Byram Township, New Jersey

Byram Township is a township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 8,350, reflecting an increase of 96 (+1.2%) from the 8,254 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 206 (+2.6%) from the 8,048 counted in the 1990 Census. The municipality is known as the "Township of Lakes", as there are roughly two dozen lakes and ponds within its borders.FAQ
Byram Township. Accessed July 1, 2011. "Byram Township is located in Northern New Jersey in Sussex County. Byram is known as ''The Township of Lakes'', having more than two dozen lakes and ponds. Several large communities have grown around the larger lakes."

History

Byram Township was created by an act by the New Jersey General Assembly on February 5, 1798, from portions of the now-defunct Newton Township, and was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. The township was named for the Byram family, who were early settlers in the area.Snyder, John P
''The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968''
Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 229. Accessed October 25, 2012. A date of April 9, 1798, is shown as the date the township was formed, which appears to be incorrect, as the township was incorporated some six weeks earlier.Byram Township History
Byram Township. Accessed March 22, 2020. "Byram Township was established on February 5, 1798, having been separated from the vast area that was then Newton. The name honored the Byram Family, surveyors who had settled in the area before the Revolution. In 1798, the head of the family was Jephthah Byram, who is buried in the Sparta Cemetery." Patriarch Jephthah Byram and his family, were believed to have emigrated to the area after the American Revolutionary War. Before being named Byram, the community had been called Lockwood, and the Lockwood Tavern continued to hold this original name until its demolition in 2015. In 1829, a section of Green Township was incorporated into the township. Portions of the township have been taken to form Sparta Township (April 14, 1845), Brooklyn borough (March 24, 1898, now called Hopatcong) and Stanhope borough (March 24, 1904).

There are many historical sites located in Byram. The town's oldest structure, the 1802 Leport House, stands by the Byram General Store on Sparta-Stanhope Road. The Lockwood Cemetery, established around 1818, consists of about 30 gravestones and the remnants of a church's foundation. The 1853 Roseville Schoolhouse was recently moved from its original location on Lackawanna Drive to Mansfield Drive.

In 1911, the Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line opened through Byram Township, with a station stop near the current Forest Lakes neighborhood. The Cut-Off was part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's mainline from Hoboken, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York. The railroad was important in providing transportation for mines in Northern Jersey. It passes through Byram for a long distance. It runs mainly along Roseville, but as Roseville veers north, the tracks continue west. The line was abandoned in 1980 and the tracks were removed four years later. There is a proposal to reactivate passenger service via NJ Transit in the future, with work underway at the Roseville Tunnel.

In 2001, then-mayor Richard Bowe called for an investigation of weather forecasters due to a snowstorm that had been forecast but never materialized, arguing that forecasters should be held responsible for the "excessive overtime costs" that the township experienced and for losses of local businesses shut in advance of the predicted snowfall.

Mining

Byram Township had a very large mining industry in the past. There are so many mineral mines in Byram that there is one almost walking distance from anywhere. The biggest mine, The Roseville Mine, is located on the current Roseville Road. The mine is in a quadrilateral plot of land, with the southwestern corner created by Roseville Road and Amity Road. The southeastern corner is created by an intersection between Roseville Road and the Lackawanna Cut-off. The Roseville Mine was first excavated in the early 1850s. It was well worked during its life, with production in 1880 alone documented as 67,000 tons f what? Most of the work was done via a large open cut. This cut as it exists today, is water-filled, however its massive size was impressive, its vertical walls were likely over 80 to 90 feet high. Another popular mine is the Charlotte Uranium mine. The mine extracted uranium from the rocks of southwestern Byram. The mine closed in the 1950s, but many remnants are still visible.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 22.72 square miles (58.84 km²), including 21.53 square miles (55.76 km²) of land and 1.19 square miles (3.07 km²) of water (5.22%). It is divided into several sections. They include the neighborhoods of Forest West, East and West Brookwood, Forest Lakes, Lackawanna, Cranberry Lake, and the Lake Mohawk area.

The township is known as the "Township of Lakes" because of the community's nearly two dozen lakes and ponds.

Byram Center (with a 2010 Census population of 90) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Byram Township. Lake Mohawk (with 1,824 out of the CDP's total 2010 Census population of 9,916 in the township) is a CDP split between Byram Township and Sparta Township.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)
United States Census Bureau, August 2012. Accessed February 19, 2013.

Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Brookwood East, Brookwood West, Cage Hill, Cranberry Lake, Forest Lakes, Jefferson Lake, Lake Lackawanna, Lockwood, Panther Pond, Roseville, Stag Pond, Tomahawk Lane, Waterloo, Wolf Lake and Wrights Pond.

;Streams
* Lubbers Run runs through the township, intersecting Mansfield Drive. The run is monitored monthly by the Byram Intermediate School's Environmental Club.
* Punkhorn Creek runs through the township, flowing southwest from Lake Bottom, on the north side of and parallel with Amity Road, to Roseville Pond.

Residents of Byram are served by adjacent post offices in Stanhope, Andover Township and Sparta Township.

The township borders the municipalities of Andover Township, Green Township, Hopatcong, Sparta Township and Stanhope in Sussex County; Mount Olive Township in Morris County; and Allamuchy Township in Warren County.

Demographics

Census 2010

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,519 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,758) and the median family income was $113,555 (+/− $12,281). Males had a median income of $78,347 (+/− $7,621) versus $54,504 (+/− $5,146) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $43,160 (+/− $3,087). About 0.8% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

Census 2000

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 8,254 people, 2,833 households, and 2,317 families residing in the township. The population density was 391.8 people per square mile (151.3/km²). There were 3,078 housing units at an average density of 146.1 per square mile (56.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.77% White, 0.97% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Byram township, New Jersey
, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 31, 2016.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Byram township, Sussex County, New Jersey
United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 18, 2013.

There were 2,833 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the township the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $81,532, and the median income for a family was $89,500. Males had a median income of $59,722 versus $40,396 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,710. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Trails and hiking

Byram Township is known as the "Gateway to New Jersey Trails".

The Sussex Branch Trail extends 21.2 miles from Netcong to Branchville, following the route of the old Sussex Railroad, a branch of the Erie Lackawanna Railway. This line was in service under various ownerships from 1848 to 1966. Today trail users can explore the route once used by steam locomotives and long freight trains.

Parks

The township has several municipal parks:
*C.O. Johnson Park, named after former Byram mayor, Carl O. Johnson (Democrat). Carl was the mayor of Byram for 25 years. This park has a football field, baseball field, tennis court, skateboard park, and a track for walking. It has restrooms, a refreshment/snack area, and a picnic area with five tables with attached benches and two handicapped-accessible tables.Parks
Byram Township. Accessed February 18, 2013.
*Riverside Park is at the intersection of River Road and Waterloo Road in Byram Township. Opened in late summer 2001, it is Byram's newest park. The park has the Musconetcong River running right behind it and features walking paths, fishing and canoeing. The park has a playground, picnic tables, a gazebo and basketball courts.
*Tomahawk Park is a small park located on Tomahawk Trail in Byram Township. It is across from Tomahawk Lake.
*Parts of Allamuchy Mountain State Park are in the township, with the park accessible via state trails.
*Neil Gylling Memorial Park has two softball fields. A soccer field is also set up between the softball fields during the fall season. There are also two tennis courts. This is the traditional location for Byram Day (the celebration was hosted by Waterloo Village before being moved to Neil Gylling Memorial Park, primarily for financial reasons) which is celebrated the 2nd Saturday in September of every year.
*Brookwood Park is a small park that contains a basketball court in East Brookwood.

Wild West City is a Dodge City-styled theme park located on County Route 607 (Lackawanna Drive)

Waterloo Village

Waterloo Village used to exhibit many time periods from a 400-year-old Lenape (Delaware) Native American village to a bustling port along the once prosperous Morris Canal. The early 19th-century village contained a working mill with gristmills and sawmills, a general store, a blacksmith shop and restored houses. Classical and popular music programs are available to the public during the summer months. Waterloo Village was shut down to preserve the artifacts inside, though plans have been made to restore the buildings on the site.

Cranberry Lake

Cranberry Lake is a man-made lake, originally created in 1830 as a reservoir for the Morris Canal. Cranberry Lake is bordered on the east by US-206 and the Sussex Branch Trail. The local community is bordered on the north and south by Allamuchy Mountain State Park. The Cranberry Lake footbridge, one of the oldest pedestrian footbridges in NJ transverses the lake from east to west and connects the west shore of the community with the Sussex Branch Trail.

Lake Lackawanna

Around the year 1910, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Rail Road Company was building a new section of rail known as the 'Cutoff'. Lubbers Runs, a river that runs through the Byram area was dammed as part of the railroad construction, and in doing so created Lake Lackawanna. In 1925, the Lake Lackawanna Investment Company, Inc. (LLIC) was formed as a land development company. Over the years, over 300 pieces of land were subdivided from the original LLIC property and developed as residences on Lackawanna Drive, Lake Drive, Reis Avenue, Brown Drive, Lubbers Trail, Heminover Street, Richmond Road, Carpenter Road, and Partridge Road. Unfortunately, many details of the founders and early residents have been lost to time, so any information that anyone can share is welcomed. The lake is 117 acres, and has 6 coves and 3 islands. The bigger island is named Snake Island and the smaller island is named Turtle Island, so named because of the big rock behind it that looks like a turtle with its back and head sticking out of the water. The last island is a private island with a home on it.

Government

Local government

The Township of Byram is chartered under the Faulkner Act Council-Manager plan. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. All officials are elected on an at-large basis in non-partisan elections for four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two seats (including the mayoral seat) or three seats up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election, with terms beginning on January 1.''2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book'', Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 110. In August 2010, the township became the first in the state to shift its non-partisan elections from May to November as part of an effort to raise turnout and cut costs by combining the municipal election with the November general election; the first election under the new cycle took place in November 2011.

, the Mayor of Byram Township is Alexander Rubenstein, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2025. Members of the Byram Township Council are Raymond C. Bonker (2023), Lisa A. "Cris" Franco (2023), John M. "Jack" Gallagher Jr. (2023) and Harvey S. Roseff (2025).Township Council
Byram Township. Accessed May 28, 2022. "Byram Township has a Mayor and 4 Council members. The Mayor and all Council Members are elected at-large in Non-Partisan elections for 4-year staggered terms. Elected Officials enter office on January 1 following the Election Year."Summary Results Report November 2, 2021 General Election Official Results
Sussex County, New Jersey, updated November 22, 2021. Accessed January 1, 2022.Sussex County, New Jersey General Election November 5, 2019, Official Results Summary Report
Sussex County, New Jersey, dated November 8, 2019. Accessed January 1, 2020.

Federal, state, and county representation

Byram Township is located in the 7th Congressional District2022 Redistricting Plan
New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 8, 2022. and is part of New Jersey's 24th state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District
New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.''2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government''
New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.

Sussex County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners whose five members are elected at-large in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Commissioner Director and Deputy Director from among its members, with day-to-day supervision of the operation of the county delegated to a County Administrator. , Sussex County's Commissioners are
Commissioner Director Anthony Fasano ( R, Hopatcong, term as commissioner and as commissioner director ends December 31, 2022),
Deputy Director Chris Carney (R, Frankford Township, term as commissioner ends 2024; term as deputy director ends 2022),
Dawn Fantasia (R, Franklin, 2024),
Jill Space (R, Wantage Township, 2022; appointed to serve an unexpired term) and
Herbert Yardley (R, Stillwater Township, 2023). In May 2022, Jill Space was appointed to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Sylvia Petillo until she resigned from office.

Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are
County Clerk Jeffrey M. Parrott (R, Wantage Township, 2026),
Sheriff Michael F. Strada (R, Hampton Township, 2022) and
Surrogate Gary R. Chiusano (R, Frankford Township, 2023). The County Administrator is Gregory V. Poff II, whose appointment expires in 2025.

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 5,805 registered voters in Byram Township, of which 1,128 (19.4% vs. 16.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,957 (33.7% vs. 39.3%) were registered as Republicans and 2,714 (46.8% vs. 44.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.Voter Registration Summary - Sussex
New Jersey Department of State Division of Elections, March 23, 2011. Accessed February 18, 2013. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.5% (vs. 65.8% in Sussex County) were registered to vote, including 93.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 86.5% countywide).

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 2,373 votes (60.5% vs. 59.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,464 votes (37.3% vs. 38.2%) and other candidates with 78 votes (2.0% vs. 2.1%), among the 3,923 ballots cast by the township's 5,883 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.7% (vs. 68.3% in Sussex County). In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,693 votes (59.6% vs. 59.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,728 votes (38.3% vs. 38.7%) and other candidates with 76 votes (1.7% vs. 1.5%), among the 4,517 ballots cast by the township's 5,735 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.8% (vs. 76.9% in Sussex County). In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,727 votes (62.6% vs. 63.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,558 votes (35.8% vs. 34.4%) and other candidates with 56 votes (1.3% vs. 1.3%), among the 4,353 ballots cast by the township's 5,371 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.0% (vs. 77.7% in the whole county).

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.0% of the vote (1,948 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 26.2% (729 votes), and other candidates with 3.8% (105 votes), among the 2,814 ballots cast by the township's 5,975 registered voters (32 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.1%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,971 votes (65.4% vs. 63.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 715 votes (23.7% vs. 25.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 286 votes (9.5% vs. 9.1%) and other candidates with 35 votes (1.2% vs. 1.3%), among the 3,016 ballots cast by the township's 5,708 registered voters, yielding a 52.8% turnout (vs. 52.3% in the county).

Education

The Byram Township School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 815 students and 84.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1.District information for Byram Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed April 1, 2020. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are
Byram Lakes Elementary School with 446 students in grades Pre-K–4 and
Byram Intermediate School with 365 students in grades 5–8.

For public school students in ninth through twelfth grades, the township shares Lenape Valley Regional High School, which also serves Netcong in Morris County and the Sussex County community of Stanhope. As of the 2018–2019 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 691 students and 58.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.9:1. Students from the township had attended Sparta High School until 1974, when the Lenape Valley district was created.

The Consolidated School, a former public school building that had previously been used by the school district for students in Kindergarten through second grade, has been leased to a private special needs school name
Celebrate the Children

Private schools in the area include Reverend Brown in Sparta for grades K–8. Hilltop Country Day School, which also serves K–8, also has students from Byram. Byram has students in various private high schools, but all but one school are located outside of Sussex County. Pope John XXIII Regional High School, in Sparta Township, is the location of the only private high school in Sussex County, which has around 10 students from Byram.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Sussex County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The township is bisected by U.S. Route 206. A small portion of Interstate 80 passes through the southern tip of Byram Township but without any interchanges; the closest exit is Exit 25 in bordering Mount Olive Township.

Public transportation

Lakeland Bus Lines provides service operating along Interstate 80 between Newton, New Jersey and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Byram Township include:

* Rob Freeman (born 1981), of the group Hidden in Plain View
* Michael John Hoban (1853–1926), prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Scranton from 1899 until his death
* Alexia Lacatena (born 2002), pitcher who is a member of the Italy women's national softball team and was selected to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics
* Robert Leckie (1920–2001), United States Marine and author of books on United States military history, sports, fiction, autobiographies and children's books
* Karen Ann Quinlan (1954–1985), important figure in the history of the right to die controversy in the United States
* Adam Riggs (born 1972), former professional baseball first baseman"Fast Break: Angels sign Lenape Valley grad Adam Riggs"
'' Daily Record'', January 24, 2003. Accessed July 23, 2020. "Riggs, 30, who grew up in Byram, split the 2002 season between Saltillo of the Mexican League and St. Louis Triple-A affiliate at Memphis."

References

https://www.lakelackawanna.com/About

External links

Byram Township websiteSussex County webpage for Byram TownshipByram Township School District
*
School Data for the Byram Township School District
National Center for Education Statistics
Lenape Valley Regional High SchoolThe Township Journal, community newspaper



{{Geographic Location (8-way)
, Centre =Byram Township
, North =
, Northeast = Sparta Township
, East = Hopatcong
, Southeast = Stanhope
, South = Mount Olive Township
, Southwest = Allamuchy Township
, West = Green Township
, Northwest = Andover Township
, image =

Byram Township, New Jersey,
1798 establishments in New Jersey
Faulkner Act (council–manager)
Populated places established in 1798
Townships in Sussex County, New Jersey
Discontiguous municipalities in New Jersey

fr:Byram