Allamuchy Township, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Allamuchy Township, New Jersey
Township
View of Allamuchy Mountain and Allamuchy Pond from Rutherfurd Hall
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Location of Alloway Township in Warren County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Warren County in New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Allamuchy Township, New Jersey
Allamuchy Township, New Jersey Location in Warren County, New Jersey Show map of Warren County, New Jersey Allamuchy Township, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Allamuchy Township, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Warren
Incorporated	April 4, 1873
Named for	Native American word "Allamachetey" ("place within the hills")
Government
• Type	Faulkner Act (small municipality)
• Body	Township Committee
Area
• Total	20.27 sq mi (52.51 km2)
• Land	19.99 sq mi (51.78 km2)
• Water	0.28 sq mi (0.73 km2)  1.39%
Area rank	142nd of 565 in state 9th of 22 in county
Elevation	623 ft (190 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,335
• Estimate  (2023)	5,446
• Rank	368th of 565 in state 10th of 22 in county
• Density	266.9/sq mi (103.1/km2)
• Density rank	485th of 565 in state 11th of 22 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	07820
Area codes	908 exchanges: 813, 852
FIPS code	3404100670
GNIS feature ID	0882243

Allamuchy Township is a township in Warren County, New Jersey. It's a part of the United States. In 2020, about 5,335 people lived here. This was a big jump from 2010, when there were 4,323 people.

Allamuchy Township became an official township on April 4, 1873. It was created from parts of Independence Township. The name "Allamuchy" comes from a Native American word, "Allamachetey." It means "place within the hills."

What is Allamuchy Township Like?

Allamuchy Township covers about 20 square miles (52 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water. The Musconetcong River forms the southeastern border of the township.

Some smaller communities are located inside Allamuchy Township. These include Allamuchy CDP and Panther Valley. Other small places are Alphano, Long Bridge, Quaker Church, Saxton Falls, and Warrenville.

Allamuchy Township shares its borders with several other towns. These include Frelinghuysen Township, Hackettstown, and Independence Township in Warren County. It also borders Mount Olive Township in Morris County. In Sussex County, it borders Byram Township and Green Township.

History of Allamuchy Township

Before Europeans arrived, the Lenape Native Americans lived in this area for many centuries. They were later moved to other lands by 1742. An old Native American site, the Bird House Archaeological Site, is found in the township.

Early Quaker Settlement

In 1715, a surveyor named John Reading marked out land for William Penn. This land became the Quaker Settlement. It was the first place where non-Native Americans lived in Allamuchy.

By 1752, the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, started a community here. They built their first wooden meeting house in 1752. In 1764, they replaced it with a stone building. This settlement was called the "Hardwick Friends." This was because Allamuchy Township was part of Hardwick Township back then.

The Quakers used a plot of land as a burying ground starting in 1735. The last Quaker meeting in the settlement was on February 2, 1854. The community officially ended in 1855. The Friends' Burying Ground was used until 1918.

The Quaker meeting house later became a public school. In 1921, it was used for a special study on rural education. This study helped researchers learn about schools with one teacher. In 1940, all four public schools in the township joined together into one, the Allamuchy Township School.

Grand Estates and Famous Residents

In the late 1700s, John Rutherfurd started building his large home in Allamuchy. Later, Lewis Morris Rutherfurd lived there. In 1865, he took the first telescope pictures of the Moon from his home. His son, Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, raised many animals on the estate. This included a 1,000-acre deer preserve.

Under Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, the house was called the Stuyvesant Mansion. It had 47 rooms and was filled with fancy furniture and art. The Mansion was last used in 1947 and was destroyed by fire in 1959.

Winthrop Rutherfurd asked Whitney Warren, who designed Grand Central Terminal, to design Rutherfurd Hall in 1902. It was finished in 1906. It was a hunting lodge and family home. Famous guests, like U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, visited there. He was a close friend of Winthrop's second wife, Lucy.

The Rutherfurd family gave Rutherfurd Hall to the Catholic Church in 1959. The Church called it Villa Madonna and used it as a convent for nuns. After 50 years, the town bought it to use as a museum and learning center. Rutherfurd Hall is now on the National Historic Register and opened to the public in 2012.

Another large estate was Panther Ledge Farms. It was owned by Clendenin J. Ryan. The farm was named after a rock bluff where people believed the last mountain lion in the state was hunted. Panther Ledge Farms had a private zoo, a helicopter, and a collection of paintings.

In 1972, a group called the Allamuchy Tribe met at the Peter Stuyvesant Farm. They planned protests against a big political meeting. FBI agents watched the group.

Population of Allamuchy

Allamuchy Township is part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.

In 2010, there were 4,323 people living in the township. Most people (93.45%) were White. About 1.78% were Black or African American, and 2.73% were Asian. About 4.49% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in Allamuchy Township in 2010 was 45.8 years old.

Fun Things to Do and See

Rutherfurd Hall

Rutherfurd Hall is a cultural center and museum. It offers many fun and educational programs. You can enjoy things like:

• 4th of July Fireworks
• Hall of Haunts (a haunted house event)
• Programs for Scouting
• Tea parties and talks
• Classes on good manners (etiquette)
• Lectures and concerts
• Special summer camps
• Weddings

Rutherfurd Hall was designed by Whitney Warren and the Olmsted Brothers. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

The northern part of Shades of Death Road goes through Allamuchy. This road is famous for its spooky legends and stories. It's known by readers of Weird NJ magazine.

Schools in Allamuchy

Students in Allamuchy Township go to public schools from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. These schools are part of the Allamuchy Township School District. In the 2020–21 school year, there were 421 students in two schools.

• Mountain Villa School: For students in pre-Kindergarten through second grade.
• Allamuchy Township School: For students in third through eighth grade.

For high school, students go to Hackettstown High School. This school serves students from Hackettstown, Allamuchy, Independence, and Liberty. In the 2020–21 school year, Hackettstown High School had 864 students.

Students in Warren County can also attend special schools. These include Ridge and Valley Charter School in Blairstown (for grades K–8). They can also go to Warren County Technical School in Washington borough (for grades 9–12).

Getting Around Allamuchy

View east along Interstate 80 in Allamuchy Township

As of 2010, Allamuchy Township had about 37 miles of roads. Some roads are kept up by the township, some by Warren County, and some by the state.

Interstate 80 goes through Allamuchy Township. You can get on or off it at Exit 19, which is County Route 517.

Old Transportation Routes

Allamuchy Township used to have a train station, the Allamuchy Train Station. It also had the Allamuchy Freight House. Passenger train service ended in 1933. The Allamuchy Freight House is now on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.

Saxton Falls Dam on the Musconetcong River, built for the Morris Canal

From 1831 to 1924, the Morris Canal was an important waterway. It connected the coal industry in Pennsylvania to New York Harbor. The Saxton Falls Dam Complex in Allamuchy was part of this canal system. It was added to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places in 1993.

Famous People from Allamuchy

Here are some people who have lived in or are connected to Allamuchy Township:

• Alison Becker (born 1977), an actress.
• Stephen Bienko (born 1979), an entrepreneur who helped create the College Hunks Hauling Junk brand.
• Ada Lunardoni (1911–2003), a gymnast who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.
• Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd (born 1891), lived in Rutherfurd Hall. She was a close friend of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Winthrop Rutherfurd (born 1862), a socialite and husband of Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd.