex-
Beatle The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the most influential band in Western popular ...
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...
, met at the
Peter Stuyvesant Peter Stuyvesant ( – August 1672)Mooney, James E. "Stuyvesant, Peter" in p.1256 was a Dutch colonial administrator who served as the Directors of New Netherland, director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, when the colony was pro ...
Farm in Allamuchy to organize protests against the
1972 Republican National Convention The 1972 Republican National Convention was held from August 21 to August 23, 1972, at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. It nominated President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Spiro T. Agnew for reelection. The conve ...
.
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
surveillance of the Allamuchy Tribe led to the bureau putting pressure on Lennon to divest from political activity by threatening to
deport Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
him.


Demographics

The township, and all of Warren County, is part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.


2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 4,323 people, 1,953 households, and 1,213 families in the township. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . There were 2,096 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 93.45% (4,040)
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.78% (77) Black or African American, 0.14% (6) Native American, 2.73% (118) Asian, 0.02% (1)
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.39% (17) from other races, and 1.48% (64) from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...
of any race were 4.49% (194) of the population. Of the 1,953 households, 22.9% had children under the age of 18; 50.7% were married couples living together; 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 37.9% were non-families. Of all households, 31.4% were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80. 18.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 90.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 85.5 males. The Census Bureau's 2006-2010
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted In economics, nominal value refers to value measured in terms of absolute money amounts, whereas real value is considered and measured against the actual goods or services for which it can be exchanged at a given time. Real value takes into acco ...
dollars)
median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...
was $82,781 (with a margin of error of +/- $5,051) and the median family income was $104,601 (+/- $18,824). Males had a median income of $76,467 (+/- $14,328) versus $55,625 (+/- $6,142) for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the borough was $49,834 (+/- $4,833). About 0.9% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.


2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 3,877 people, 1,692 households, and 1,133 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 95.49%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.93%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.05% Native American, 1.86% Asian, 0.70% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 2.68% of the population. There were 1,692 households out of which 23.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.80. In the township the population was spread out with 19.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $70,107, and the median income for a family was $89,653. Males had a median income of $54,743 versus $41,782 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the township was $43,552. About 0.3% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.


Culture and tourism

Rutherfurd Hall Rutherfurd Hall is a historic house located in Allamuchy Township, Warren County, New Jersey, US. The property was added as a historic district to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2013, for its significance in architectur ...
is a cultural center and museum that provides educational and enrichment opportunities for the residents of Allamuchy, the surrounding communities, and the greater
New York – New Jersey Highlands New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...
region at large. It conducts and hosts public programs including: 4th of July Fireworks, Hall of Haunts,
Scouting Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...
, Teas & Talks,
etiquette Etiquette ( /ˈɛtikɛt, -kɪt/) can be defined as a set of norms of personal behavior in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviors that accord with the conventions and ...
courses, lectures, concerts, specialty summer camps and weddings. A family seat for the decedents of Walter Rutherfurd and Senator
John Rutherfurd John Rutherfurd (September 20, 1760February 23, 1840) was an American politician and land surveyor. He represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 1791 to 1798. Early life and education Rutherfurd was born on September 20, 1760, in ...
, Rutherfurd Hall was designed by
Whitney Warren Whitney Warren (January 29, 1864 – January 24, 1943) was an American Beaux-Arts architect who founded, with Charles Delevan Wetmore, Warren and Wetmore in New York City, one of the most prolific and successful architectural practices in the U ...
and the
Olmsted Brothers The Olmsted Brothers company was a Landscape architecture, landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape ar ...
and was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2013. The north end of Shades of Death Road, a
dark tourism Dark tourism (also thanatourism, black tourism, morbid tourism, or grief tourism) has been defined as tourism involving travel to places historically associated with death and tragedy (event), tragedy. More recently, it was suggested that the con ...
"
haunted highway ''Haunted Highway'' (originally called ''Paranormal Highway'') is an American paranormal investigation reality television series produced by BASE Productions. It began airing on the Syfy network on July 3, 2012. The series features two teams o ...
" known by readers of ''
Weird NJ ''Weird NJ'' (sometimes abbreviated ''WNJ'') is a semi-annual magazine that chronicles local legends, purported hauntings, ghost stories, folklore, unusual places or events, and other peculiarities in New Jersey. The magazine originated in 1989 ...
'' magazine for the legends and
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
inspired by its macabre name, runs through Allamuchy.


Government


Local government

Allamuchy Township is governed under the Small Municipality form of government. The
Faulkner Act The Optional Municipal Charter Law or Faulkner Act (, et seq.) provides New Jersey municipalities with a variety of models of local government. This legislation is called the Faulkner Act in honor of the late Bayard H. Faulkner, former mayor ...
, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, allows municipalities to adopt a Small Municipality form of government only for municipalities with a population of under 12,000 at the time of adoption. The township is one of 18 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the four-member Township Council, with all positions elected
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather tha ...
on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The Mayor is elected directly by the voters to a three-year term of office. Council members serve a term of three years, which are staggered so that two seats come up for election in the first two years of a three-year cycle and the mayoral seat is up for direct vote in the third year.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'',
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy of Rutgers University (The Bloustein School) serves as a center for the theory and practice of urban planning, public policy and public health/health administration scholarship. The sc ...
, March 2013, p. 103.
, the
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Allamuchy Township is Republican Rosemary Tuohy, whose term of office ends December 31, 2024. Members of the Allamuchy Township Committee are Council President James H. Cote (R, 2023), Deborah Bonanno (R, 2022; appointed to serve an unexpired term), Ed Fabula (R, 2022) and Manuel P. "Manny" Quinoa (R, 2022).Mayor and Township Council
Allamuchy Township. Accessed February 28, 2022.
Summary Results Report 2021 General Election November 2, 2021 Official Results
Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 18, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.
Warren County 2020 General Election November 20, 2020 Official Results
Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 20, 2020. Accessed January 1, 2021.
General Election November 5, 2019, Warren County Official Tally
, updated November 12, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.
In January 2022, Deborah Bonano was appointed from a list of three names nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2023 that became vacant when Rosemary Tuohy stepped down to take office as mayor. The seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Douglas A. Ochwat was filled by Ed Fabula. In January 2016, the Township Committee selected former mayor Betty Schultheis from three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2017 that had been held by Keith DeTombeur until he stepped down to take office as mayor; Schultheis will serve on an interim basis until the November 2016 election, when voters will select a candidate to serve the balance of the term of office.


Federal, state, and county representation

Allamuchy Township is located in the 7th congressional district2022 Redistricting Plan
New Jersey Redistricting Commission The New Jersey Redistricting Commission is a constitutional body of the government of New Jersey tasked with redrawing the state's Congressional election districts after each decade's census. Like Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Montana, and Washington ...
, December 8, 2022.
and is part of New Jersey's 24th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2023-2031 Legislative District
New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...
. Accessed September 1, 2023.


Politics

As of March 2011, there was a total of 3,197 registered voters in Allamuchy Township, of whom 529 (16.5% vs. 21.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,253 (39.2% vs. 35.3%) were registered as
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
, and 1,413 (44.2% vs. 43.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were two voters registered as either
Libertarians Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...
or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Warren
New Jersey Department of State The secretary of state of New Jersey oversees the Department of State, which is one of the original state offices. The Secretary is responsible for overseeing New Jersey State Council on the Arts, artistic, cultural, and New Jersey Historical Com ...
Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed May 28, 2013.
Among the township's 2010 Census population, 74.0% (vs. 62.3% in Warren County) were registered to vote, including 90.7% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 81.5% countywide). In the
2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...
, Republican
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
received 62.2% of the vote (1,489 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
with 36.3% (868 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (35 votes), among the 2,431 ballots cast by the township's 3,328 registered voters (39 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 73.0%. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie Christopher James Christie (born September 6, 1962) is an American politician and former United States Attorney, federal prosecutor who served as the 55th governor of New Jersey from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party (United States) ...
received 74.3% of the vote (1,045 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono Barbara A. Buono (born July 28, 1953) is an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2014, where she represented the 18th Legislative District. She served from 2010 to 2012 as the Majority Leader in the Senate, succ ...
with 24.3% (342 votes), and other candidates with 1.4% (20 votes), among the 1,433 ballots cast by the township's 3,426 registered voters (26 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 41.8%.


Education

Public school students in
pre-kindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...
through eighth grade are served by the Allamuchy Township School District. As of the 2020–21 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 421 students and 32.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...
of 12.8:1.District information for Allamuchy Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...
. Accessed February 15, 2022.
Schools in the district (with 2020–21 enrollment data from the
National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the principal federal agency responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data on education in the United States. Established under , it operates within the Institute of Education S ...
) are Mountain Villa School with 134 students in pre-Kindergarten through second grade and Allamuchy Township School with 287 students in third through eighth grade.''2022-2023 Public School Directory''
Warren County, New Jersey Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. According to the 2020 census, the county was the state's 19th-most populous county,ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...
through
twelfth grade Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final Educational stage, year of Formal education, formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final ...
s attend Hackettstown High School which serves students from Hackettstown, as well as students from the townships of Allamuchy,
Independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
and
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
, as part of
sending/receiving relationship A sending/receiving relationship is one in which a public school district sends some or all of its students to attend the schools of another district. This is often done to achieve costs savings in smaller districts or continues after districts hav ...
s with the Hackettstown School District. As of the 2020–21 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 864 students and 69.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a
student–teacher ratio The student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio refers to the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers or staff in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that ...
of 12.4:1. Students from the township and from all of Warren County are eligible to attend Ridge and Valley Charter School in Blairstown (for grades K–8) or Warren County Technical School in Washington borough (for 9–12), with special education services provided by local districts supplemented throughout the county by the
Warren County Special Services School District The Warren County Special Services School District is a special education public school district based in Oxford Township, serving the educational needs of classified students ages 3 to 21 from Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
in Oxford Township (for Pre-K–12).


Transportation


Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Warren County and by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) is the agency responsible for transportation issues and policy in New Jersey, including maintaining and operating the state's highway and public road system, planning and developing transport ...
.
Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
crosses Allamuchy Township, and is accessible at Exit 19, County Route 517.


Public transportation

Allamuchy Township was formerly served by the Allamuchy Train Station and Allamuchy Freight House until passenger service on the
Lehigh and Hudson River Railway The Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR) was the smallest of the six railroads that were merged into Conrail in 1976. It was a bridge line running northeast–southwest across northwestern New Jersey, connecting the line to the Poughkeepsie Br ...
was ended in 1933. The Allamuchy Freight House is listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.


Morris Canal

Between 1831 and 1924, the
Morris Canal The Morris Canal (1829–1924) was a toll road, common carrier Anthracite, anthracite coal canal across North Jersey, northern New Jersey that connected the two industrial canals in Easton, Pennsylvania across the Delaware River from its weste ...
connected the
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...
industry of the
Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...
at Phillipsburg to
New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...
via Newark and
Jersey City Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous
. The Saxton Falls Dam Complex in Allamuchy along the
Musconetcong River The Musconetcong River is a tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It flows throug ...
was selected for eligibility to the
New Jersey Register of Historic Places The New Jersey Register of Historic Places is the official list of historic resources of local, state, and national interest in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The program is administered by the New Jersey's state historic preservation office wit ...
in 1993.


Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Allamuchy Township include: *
Alison Becker Alison Helene Becker (born March 8, 1977) is an American actress and television writer. She is best known for appearing in NBC's '' Parks and Recreation''. Early life and education Becker grew up in Allamuchy Township, New Jersey. She attende ...
(born 1977), actress * Stephen Bienko (born 1979), entrepreneur behind the
College Hunks Hauling Junk College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving is a North American junk removal and moving company with headquarters in Tampa, Florida. The company provides waste management, junk removal, local and long distance Moving company, full service moving and off ...
brand * Ada Lunardoni (1911–2003), artistic gymnast who competed in the gymnastics competition at the
1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
*
Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd ( Lucy Page Mercer; April 26, 1891 – July 31, 1948) was an American woman who sustained a long affair with US president Franklin D. Roosevelt. Background Lucy Page Mercer was born on April 26, 1891, in Washington, D.C., ...
(born 1891), lived in what is now
Rutherfurd Hall Rutherfurd Hall is a historic house located in Allamuchy Township, Warren County, New Jersey, US. The property was added as a historic district to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2013, for its significance in architectur ...
where President Franklin D. Roosevelt paid at least one call on her "as a friend" before the existence of their lifelong romantic affair was publicly revealedFreight House repairs are just the beginning
Allamuchy Township, backed up by the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
as of February 22, 2011. Accessed January 27, 2020. "The Allamuchy stop received additional notoriety in the 1940s, when Franklin D. Roosevelt traveled to Allamuchy in his private railway car, the Ferdinand Magellan, to call on his close friend Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd. The Rutherfurds were a prominent family in the county, whose mansion, now known as Villa Madonna, also was built in 1906."
Rutherfurd Hall
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. Accessed January 27, 2020. "Winthrop married Alice Morton, daughter of Vice-President Levi P. Morton, in 1902, a match that prompted him to build a new country house near his family's ancestral estate, Tranquility Farms, in Allamuchy, New Jersey. His second wife, Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, was the social secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt and a onetime mistress of Franklin Delano Roosevelt."
*
Winthrop Rutherfurd Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd (February 4, 1862 – March 19, 1944) was an American socialite from New York, best known for his romance with Consuelo Vanderbilt and his marriage to Lucy Mercer, mistress to American President Franklin D. Roosevel ...
(born 1862), socialite and husband of Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd


References


External links


Allamuchy Township Official Web Site
{{Warren County, New Jersey 1873 establishments in New Jersey Faulkner Act (small municipality) Populated places established in 1873 Townships in New Jersey Townships in Warren County, New Jersey