Editing Walpack Township, New Jersey (section)

==History==
[[File:Wallpack, NJ - information sign.jpg|thumb|Information sign in Wallpack Center]]
Walpack Township dates back to October 26, 1731, when it was first mentioned as ''Walpake'' in [[Hunterdon County, New Jersey|Hunterdon County]]. The area covered by the present-day township was set off to [[Morris County, New Jersey|Morris County]] upon that county's creation in 1739, and became part of the newly formed Sussex County in 1753. As of April 15, 1754, Walpack's boundaries were defined as a "precinct". Walpack was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the [[New Jersey Legislature]] on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form [[Montague Township, New Jersey|Montague Township]] (March 26, 1759), [[Sandyston Township, New Jersey|Sandyston Township]] (February 26, 1762) and the now-defunct [[Pahaquarry Township, New Jersey|Pahaquarry Township]] in [[Warren County, New Jersey|Warren County]] (December 27, 1824). Territory was gained from [[Stillwater Township, New Jersey|Stillwater Township]] in 1935.<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. 232. Accessed May 30, 2024.</ref>

The [[Andrew Snable House]] was built in 1801 and was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on July 23, 1979.<ref>{{NRHP url|id=79000236|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form for Andrew Snable House}}, [[National Park Service]]. Accessed October 20, 2015.</ref> The [[Wallpack Center Historic District]] was added to the NRHP on July 17, 1980.<ref>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=80000354}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Wallpack Center Historic District |publisher=[[National Park Service]]|first1=Wayne K. |last1=Bodle |date=April 1977 }}</ref>

In 1962, following the devastation caused by Hurricanes [[Hurricane Connie|Connie]] and [[Hurricane Diane|Diane]] in 1955, a proposal was made by Congress for the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|U.S. Army Corps of Engineers]] to alleviate flooding on the [[Delaware River]] by constructing a dam at the site of [[Tocks Island Dam controversy|Tocks Island]]. This dam, {{convert| 10|mi}} south of Walpack, would have created a lake roughly {{convert|40|mi}} long and {{convert|1|mi}} wide.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maag |first1=Christopher |title=Residents return to a New Jersey ghost town that still haunts their memories |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/christopher-maag/2018/10/11/nj-ghost-town-walpack-nj-tocks-island-dam-project-walpack-abandoned-nj/1284502002/ |website=northjersey.com |date=11 October 2018 |access-date=7 October 2024}}</ref><ref>[https://www.nps.gov/dewa/learn/historyculture/tocks-island-dam-controversy.htm Tocks Island Dam Controversy] [[Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area]]. Accessed March 11, 2020. "Congress responded quickly, commissioning the Army Corps of Engineers to dust off a 1930s river basin study and determine the viability of constructing dams and reservoirs along the Delaware, with one dam on the main stem of the river at the southern tip of Tocks Island. The proposed Tocks Island Dam would have created a lake-sized reservoir roughly 40 miles long and a mile wide."</ref> Over the next 15 years, approximately {{convert|72000|acres}} of the surrounding land, including Walpack, were claimed under eminent domain by the government for this project, and many long-time area residents were forced to move out.<ref>[https://scenesfromthetrail.com/2016/09/10/walpack-township-abandoned-in-new-jersey/ "Walpack Township – Abandoned in New Jersey"], Scenes From the Trail, September 10, 2016. Accessed March 11, 2020. "Although the dam was never built, 72,000 acres of land were acquired by condemnation and eminent domain. The Corps and the National Park Service would end up spending $100 million to buy homes, stores and churches on either side of the river."</ref> However, the dam and lake were never actually built: 

<blockquote>As the Vietnam War strained federal budgets, the dam project stalled due to persistent concerns about the stability of soil beneath it, rising costs, new environmental laws and local activism. In 1978, Congress protected sections of the Delaware River under the Wild and Scenic River Act, killing the project.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maag |first1=Christopher |title=Residents return to a New Jersey ghost town that still haunts their memories |url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/christopher-maag/2018/10/11/nj-ghost-town-walpack-nj-tocks-island-dam-project-walpack-abandoned-nj/1284502002/ |website=northjersey.com |date=11 October 2018 |access-date=7 October 2024}}</ref></blockquote>

Judge [[Joseph Stamler]] of [[New Jersey Superior Court]] rejected a proposal for a six-day rock festival to be held in the summer of 1970 on a {{convert|400|acres|adj=on}} site in the township, leading to the passage of standards for similar events that requires planning for traffic and safety between the organizers and local authorities, and sets limits on duration. Stamler stated that any positive benefits from such an event must be weighed against the "health, safety and welfare of the young, and the potential harm to the public".<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1973/04/29/archives/stamler-sums-up-career-cae-involved-housing.html "Stamler Sums Up Career"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', April 29, 1973. Accessed January 24, 2018. "In the summer of 1970, Judge Stamler issued a permanent injunction that prevented a group of promoters from holding a rock festival in rural Sussex County. 'The question of health, safety and welfare of the young, and the potential harm to the public, far outweighs any good which might be derived,' he ruled."</ref><ref>[https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/44329613/ "Proposed rock fete hits stone wall"], ''[[Pocono Record]]'', July 14, 1970. Accessed January 24, 2018. "Walpack Township officials Monday won the first round in a court proceeding initiated at 9:30 ... Stamler said that there is a 'probability' the festival would jeopardize the public health and welfare of Walpack Township and Sussex County residents."</ref>