Allamuchy Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on April 4, 1873.

Rutherfurd Hall, c. 1911 (WCCHA Collection)

Allamuchy Township, located in the northeast portion of Warren County, was originally named for a Lenape village located within its modern-day boundaries that was named for the local Lenape Chief Allamuchahokkingen, which translates to "Allamucha" or "a place within the hills" (Allamuchy).  According to George Wyckoff Cummins in his book, The History of Warren County, New Jersey (1911), this Lenape name was recorded in 1715 in early surveys of the region (108).

The Quakers were the first white settlers to the region. They established a meeting house and burying ground at the northern end of Great Meadows on Johnsonburg Road (CR 612). On July 8, 1745, "Samuel Willson, Jr. was appointed by the Kingwood meeting of Hunterdon County to serve as an overseer at the Hardwick particular meeting" (Cummins, 109). 

Deputy surveyor, John Reading II (1686-1767), issued a warrant on March 10, 1715 to lay out a tract of William Penn's land and described it as, "On both side of the Paquaessing [Pequest] River upon an Indian path which leads from Allamuchahokin [Allamuchy] to Pakackqualong [Pahaquarry]... on both sides of the Pequest River upon an Indian path which leads from Allamuchy to Pahaquarry" (Cummins, 109). Richard Penn, the grandson of William Penn the proprietor of Pennsylvania, gave a deed for the land "for a Friends' meeting house forever" in 1752. Located near the corner of Quaker Church Road and Johnsonburg Road (CR 612), the original Quaker Meeting House was built of log, this meeting house was succeeded by a stone structure in 1762 (Dale, 1). This sturdy stone structure remained for about a century before it was torn down and in its place a Quaker public school house was built (Cummins, 110), which is currently a private residence. During the 19th century when Quakers became ardent supporters of the abolition movement, the settlement became a station on the "Underground Railroad" and was located between Quakertown (Hunterdon Co.) and the "Drowned Lands" of Sussex County.

In the late 18th c., John Rutherfurd (1760-1840), "a grandson of James Alexander, surveyor-general, and one of the proprietors of New Jersey, settled on the estate at Tranquility and Allamuchy, still occupied [in 1911] by his descendants" (Cummins, 108). Mr. Rutherfurd became a member of the State Legislature (1788) and was a US Senator (1790, 1796) (US Congress).

Born in New York City on September 20, 1760 and the son of Major Walter Rutherfurd (1723-1804), a veteran of the British Army and Catherine Alexander (d. 1801). Upon retiring from the military, Walter Rutherfurd received a patent for 5,000 acres of land in the Province of New Jersey in 1760 and 1775 for his military service (Morrison). Major Rutherfurd, the brother-in-law of Lord Sterling (William Alexander was one of Gen. Washington's most loyal subordinates ), was held captive by American forces during the Revolution.

Freight House, 1955 (WCCHA Archives)

By 1834, the town of Allamuchy had a grist and saw mill, a grain distillery, store, tavern and about a dozen residential houses. Just outside of the town center was the railroad station for the Lehigh & Hudson River Railroad. Currently, only the freight house (built 1906), a single-story frame structure remains (National Register of Historic Places).

The Rutherfurd family, descendants of John Rutherfurd, had established a grand estate in what is now Allamuchy (Warren Co.) and Green (Sussex Co.) Townships. In 1906, Winthrop Chanler Rutherfurd (1862-1944) requested that Whitney Warren (1864-1943), a famous architect from New York City, to build a summer cottage in Allamuchy called the "Rutherfurd House."  In addition, elaborate gardens were designed by the Olmsted Brothers, whose father, Frederick Law Olmsted designed New York City's Central Park in the 1850s (Rutherfurdhall.org). Winthrop was the 2x great-grandson of John Rutherfurd. The family lived at Rutherfurd Hall, and its neighboring properties until 1950. Rutherfurd Hall was then sold to the Congregation of the Daughters of Divine Charity, who maintained the property until 2005. It is currently owned by the Allamuchy Township Board of Education. This structure is listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

Visit here to learn more about the Rutherfurd family history in Allamuchy, NJ.

Map of Allamuchy Town (1874) 

Resources

"Allamuchy Freight House (Lehigh & Hudson River Railway Company)." National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. 12 Oct 2001.  https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/02001056_text.

"Allamuchy's Rich History." Allamuchy Township. 2023. https://allamuchynj.org/history.

Cummins, George Wyckoff. History of Warren County, New Jersey. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911.

Dale, Frank. The History of Allamuchy-- Village and Township. January 2006. Book 25. 

Ervy, Cassie, Nicole Lindow & Melissa Maltese. "Allamuchy: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow." May 2002.  Allamuchy Historical Society. 

Morrison, George Austin. History of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York with Biographical Data, Part 1.  1911. New York: Saint Andrew's Society of the State of NY. Google Books.

"Rutherfurd Hall History." Rutherfurdhall.org. https://rutherfurdhall.org/about/.

"Rutherfurd, John." Biographical Directory of the United States. 23 Oct 2024. Congress. https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/R000550. 

 Updated 10/23/2024

Alpha, Borough of

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on June 26, 1911.

The Borough of Alpha was formed from Pohatcong Township by referendum on May 31, 1911. At the time, there were about seven houses within the boundaries of the town. One of the original homes was a two-room log cabin built by the Pursel family. This house was adjacent to an old Indian Trail that is on the former property of the Vulcanite Portland Cement Company on New Brunswick Ave. 

Alpha was originally laid out in 1898 and had a series of names-- Bonneville, 1891-1893, Whitaker, 1893-1895, Vulcanite, for the Vulcanite Cement Co., 1894-1932, and lastly, Alpha, for the Alpha Cement Co., 1895-1915 (Ramsbotham).

In 1891, the Whitaker Cement Company was established by Thomas D. Whitaker. He started with a small rotary kiln next to his quarry in Bonneville Station (now Alpha) and produced Portland cement ("Jacksonburg Limestone", 3).  The "Bonneville's plant was the first in the United States to produce Portland cement. Fire destroyed a section of the plant and after a company reorganization a new corporation was formed with Thomas Whitaker as its president" and the new company was named "Whitaker Cement Company" (Historical Sites, 11).

Whitaker Cement Co., Hexamer General Surveys, Volume 29
Philadelphia Architects and Buildings

The Vulcanite Cement Company "began operations in August [1895]. The material is a black slaty rock containing carbonate of lime and clay in nearly the proportius (sp) for a correct cement mixture. The rotary process of burning is employed, as at the Alpha works" (Newberry, 885). By 1901, Vulcanite covered 300 acres in Alpha ("Historical Sites", 12).

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Lehigh Line (railroad) traversed Alpha and the surrounding areas prior to the construction of more efficient roadways. 

As fast as the community grew prior to its incorporation, by 1912 the growth was in decline. The original Alpha Portland Cement Co. mill closed and two years later, the second Alpha Co. mill closed. During World War I, the 2nd mill opened for a short time. By the end of the war, both plants were razed along with the closure of the Vulcanite Cement Company. The site of Vulcanite is located in the Alpha Industrial Park where several industrial firms have constructed plants (Historical Sites, 12-13).

Most of the farmland that surrounded the Alpha Quarry and cement mills were owned by Morris Frace, who surveyed the land and laid out building lots in 1898 (Historical Sites, 13). With its incorporation, more houses were constructed and the street car line was extended from Phillipsburg to Alpha. 

"Safety Follows Wisdom" Monument was an award for perfect safety record (1932, 1934, 1939, 1944, 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1967) at the Superior Portland Cement plant.
HMdb.org

Resources:

Historical Sites of Warren County. Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders. 1965. 

"Live! Live! Live! Live!" Alpha Borough Life. Borough of Alpha, NJ. 24 Oct 2024.  https://www.alphaboronj.org/alpha_borough_life/index.php. 

Newberry, Spencer B. "Cement: Portland Cement." USGS. 1895. 

Ramsbotham, Marion L. Warren County Past and Present. 1963.

"The Jacksonburg Limestone and the Portland Cement Industry of New Jersey." NJDEP. NJGWS. 2015. https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/njgws/enviroed/infocirc/ jacksonburg-limestone.pdf. 

"Whitaker Cement Co." 1894. Hexamer General Surveys, Volume 29. Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network. Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. Image. 24 Oct 2024. https://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/view-image.cfm/HGSv29.2784.

Updated 10/24/2024

Belvidere, Town of 
 County Seat

Incorporated by Act of the NJ Legislature on April 7, 1845

Prior to 1754, the area of Belvidere was a part of the Township of Greenwich. Until 1845, the County Seat of Belvidere was a part of Oxford Township. The location of this town along the Delaware and Pequest Rivers is an important geographic feature of Belvidere. Mills and factories grew and developed around these two bodies of water.

Warren County Courthouse, no date. (WCCHA archives)

John Reading (1686-1767) surveyed two tracks of land separated by the Pequest River on October 8-9, 1716. The tract north of the line consisted of 1,250 or more acres and was surveyed for William Penn. The tract to the south was approximately the same size and surveyed by Colonel John Alford ( 1685-1761) from Charleston, Massachusetts (Cummins, 112).

In 1750, Captain Joseph McMurtrie (1733-1790), Robert McMurtrie (b. 1731) and Thomas McMurtrie (1725-1788), James Hanna and Robert Houey (possibly brothers-in-law of the McMurtries) came into possession of the Alford tract of 1,250 acres.  Nine years later, the first settler (and tinsmsith) Robert Patterson, bought the Penn tract of about the same size (Cummins, 112; "McMurtrie Family"). 

 
George K. McMurtrie & Co. Twin Mills (c. 1840) on Hardwick Street, no date.
(WCCHA Archives)

Resources

"Belvidere History." Belvidere Heritage. 2018.  https://belvidereheritage.com/belviderehistory.html. 

Cummins, George Wyckoff. History of Warren County, New Jersey. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911.

 Historical Sites of Warren County. Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders. 1965. 

"McMurtrie Family of Sussex/Warren Co., NJ." 

"The Alfords of the United States of America." The Alford Association. 24 Oct 2024. http://www.alfordassociation.org/AFN/afn_23.pdf. 

Blairstown Township

Incorporated by an Act of NJ Legislature on April 14, 1845

Franklin Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on February 15, 1839

Frelinghuysen Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 7, 1848

Greenwich Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on February 21, 1798

Hackettstown

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 9, 1853

Hardwick Township

Established by Royal Charter on January 22, 1750 and incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature in February 21, 1798.
Pahaquarry Township was merged into Hardwick in 1997.

Harmony Township

Hope Township

Independence Township

Knowlton Township

Incorporated on February 23, 1763

Liberty Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 26, 1926

Lopatcong Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 7, 1851

Mansfield Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 30, 1754

Oxford Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on May 30, 1754

Phillipsburg, Town of

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 8, 1861

Pohatcong Township

Incorporated by an act of the NJ Legislature on March 24, 1881