Pequannock Township (pronounced pa-QUAN-nickMelisurgo, Len. "Here's the right way to pronounce 25 N.J. town names everyone botches", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 23, 2017. Accessed June 22, 2023. "Pequannock (Morris County) Drivers from out of town might say PEE-quan-KNOCK, but the correct way to say this township is pa-QUAN-nick.") is a township in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. , the township's population was 15,571, an increase of 31 (+0.2%) from the 2010 census count of 15,540, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,652 (+11.9%) from the 13,888 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The primary community in the township is the census-designated place of Pompton Plains.
The name "Pequannock", as used in the name of the township and of the Pequannock River, is thought to have been derived from the Lenni Lenape Native American word Paquettahhnuake, meaning "cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation".Profile of Pequannock Township , Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed November 9, 2006.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 17, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 242. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 17, 2015.Huget, Jennifer. "Lenape lived in Pequannock", The Record, July 21, 2009. Accessed September 17, 2015. "'Pequannock' is derived from a Leni-Lenape noun that means 'cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation.'Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. "Celebrating The 275th Anniversary Of The Township Of Pequannock", Congressional Digest, June 2, 2015, 114th Congress, 1st Session, Issue: Vol. 161, No. 87 — Daily Edition. Accessed September 17, 2015. "Deriving its name from the Lenni Lenape word 'Paquettahhuake,' meaning 'cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation,' Pequannock Township has embraced the notion of growth and prosperity." The name "Pompton" has been cited by some sources to mean "a place where they catch soft fish"."Looking at Historic Pequannock Township", Pequannock Township. Accessed October 2, 2014.Huget, Jennifer. "Lenape lived in Pequannock", The Record, July 21, 2009. Accessed December 25, 2016. "'Pequannock' is derived from a Leni-Lenape noun that means 'cleared land ready or being readied for cultivation.'"
New Jersey Monthly ranked Pequannock Township as the "Best Bang for the Buck" in New Jersey and 9th overall in its 2011 edition of "Best Places to Live" in New Jersey."Top Towns: Bang for the Buck", New Jersey Monthly, August 15, 2011. Accessed August 12, 2013. It was then ranked 14th overall in the 2013 edition of "Best Places to Live"."Top Towns-Alphabetical List", "New Jersey Monthly", September 3, 2013. Accessed May 26, 2014. In the 2015 edition of "Best Places to Live" in New Jersey, Pequannock ranked 4th overall."Best Places to Live in New Jersey 2015", New Jersey Monthly. Accessed April 10, 2016.
History The name for the area goes back at least as far as March 1, 1720, when it was referred to as "Poquanick", a precinct in Hunterdon County. Formed as "Poquanock Township" on March 25, 1740,Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries , Morris County Library. Accessed December 24, 2016. "1740, March 25. Morris County is established. Morris County includes Morris Township, Pequannock (also referred to as Poquanick or Peqannoc), Hanover Township, and 'Morris Town.' From the Court of Common Pleas." as the county's largest township, what is now a bedroom community with Pompton Plains in its northern portion and old Pequannock in its southern was once a vast region of rural farmland settled by the Dutch after its purchase by Arent Schuyler and associates in 1695 and 1696."Looking at Historic Pequannock Township", Pequannock Township. Accessed December 25, 2016. "It was incorporated in 1740, making it at the time the largest township in Morris County.... Once encompassing a sprawling 176 square miles, it is now a compact 6.8 square miles suburban community 35 miles west of New York City."Laplaca, Bryan. "Back in the Day - May 17, 1981: Happy 241st, Pequannock", Suburban Trends, May 30, 2011. Accessed December 25, 2016. "Just a year after the formation of Morris County, the General Sessions of Peace – the first court set up by the New Jersey Legislature – met in Morristown on March 25, 1740 and divided the new county into three townships. Pequannock was the largest at 16 miles long and 11 miles wide. The 176-square-mile township then gradually shrunk into the about 7 square miles it is today." The township was incorporated by the New Jersey Legislature's Township Act of 1798 as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships on February 21, 1798.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 196. Accessed May 30, 2024.
Over time, several municipalities were split off from the township: Jefferson Township on February 11, 1804; Rockaway Township on April 8, 1844; Boonton Township on April 11, 1867; Montville Township on April 11, 1867; Butler Borough on March 13, 1901; Kinnelon Borough on March 21, 1922; Lincoln Park Borough on April 25, 1922; and Riverdale Borough on April 17, 1923.Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. Index-analysis of the Statutes of New Jersey, 1896–1909: Together with References to All Acts, and Parts of Acts, in the "General Statutes" and Pamphlet Laws Expressly Repealed: and the Statutory Crimes of New Jersey During the Same Period, p. 217. New Jersey Law Journal Publishing Company, 1910. Accessed September 17, 2015.1987. Morris County Historic Sites Survey: [Township of Pequannock]. [Morristown, N.J.]: Morris County Heritage Commission.
During the American Revolutionary War, both Comte de Rochambeau and George Washington's troops camped on what is now the site of the Pequannock Valley Middle School. While Washington stayed at the Schuyler-Colfax House in nearby Pompton, unproven oral history states that he attended church services in the First Reformed Church located in Pompton Plains, also known as the Pompton Meeting House, which had been constructed in 1771. The Mandeville Inn, located on the site of where the soldiers had camped during the war, was built in 1788 and was once owned by Garret Hobart, later Vice President of the United States. The stone with the engraved date is now located inside the Pequannock Valley Middle School when the Inn was demolished and replaced with the school in 1950.Pequannock Township Master Plan 1994–1995 , p. 13. Pequannock Township. Accessed January 13, 2012. "The Pequannock Valley Middle School was erected in 1950 on the site of the circa 1790 Mandeville Inn."
During the Civil War, Pequannock was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The Giles Mandeville House (also built in 1788), a field and quarry-stone structure located at 515 Newark-Pompton Turnpike, which is believed to have served as a waypoint for many runaway slaves, still stands today, and has been in use as the Manse of the adjacent First Reformed Church since 1953.Alexander, Andrea. "Rising to old heights", The Record, July 25, 2009. Accessed January 13, 2012. "Giles Mandeville House (minister's house): built in 1788, it is considered an example of early Dutch housing.... The minister's house might have served as a stop along the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves seeking freedom."
Historic sites Historic sites located in Pequannock Township include:New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Morris County, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, updated March 13, 2017. Accessed May 11, 2017.
Ackerson Mead Clark House, a Greek revival mansion constructed in the 1870s.Lotito, Christopher. "Pequannock's Historic Ackerson Mead Clark Home for Sale", Pequannock News, April 10, 2012. Accessed October 2, 2014. "The 1870s era Greek Revival mansion featuring 21 rooms on 1.37 acres is located at 183 Mountain Ave, within walking distance of Moutainside Park." Bank Barn Giles Mandeville House Mandeville Inn Martin Berry House, a Dutch home constructed in 1720, making it Pequannock's second-oldest.Janoski, Steve. "Pequannock Historic District Commission seeks to preserve Berry House", Suburban Trends, February 24, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2014. "The Berry House, HDC Chairman Jay Wancyzk told the Township Council on Feb. 11, dates to about 1720 and is likely the second-oldest structure in Pequannock, beaten out only by the Van Gelder/Van Saun house located further down the Newark-Pompton Turnpike." Paul DeBow House Paul Barney DeBow House Pequannoc Spillway Pompton dam, constructed in 1837 to provide water for the Morris Canal.Fallon, Scott. "History blocks possible fix for flooding ", The Record, August 24, 2010. Accessed October 2, 2014. "The Pompton Dam was built around 1837 to direct water to the Morris Canal — the 102-mile man-made waterway that connected the Delaware River to the Hudson River." Pompton Plains Railroad Station was built in 1872 and offered regular passenger train service until 1966. Added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 2008, the station serves as the Pequannock Township Museum.Janoski, Steve. "Pompton Plains Train Station restoration complete", Suburban Trends, May 13, 2010. Accessed August 3, 2015. "Two residents look at one of the displays in the newly revamped Pompton Plains Train Station, which serves as the township's official museum.... Built in 1872, the station served as a passenger stop until 1966."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 7.11 square miles (18.41 km2), including 6.79 square miles (17.58 km2) of land and 0.32 square miles (0.83 km2) of water (4.53%).
The Township of Pequannock is located in eastern Morris County, along Route 23, approximately north of the interchange of Route 23 with Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46. Interstate 287 crosses the northwest corner of the township, with a full interchange just north of the township in the borough of Riverdale. Pequannock Township is located west of New York City.Engelbart, Ed. Historic District Commission, Pequannock Township. Accessed January 13, 2012.
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Pequannock and Pompton Plains, each of which is served by a separate post office of the United States Postal Service.Janoski, Steve. "Pequannock council gets history lesson on its sections", Suburban Trends, February 17, 2011. Accessed January 13, 2012. "Some residents have made comments recently about the description, which states that the township 'encompasses two communities, Pequannock and Pompton Plains, each served by their own post office.' These residents have said that the site should not make the distinction between the two sections."Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 9, 2015.
Pequannock Township borders the municipalities of Kinnelon, Lincoln Park and Riverdale in Morris County; and Pompton Lakes and Wayne in Passaic County.Areas touching Pequannock Township, MapIt. Accessed March 2, 2020.Morris County Municipalities Map, Morris County, New Jersey Department of Planning and Preservation. Accessed March 2, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
2010 census