Lower Squankum is an

unincorporated community 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 Howell Township in

Monmouth County Monmouth County () is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is bordered to its west by Mercer and Middlesex Counties, to its south by Ocean County, to its east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to its north by ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

. The settlement is situated along Lakewood-Farmingdale Road ( County Route 547) at its intersection with Herbertsville Road ( CR 549) and Old Tavern Road ( CR 21) on the eastern side of Howell Township. It is just south of Interstate 195 exit 31 and borders

Allaire State Park Allaire State Park is a park located in Howell and in Wall Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, near the borough of Farmingdale, operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and is part of the Ne ...

History

The name "Squankum" derives from a

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 ...

term meaning "place of evil ghosts" or "place of evil spirits," a common naming convention among Native Americans in the region. During the 19th century, Lower Squankum developed around an agrarian economy and milling industries. The Lower Squankum Mill, located on the Manasquan River, served local farmers by grinding grain into flour. The site was historically owned by Solomon Wardell, one of Howell’s early landowners.

Landmarks

Lower Squankum Mill Site

The remnants of the 19th-century Lower Squankum Mill are located at the junction of CR 547 and CR 549. The site is considered a significant example of rural industrial history and was the subject of a cultural resources survey by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Lower Squankum Friends Burial Ground

This historic Quaker cemetery is located in the median of CR 547. Established in 1778, it contains an estimated 130 to 150 marked and unmarked graves, some of which belong to Civil War veterans.

Geography and Environment

Lower Squankum is located adjacent to

, a protected natural area that includes hiking trails, the historic Allaire Village, and access to the

Manasquan River The Manasquan River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 waterway in central New Jersey. It flows from western Monmouth County, beginning in Freehold To ...

Transportation

Lower Squankum is served by: * CR 547 – Lakewood-Farmingdale Road * CR 549 – Herbertsville Road * CR 21 – Old Tavern Road * Interstate 195, with Exit 31 nearby Bus service is provided along Route 9 and nearby arteries by

NJ Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit or NJTransit and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey and portions of the states of New York and Pennsylvania. I ...

and

Academy Bus Lines Academy Bus Lines is a bus company in New Jersey providing local bus services in northern New Jersey, line-run services to/from New York City from points in southern and central New Jersey, and contract and charter service in the eastern United ...

, offering commuter access to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and Trenton.

References

Neighborhoods in Howell Township, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in Monmouth County, New Jersey Unincorporated communities in New Jersey {{MonmouthCountyNJ-geo-stub