Editing Pequannock Township, New Jersey (section)

==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, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]]. Formed as "Poquanock Township" on March 25, 1740,<ref>[http://mclib.info/reference/local-history-genealogy/historical-timeline-of-morris-county-boundaries/ Historical Timeline of Morris County Boundaries] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225144924/http://mclib.info/reference/local-history-genealogy/historical-timeline-of-morris-county-boundaries/ |date=December 25, 2016 }}, 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."</ref> as the county's largest township, what is now a {{convert|7.1|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} bedroom community with Pompton Plains in its northern portion and old Pequannock in its southern was once a vast {{convert|176|sqmi|km2|adj=on}} region of rural [[arable land|farmland]] settled by the Dutch after its purchase by [[Arent Schuyler]] and associates in 1695 and 1696.<ref>[http://www.peqtwp.org/cit-e-access/webpage.cfm?tid=60&tpid=9733 "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."</ref><ref>Laplaca, Bryan. [http://archive.northjersey.com/story-archives/may-17-1981-happy-241st-pequannock-1.276612 "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."</ref> 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.<ref name=Story>Snyder, John P. [https://nj.gov/dep/njgs/enviroed/oldpubs/bulletin67.pdf ''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.</ref>

Over time, several municipalities were split off from the township: [[Jefferson Township, New Jersey|Jefferson Township]] on February 11, 1804; [[Rockaway Township, New Jersey|Rockaway Township]] on April 8, 1844; [[Boonton Township, New Jersey|Boonton Township]] on April 11, 1867; [[Montville Township, New Jersey|Montville Township]] on April 11, 1867; [[Butler, New Jersey|Butler Borough]] on March 13, 1901; [[Kinnelon, New Jersey|Kinnelon Borough]] on March 21, 1922; [[Lincoln Park, New Jersey|Lincoln Park Borough]] on April 25, 1922; and [[Riverdale, New Jersey|Riverdale Borough]] on April 17, 1923.<ref name=Story/><ref>Honeyman, Abraham Van Doren. [https://books.google.com/books?id=nOkkAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA217 ''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.</ref>

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 [[Wayne Township, New Jersey|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.<ref>[http://www.peqtwp.org/FCpdf/Pequannock%20Township%20Master%20Plan%20%201994%201995.pdf Pequannock Township Master Plan 1994–1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203062551/http://www.peqtwp.org/FCpdf/Pequannock%20Township%20Master%20Plan%20%201994%201995.pdf |date=February 3, 2015 }}, 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."</ref>

During the [[American Civil War|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.<ref>Alexander, Andrea. [http://www.northjersey.com/community/Rising_to_old_heights.html "Rising to old heights"], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|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."</ref>

===Historic sites===
Historic sites located in Pequannock Township include:<ref>[http://www.nj.gov/dep/hpo/1identify/nrsr_lists/Morris.pdf New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places: Morris County], [[New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection]], updated March 13, 2017. Accessed May 11, 2017.</ref>

* [[Ackerson Mead Clark House]], a [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek revival]] mansion constructed in the 1870s.<ref>Lotito, Christopher. [http://www.pequannocknews.com/2012/04/pequannocks-historic-ackerson-mead.html "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."</ref>
* [[Bank Barn]]
* [[Giles Mandeville House]]
* [[Mandeville Inn]]
* [[Martin Berry House]], a Dutch home constructed in 1720, making it Pequannock's second-oldest.<ref>Janoski, Steve. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/pequannock-historic-district-commission-seeks-to-preserve-berry-house-eyeing-berry-house-1.655404?page=all "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."</ref>
* [[Paul DeBow House]]
* [[Paul Barney DeBow House]]
* [[Pequannoc Spillway]]
* [[Pompton dam]], constructed in 1837 to provide water for the [[Morris Canal]].<ref>Fallon, Scott. [http://www.northjersey.com/news/history-blocks-possible-fix-for-flooding-1.251902 "History blocks possible fix for flooding "], ''[[The Record (North Jersey)|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."</ref>
* [[Pompton Plains (Erie Railroad station)|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.<ref>Janoski, Steve. [http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/museum-revamped-and-reopened-1.949980 "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."</ref>