Waterloo and Byram Township

By Cindy Lee

Throughout its history, Byram Township has thrived upon its rich natural resources. Farmers worked its fertile soil and industrialists exploited the area's rolling hills--thickly forested and full of iron ore--long before Pennsylvania became the capital of the United States steel industry. Byram Township, however, is perhaps best known for its many lakes and ponds, which have spurred the community'sindustries, transportation, and recreation. During the nineteenth century, the township's rivers and lakes helped to form the Morris Canal, a man-made water highway for the transportation of cargo from Phillipsburg to Jersey City. Once a stop along the Morris Canal, Waterloo is now a historical attraction and a living testament to how Byram Township residents once lived and worked along the canal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439634776

Cindy Lee

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Book preview

Century

Introduction

The township of Byram will be two hundred years old in 1998. Since the beginning, it has been through innumerable changes, but there has always been one constant: the natural resources that Byram was blessed with (lakes and rivers, forests, minerals, and soil) have fostered industry, given food and shelter, and provided a source of amusement since the township’s earliest beginnings. My approach with this book was to document Byram’s history through examples of how these resources were used. As this milestone anniversary approaches, it is important to remember that these resources must be protected for the benefit of future generations of Byram residents.

It is also important to note that, where the history of its people is concerned, the township’s boundary lines are blurred. As the late mayor of Byram, Carl O. Johnson, wrote in 1964, Byram is affected by its neighbors ... No community exists in a vacuum. Byram residents have played integral roles in the histories of other communities. Likewise, residents of both neighboring and distant communities affected the history of Byram even before its incorporation. For this reason, images of Stanhope and Hopatcong are included in this book up to and even a little beyond the years of their incorporation and separation from Byram. Andover played a very large part in Byram’s history before the Revolution, and many of its residents today live in the seemingly nonexistent boundary between Andover and Byram. Therefore, that borough is also included.

When I began this book I had precious few images of my own. I turned to historical societies, museums, antique shops, and individual collectors for a majority of the images featured. This book, therefore, is a testimony to the generosity and guidance of those who helped to make it possible. I am grateful to the following people: Bill Moss, David Breslauer, Martin Kane, Brian Morrell, Joanne Offerman, Robert Dennis, Wayne McCabe, Jan Gminder, Robert Smith, Gregory Gill, and Ellen Callahan. I am especially indebted to my husband, Brian Lee, for putting up with me during the writing of this book.

One

The Colonial Era

The earliest inhabitants of this area were the Lenape Indians. They lived in small groups near rivers and lakes, covering their homes with tree bark. Many place names given by them—such as Musconetcong and Lackawanna—are still used today. Allamuchy, for instance, meant place of cocoons. This is an 1892 engraving from Story of the New World.

William Penn (1644–1718) became a trustee for the West Jersey Proprietors in 1676, inviting settlers to the new colony before he himself had ever visited the New World. Before his death, he acquired more than 10,000 acres of land in New Jersey, including what would later be called Andover Mine. In 1760, the mine and 1,250 acres were sold by his sons to Allen and Turner. This 1892 engraving is from Story of the New World.

Lenape were Woodland Indians and lived in bark-covered lodges. dwelling was used by the Plains tribes. The Lenape. The artist incorrectly put tepees in the background. That type of This 1848 engraving depicts one of William Penn’s visits with the

Penn’s historic first visit with the Lenape took place in 1682 beneath a large elm known as the Treaty Tree in Pennsylvania. In the early nineteenth century when the tree was blown down in a storm, it was made into souvenir canes and snuffboxes. Before the Revolution, the Lenapes were pushed out of New Jersey altogether as Europeans acquired the land through purchases and peace treaties. This 1848 engraving is from The Life of William Penn and is based on Benjamin West’s 1772 painting.

Chief Justice William Allen (1704–1780) of Pennsylvania was one of the wealthiest men in the colonies.