Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey
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 Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey
Location in Morris County, New Jersey
Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Morris |
| Township | Parsippany-Troy Hills |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.11 sq mi (2.88 km2) |
| • Land | 1.10 sq mi (2.86 km2) |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) |
| Elevation | 253 ft (77 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 10,194 |
| • Density | 9,233.70/sq mi (3,565.89/km2) |
| ZIP Code |
07034
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| FIPS code | 34-37680 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0877634 |
Lake Hiawatha is a community in Morris County, New Jersey. It is part of Parsippany-Troy Hills. This area is known as a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's a specific area defined by the census bureau for collecting population data. The local post office uses ZIP Code 07034. In 2020, about 10,194 people lived here.
The community gets its name from Hiawatha, a Native American leader from the 1500s. You can see his name on plaques and in the local fire department's name. However, the name was probably made popular by a famous poem from 1855 called The Song of Hiawatha by Longfellow. This poem doesn't really connect to the real historical Hiawatha.
Contents
Exploring Lake Hiawatha's Past
Early History of the Land
Lake Hiawatha is located in Lenapehoking. This is the traditional land of the Munsee subtribe of the Lenape people. The Lenape tribes lived here for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
The Beverwyck Plantation Story
Beverwyck Road is a main street that goes through downtown Lake Hiawatha. Many small businesses are located along this road. It also leads to U.S. Route 46.
The road is named after the old Beverwyck plantation. This was a large farm, about 2,000 acres, that operated from the 1730s to the early 1800s. Important people like William Kelly and Abraham Lott owned it. It was also known by other names, including the Red Barracks.
In 1768, a newspaper ad for the property mentioned a "Negro House." This building was made to house over 20 enslaved people. These individuals had skills like blacksmithing, shoemaking, and masonry. In 1780, an owner named Von Beverhoudt put out a notice to find an enslaved man named "Jack" who had run away. This notice is still kept at the Morristown National Historical Park.
Phebe Ann Jacobs: A Story of Freedom
Phebe Ann Jacobs (1785–1850) was born into slavery on the Beverwyck plantation. When she was a child, she was given to Maria Malleville. Maria was the daughter of the president of Dartmouth College. Later, Maria married President Allen of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Phebe Ann stayed with the family until Maria Allen passed away. After that, she chose to live on her own. For the last years of her life, she was a free woman in Maine. She earned money by washing clothes for students at Bowdoin.
Mrs. T. C. Upham, whose husband was a professor at Bowdoin, met Phebe Ann. She wrote a book about Phebe Ann's life. The book, published in London in 1850, showed Phebe Ann's strong faith in Christianity. This biography later inspired the famous author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe used Phebe Ann's story to help write her important anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, in 1852.
Revolutionary War Connection
During the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Beverwyck Road was called Washington's Trail. Both French and American armies often traveled on this road. They used it to get to Morristown.
Famous visitors to the Beverwyck plantation included George Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Marquis de Lafayette.
How Lake Hiawatha Grew
In the 1920s, people started building up the community. They first focused on creating summer houses. By 1932, many houses were built and people had moved in. At that time, only a few streets existed, like North Beverwyck Road.
The lake itself was finished in 1935. Developers changed the path of the Rockaway River to create this lake. They built summer houses and a meeting place for a country club along its shores. The lake was meant to be a fun spot for summer activities. It had a sandy beach, a pavilion, a playground, and areas for barbecues.
The Lake Hiawatha Fire Department
In January 1935, a house in Lake Hiawatha was destroyed by fire. Because of this, six men decided to start the volunteer-based Lake Hiawatha Fire Department. Their first meeting was held in a clubhouse basement in February. At first, the town could only afford three small fire pumps. The new department's main goal was to raise money to buy better firefighting equipment.
They held several fundraisers in 1935. One event was a professional boxing match. Tickets cost 50 cents for general admission and 75 cents for ringside seats.
The firefighters also put on a minstrel show fundraiser in 1935. These shows were a type of stage performance that used racist Black caricatures. In the 1930s, many amateur groups still performed these shows. They often featured skits about slavery from the 1850s. About 414 people came to the show. The money from tickets and donations was enough to buy the department's first fire engine. In August 1935, they bought a 1913 American LaFrance fire engine.
In 1948, a man named Benjamin J. Kline donated money to create the Lake Hiawatha Public Library. By the 1960s, the lake had dried up. The summer cabins were then rebuilt into homes where people could live all year round.
The Land of Lake Hiawatha
The area where Lake Hiawatha is located was formed a very long time ago. It happened when a chain of volcanic islands crashed into the North American landmass. These islands slid over the North American land, creating the highlands of New Jersey. Later, about 450 million years ago, a small continent collided with North America. This caused the land in western New Jersey to fold and break.
Much more recently, a huge sheet of ice called the Wisconsin Glacier covered this area. This was from about 21,000 to 13,000 BC. When the climate warmed up and the glacier melted, a large body of water called Lake Passaic formed. This lake covered all of what is now Lake Hiawatha. Over time, Lake Passaic slowly drained away. This left behind many swamps and low-lying meadows, like Troy Meadows. The Rockaway River flows through this area, passing along the northwestern edge of Lake Hiawatha. You can still find swamps near the river in this region.
People of Lake Hiawatha
As of the 2020 United States census, the population of Lake Hiawatha was 10,194 people.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2020 | 10,194 | — | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
The 2020 United States census showed that Lake Hiawatha had 10,194 people living in 4,158 households. The population included people from many different backgrounds. About 42.6% were white, 3.2% were black or African-American, and 37.6% were Asian. About 12.5% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
Famous People from Lake Hiawatha
Many interesting people have lived in or are connected to Lake Hiawatha:
- Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (1929–2016) was a United States Marine. He received the Medal of Honor for his brave actions during the Korean War.
- Bobby Darin (1936–1973) was a famous singer. He bought a house in Lake Hiawatha after his hit rock and roll song "Dream Lover" came out in 1959.
- Phebe Ann Jacobs (1785–1850) was a very religious and free woman who was born on the Beverwyck plantation in Lake Hiawatha. Her life story inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's important anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Al Krevis (born 1952) is a former American football player. He played as an offensive tackle for the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL.
- Garrett Reisman (born 1968) is a physics professor and former NASA astronaut. He spent over 100 days in space, including time on the International Space Station. He also performed three spacewalks. He later became an executive at SpaceX.
