Tabernacle Township, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tabernacle Township, New Jersey
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Township
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| Township of Tabernacle | |
Center of the township — The municipal building is in the foreground
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| Motto(s):
Gateway to the Pines
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Tabernacle Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
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Census Bureau map of Tabernacle Township, New Jersey
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 Tabernacle Township, New Jersey
Location in Burlington County, New Jersey
Tabernacle Township, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Tabernacle Township, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County |  Burlington |
| Incorporated | March 22, 1901 |
| Named for | Tabernacle in the Wilderness Church |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township |
| • Body | Township Committee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 49.63 sq mi (128.54 km2) |
| • Land | 49.20 sq mi (127.43 km2) |
| • Water | 0.43 sq mi (1.11 km2) 0.86% |
| Area rank | 33rd of 565 in state 5th of 40 in county |
| Elevation | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 6,949 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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6,794 |
| • Rank | 320th of 566 in state 25th of 40 in county |
| • Density | 141.5/sq mi (54.6/km2) |
| • Density rank | 527th of 566 in state 36th of 40 in county |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT)) |
| ZIP Code |
08088
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| Area code(s) | 609 exchanges: 268, 801, 859 |
| FIPS code | 3400572060 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882081 |
| Website | |
Tabernacle Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 6,949 reflecting a decline of 221 (−3.1%) from the 7,170 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 190 (−2.6%) from the 7,360 counted in the 1990 Census.
Tabernacle was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 22, 1901, from portions of Shamong Township, Southampton Township and Woodland Township. The township was named for a tabernacle constructed by missionaries David and John Brainerd.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Tabernacle Township as its 23rd best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey. New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Tabernacle Township as its sixth-best place to live in its 2010 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey. In 2009, it was rated the #1 small town by South Jersey Magazine.
Contents
History
Before 1900
The area that is now Tabernacle was inhabited by Lenni Lenape Native Americans. In 1778, John and David Brainerd came to the area and erected a church to convert the local Native Americans to Christianity. The church was called Tabernacle In The Wilderness. In 1803, William Wilkins acquired land from Hosea Moore to build Tabernacle Cemetery, next to the church.
The church was originally used as a schoolhouse but in 1856, the one-room Union School was built on the future site of Tabernacle Town Hall to serve the children of the community. As the community grew, a second schoolhouse was built in the vicinity of the other school.
In 1860, Gilbert Knight built the Pepper-Knight House next to the Union Schoolhouse. It was later sold to the Pepper family who turned the property over to the Tabernacle Historic District following Clara Pepper's death in 1987. In the 1880s there were problems at the Tabernacle, so a new church was built on the spot. It was called the Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal Church, which still stands today.
After 1900
On March 22, 1901, Tabernacle was incorporated as a township by an act of New Jersey State Legislature from portions of Shamong Township, Southampton Township and Woodland Township.
On July 13, 1928, Emilio Carranza (known as the Lindbergh of Mexico) was flying his plane from New York City to Mexico when he crashed in the middle of a storm over Tabernacle. The Carranza Monument was built with funds from Mexican schoolchildren, Hampton Gates Road was renamed Carranza Road for the pilot.
In 1910, the Union Schoolhouse was demolished and Tabernacle Town Hall was erected on the site. 1917 was the last year for the Friendship Schoolhouse, as enrollment dwindled to four pupils with more students attending the Sequoia School, further south on Carranza Road. In 1936 it was moved down the road next to the Sequoia School. In the 1950s, Tabernacle Elementary School was built on New Road and Olson Middle School (formerly Tabernacle Middle School) was built across the road in 1968. Tabernacle School District renamed its school after Kenneth R. Olson following his death in 1990. In 2003, Seneca High School was built to serve high school students from Tabernacle, Shamong, Woodland, and Southampton.
Suburbanization
In 1970, Tabernacle's population was 2,103, but by 1980, it had almost tripled to 6,236, reflecting rapid suburbanization of Philadelphia in South Jersey. Around the same time, the population of many other nearby towns boomed. Tabernacle's population reached a high in 1990 at 7,362 inhabitants and has continued to drop gradually. In 2000 there were 7,170 residents in the township and the population dropped to 6,949 in the 2010 Census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 49.614 square miles (128.501 km2), including 49.120 square miles (127.221 km2) of land and 0.494 square miles (1.280 km2) of water (1.00%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Apple Pie Hill, Bozuretown, Carranza Monument, Eagle, Fairview, Fox Chase, Friendship, Hampton Gate, Harris, Oriental, Paisley, Pine Crest, Sandy Ridge, Sooy Place, South Park, Speedwell and White Horse Station.
The township borders the Burlington county municipalities of Medford Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Washington Township and Woodland Township.
The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. All of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1910 | 487 | — | |
| 1920 | 431 | −11.5% | |
| 1930 | 460 | 6.7% | |
| 1940 | 490 | 6.5% | |
| 1950 | 1,034 | 111.0% | |
| 1960 | 1,621 | 56.8% | |
| 1970 | 2,103 | 29.7% | |
| 1980 | 6,236 | 196.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,360 | 18.0% | |
| 2000 | 7,170 | −2.6% | |
| 2010 | 6,949 | −3.1% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 6,794 | −2.2% | |
| Population sources: 1910-2000 1910-1920 1910 1910-1930 1930-1990 2000 2010 |
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2010 Census
As of the census of 2010, there were 6,949 people, 2,375 households, and 1,978 families residing in the township. The population density was 141.5 per square mile (54.6/km2). There were 2,445 housing units at an average density of 49.8 per square mile (19.2/km2)*. The racial makeup of the township was 95.80% (6,657) White, 1.38% (96) Black or African American, 0.07% (5) Native American, 0.69% (48) Asian, 0.06% (4) Pacific Islander, 0.94% (65) from other races, and 1.06% (74) from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% (192) of the population.
There were 2,375 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.7% were non-families. 13.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the township, the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.8 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and old there were 100.8 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $101,053 (with a margin of error of +/- $15,205) and the median family income was $107,179 (+/- $7,238). Males had a median income of $47,947 (+/- $13,091) versus $40,231 (+/- $18,026) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $36,726 (+/- $3,161). About 1.1% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
Parks and recreation
- The Carranza Monument - A 12-foot (3.7 m) monument in the Wharton State Forest that marks the site of the July 13, 1928, crash of Emilio Carranza, known as "The Lindbergh of Mexico". The monument, installed with funds donated by Mexican schoolchildren, depicts a falling eagle of Aztec design. Every July on the Saturday nearest the anniversary of his crash (second Saturday in July) at 1:00 p.m. he is honored at the monument site by local residents and representatives from the Mexican consulates in New York City and Philadelphia.
- Delanco Camp - An inter-denominational Christian camp meeting and summer camp along Lake Agape, located here since 1964, preaching under the Wesleyan doctrine.
- The Batona Trail - A hiking trail that extends for 49.5 miles (79.7 km), with significant portions running through Tabernacle Township.
- Apple Pie Hill is the highest point in the Pine Barrens and one of the highest in South Jersey, standing 205 feet (62 m) above sea level, with a 60-foot (18 m) fire tower providing panoramic views across much of the region. In September 2016, chronic vandalism led the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to eliminate access to Apple Pie Hill by erecting a fence around the tower; access is possible when New Jersey Forest Fire Service Division personnel are at the site.
Transportation
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 89.17 miles (143.51 km) of roadways, of which 71.63 miles (115.28 km) were maintained by the municipality, 14.00 miles (22.53 km) by Burlington County and 3.54 miles (5.70 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The only two major roads that pass through are CR 532 thru the central part and U.S. Route 206 in the west.
The Atlantic City Expressway, Garden State Parkway, Interstate 295 and New Jersey Turnpike are all two towns away.
As of 2012, there were only two traffic lights in Tabernacle, both on U.S. Route 206.
Education
The Tabernacle School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 698 students and 61.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Tabernacle Elementary School with 373 students in PreK-4 and Kenneth R. Olson Middle School with 323 students in grades 5–8.
Public school students in Tabernacle Township in ninth through twelfth grades attend Seneca High School located in Tabernacle Township, which serves students in ninth through twelfth grade from Shamong, Southampton, Tabernacle and Woodland Townships. The school is part of the Lenape Regional High School District, which also serves students from Evesham Township, Medford Lakes, Medford Township, Mount Laurel Township, Shamong Township and Woodland Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,137 students and 109.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1.
Students from Tabernacle Township, and from all of Burlington County, are eligible to attend the Burlington County Institute of Technology, a countywide public school district that serves the vocational and technical education needs of students at the high school and post-secondary level at its campuses in Medford and Westampton Township.
Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Tabernacle Township include:
- Howard P. Boyd (born 1914), scientist who has specialized in the study of the Pine Barrens.
- Sean Doolittle (born 1986), baseball standout at the University of Virginia and 1st round draft choice and current major league relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals.
- Shana Hiatt (born 1975), model and host of Poker After Dark.
- Brandon Taylor (born 1994), professional basketball player for Jämtland Basket of the Basketligan.
See also
In Spanish: Municipio de Tabernacle (Nueva Jersey) para niños
