Boonton, New Jersey

www.boonton.org

Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey that was chartered in 1867. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 8,496. The town was originally called “Boone-Towne” in 1761 in honor of the Colonial Governor Thomas Boone.

Boonton was originally formed on March 16, 1866, within portions of Hanover Township and Pequannock Township. The town was reincorporated and became independent on March 18, 1867.

Today’s Boonton began in about 1829, as a result of the construction of the Morris Canal and the development of the New Jersey Iron Company. The original location of the town is now largely under the Jersey City Reservoir, completed in 1904. The waters from this reservoir were the first municipal water supply in the United States to be chlorinated in 1908.

Contents

1 Geography

2 Demographics

3 History

3.1 Ironworks

3.2 Other industries

4 Government

4.1 Local government

4.2 Federal, state and county representation

5 Education

6 Transportation

7 Places of interest

8 Notable residents

9 References

10 External links

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Geography

Gazebo in Grace Lord Park

Boonton is located at 405419 742434 / 40.905148N 74.409466W / 40.905148; -74.409466 (40.905148, -74.409466).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km2), of which, 2.3 square miles (6.1 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km2) of it (4.86%) is water. The Rockaway River flows through the downtown section and forms a spectacular short gorge with impressive whitewater rapids including a high waterfall.

Part of The Tourne county park is in Boonton.

Demographics

Historical populations

Census

Pop.

 %

1930

6,866

1940

6,739

1.8%

1950

7,163

6.3%

1960

7,981

11.4%

1970

9,261

16.0%

1980

8,620

6.9%

1990

8,343

3.2%

2000

8,496

1.8%

Est. 2007

8,482

0.2%

Population 1930 – 1990.

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,496 people, 3,272 households, and 2,159 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,395.9/km2 (3,619.5/mi2). There were 3,352 housing units at an average density of 550.7/km2 (1,428.1/mi2). The racial makeup of the town was 83.00% White, 4.00% African American, 0.21% Native American, 7.8% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.20% from other races, and 2.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.9% of the population.

There were 3,272 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,322, and the median income for a family was $75,147. Males had a median income of $60,518 versus $40,634 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,919. About 6.7% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

During the 18th century, the village of Boonetown (Booneton, Boonton) was established on the Rockaway River, about a mile and a half downstream from the current site of the town. As early as 1747, Obadiah Baldwin operated an iron refining forge at that place, where water power was in ample supply, and raw materials, such as iron ore and wood for charcoal, were not too far away. The ironworks was enlarged, and a village of workmen and their families emerged. This village was named “Boone-Towne” in honor of the Colonial Governor, Thomas Boone, in the year 1761.

Ironworks

Main article: Boonton Iron Works

The Boonton Iron Works were founded about 1770 by Samuel Ogden who, with others in his family, purchased a 6-acre (24,000 m2) tract along the Rockaway River. Throughout the American Revolutionary War the Booneton Iron Works was busily engaged in supplying numerous miscellaneous iron products for the military. After the war, operations at Boonton were continued under John Jacob Faesch and his two sons, and, later, by William Scott, who vainly sought to instill new life in the declining business. In 1824, Scott’s interest in rejuvenating the antiquated ironworks faded when he learned that the Morris Canal was soon to be constructed, and that it would be of little service to the Village of Booneton a mile or more away.

The nearness of the canal to Booneton Falls made that site ideal for a large factory. A group of business men in New York City incorporated themselves in 1830 as the New Jersey Iron Company, with a capitalization of $283,000. Machinery and ironworkers were imported from England, and with the erection of the mills, a new town, called Booneton Falls, began to appear on the rugged hillside overlooking the river.

The town’s Main Street is unique in that it is pitched against a cliff overlooking the ‘Hollow’ of the Rockaway River. This was said to follow an old Native American Trail, which followed the original deer path.

The new Iron Company flourished for nearly fifty years. The new village of Booneton Falls – like the older Booneton downstream – was essentially a one-industry town. After the Company closed down its operations in 1876, the town was on the verge of collapse.

Although several attempts – one by the eminent Joseph Wharton – were made to re-establish iron works on a smaller scale, none endured for any great length of time. Only vestiges of foundations and structures remain in the “Hollow”, between Plane Street and the river, to remind Boonton of its own Iron Age.

Other industries

One of the first of the new industries secured for the town was a silk factory, which, as Pelgram & Meyer, and, later as Van Raalte, Inc., contributed materially to the town’s prosperity. Others that followed were a knife factory, a paper mill (at the old village, by then called Old Boonton), a nail factory, a brass and iron foundry, and a carriage factory. The Morris Canal, although going into a rapid decline, still employed a number of men; the Lackawanna Railroad, which had completed its Boonton-Paterson branch in 1875, gave employment to a number of Boonton people and provided commuter service to a number of Boonton residents who worked in New York City. There were, of course, many individually-owned businesses, such as blacksmith shops, machine shops, bakeries and a miscellany of stores, all of which began to prosper as the nation emerged from the depression of the 1870s.

In 1891, the Loanda Hard Rubber Company was founded by Edwin A. Scribner, and began the manufacture of molded hard rubber products. Seven years later, Mr. Scribner died, and the management of the firm fell to his son-in-law Richard W. Seabury. In 1906, was Richard W. Seabury, who, casting about for new materials, learned of experiments with synthetic resins made by Dr. Leo Baekeland, for whom the well-known material, Bakelite, was later to be named. Originally intended by Dr. Baekeland for a synthetic varnish, the new material was used by Seabury in making the world’s first molding of organic plastics in 1907. Boontonware, a molded plastic dinnerware, was sold nationwide. George Scribner, son of Loanda founder Edwin Scribner, opted to continue the business of plastics molding and established Boonton Molding. The company went on to produce the famous Boontonware dinnerware, molded plastic plates, bowls, and cups manufactured in the 1950s and 1960s. The company also operated a factory outlet store in Boonton for many years. George Scribner was eventually inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame for being a pioneer in developing molding techniques and applications at Boonton Molding Co. from 1920, and preeminent contributor to the development of the industry through his services as president and board chairman of the SPI during the period 1943-1947. His older brother Charles E. Scribner intended to join the family business but it was discovered that he was color blind, he then attended Princeton University and later Harvard Law. He served as Margaret Sanger’s laweyer and then as the first Chairman of the Board of Planned Parenthood. He was instrumental in orchestrating Sanger’s trip to Japan through correspondence with General McArthur.

The molded plastics industry was to some extent responsible for bringing the radio and electronics industries to the Boonton area. In the 1920s, the burgeoning radio industry created a large demand for molded parts, and, thereby, attracted the attention of Richard W. Seabury, who organized Radio Frequency Laboratories to exploit that new field. Spawned by that original company, more than a half dozen radio and electronics firms were later formed, and recognized internationally for the excellence of their products. A well-known example among radio engineers was the Boonton Radio Co., located in nearby Rockaway, which manufactured a high-quality test instrument known as a Q meter, still used by hobbyists today. Most of those companies now are operated as divisions of larger corporations and have relocated elsewhere, having undergone changes in name in many cases. The Boonton Radio Co., for instance, was purchased by Hewlett-Packard. RFL Industries, Aircraft Radio Corporation, Measurements Corporation (founded by Jerry Burnett Minter and two partners and later sold to the Edison Company after World War II), and Ballantine Laboratories are among those which contributed materially to the prosperity of the area.

The largest industry in the town of Boonton during the 20th century had its beginnings in 1917, when E.A. Stevenson & Company established the “Butter Works” on the site of the old Knox Hat factory, and started processing of coconut and vegetable oils and the manufacture of margarine. Under later operation by E.F. Drew & Company, the plant in Boonton grew to be one of the largest in the country for the processing of edible oils. The plant closed in the early 1990s and the site is now occupied by a WalMart.

The present town bears only small resemblance to the village of Booneton Falls, and still less to the village of Old Boonton, whose site has been covered by the Jersey City reservoir since 1903.

Government

Local government

Boonton was incorporated as a Town under a charter granted by the New Jersey Legislature in March 1867. Under the charter, the new town was governed by a seven-man Board of Trustees, but, by an amendment to the charter in 1872, authority was vested in the Mayor and Common Council.

Boonton operates using the town form of government and is governed by a Mayor and Board of Aldermen. The mayor is elected at large. The Board of Aldermen consists of eight members, with two Aldermen elected from each of four wards on a staggered basis, with one seat from each of the four wards coming up for election each year.

The Mayor of Boonton is Cyril Wekilsky, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2007. Members of the Board of Aldermen are:

Ward 1: Daniel Carey (2008) and Michael Eoga (2009)

Ward 2: Paul Nevadomski (2008) and Dr. Clifford Keezer (2009)

Ward 3: Terry Dunn (2008) and Robert Looker (2009)

Ward 4: Joseph Sirvent (2008) and Patricia Bujtas (2009)

Federal, state and county representation

Boonton is in the Eleventh Congressional District and is part of New Jersey’s 25th Legislative District.

New Jersey’s Eleventh Congressional District, covering western portions of Essex County, all of Morris County, and sections of Passaic County, Somerset County and Sussex County, is represented by Rodney Frelinghuysen (R, Harding Township). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken). For the 2010-2011 Legislative Session, the 25th District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Anthony Bucco (R, Boonton) and in the Assembly by Michael Patrick Carroll (R, Morris Plains) and Tony Bucco (R, Boonton). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach). Morris County is governed by a seven-member Board of Chosen Freeholders, who are elected to three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two or three seats up for election each year. As of 2008[update], Morris County’s Freeholders are Freeholder Director Margaret Nordstrom, Deputy Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl, Douglas R. Cabana, William J. Chegwidden, John J. Murphy, James W. Murray and Jack J. Schrier.

Education

The Boonton Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics) are School Street School (K-3, 314 students), John Hill School (4-6, 237 students), Boonton Middle School (7&8, 126 students) and Boonton High School (9-12, 640 students).

The district’s high school serves students from Boonton and also those from Lincoln Park, who attend as part of a sending/receiving relationship with the Lincoln Park Public Schools, with Lincoln Park students accounting for a majority of students at the high school. The two districts have sought to sever the more than 50-year old relationship, citing cost savings that could be achieved by both districts and complaints by Lincoln Park that it is granted only one seat on the Boonton Public Schools’ Board of Education. In April 2006, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Education rejected the request.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School is a Catholic school operated under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson.

Transportation

The Boonton train station provides service on the New Jersey Transit Montclair-Boonton Line, with service to Hoboken Terminal.

New Jersey Transit bus service is provided on the MCM1 local route.

Interstate 287 and Route 202 run through the center of town.

Places of interest

Footbridge in Grace Lord Park

Grace Lord Park

Greenwood Cemetery

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Boonton include:

Mario DeMarco (1924 – 1956), professional Canadian football and NFL player. Died in Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810 disaster.

John Hill (1821 1884), represented New Jersey’s 4th congressional district from 1867 to 1873, and New Jersey’s 5th congressional district from 1881 to 1883.

Joshua S. Salmon (1846 1902), represented New Jersey’s 4th congressional district from 1902 to 1903.

Jeffrey L. Seglin (born 1956) journalist and writer.

Jeremy Weiss (born 1974) photographer.[citation needed]

William Schaffer (born 1981)

Mike Michalowicz (born 1971), Author & Entrepreneur

Jim Lewis, Muppets writer

Peter Onorati (born May 13, 1954), an American actor.

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographical Names Information System: Town of Boonton, Geographic Names Information System, accessed January 4, 2008.

^ a b Census data for Boonton town, United States Census Bureau. Accessed October 29, 2008.

^ a b “American FactFinder”. United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

^ A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.

^ “US Board on Geographic Names”. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

^ “The Story of New Jersey’s Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968″, John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 191.

^ “A Public Health Giant Step: Chlorination of U.S. Drinking Water”, Water Quality and Health Council. Accessed October 28, 2008.

^ “US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990″. United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

^ New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 – 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.

^ History, Boonton Town. Accessed November 22, 2008.

^ Office of the Mayor, Town of Boonton. Accessed May 25, 2007.

^ Aldermen, Town of Boonton. Accessed February 27, 2008.

^ 2008 New Jersey Citizen’s Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 57. Accessed September 30, 2009.

^ “Legislative Roster: 2010-2011 Session”. New Jersey Legislature. http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/roster.asp. Retrieved 2010-02-08. 

^ “About the Governor”. New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/about/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 

^ “About the Lieutenant Governor”. New Jersey. http://www.nj.gov/governor/lt/. Retrieved 2010-01-21. 

^ What is a Freeholder?, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed February 6, 2008.

^ Margaret Nordstrom

^ Gene F. Feyl

^ Douglas R. Cabana

^ William J. Chegwidden

^ James W. Murray

^ Jack J. Schrier

^ Meet the Freeholders, Morris County, New Jersey. Accessed February 6, 2008.

^ Data for the Boonton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed February 27, 2008.

^ Commissioner of Education Decision, New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 29, 2008.

^ Morris County Elementary / Secondary Schools, Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Accessed July 26, 2008.

^ Morris County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.

^ John Hill, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed September 3, 2007.

^ Joshua S. Salmon, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 11, 2007.

^ Seglin, Jeffrey L. “THE RIGHT THING; My Principles, or the Milk and Cookies?”, The New York Times, January 18, 2004. Accessed November 5, 2007. “GROWING up in Boonton, N.J., I routinely stopped at the supermarket on my way to the local bowling alley to pick up a package of Archway ginger cookies, my favorite snack at the time.”

Brian Bell (DOB 1980) Jim Kiick

External links

Town of Boonton official website

Boonton Public Schools

Boonton Public Schools’s 200809 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education

Data for the Boonton Public Schools, National Center for Education Statistics

Misc. photos of Boonton on Flickr

Regional area newspaper

v  d  e

Municipalities and communities of

Morris County, New Jersey

County seat: Morristown

Boroughs

Butler | Chatham | Chester | Florham Park | Kinnelon | Lincoln Park | Madison | Mendham | Morris Plains | Mount Arlington | Mountain Lakes | Netcong | Riverdale | Rockaway | Victory Gardens | Wharton

Towns

Boonton | Dover | Morristown

Townships

Boonton | Chatham | Chester | Denville | East Hanover | Hanover | Harding | Jefferson | Long Hill | Mendham | Mine Hill | Montville | Morris | Mount Olive | Parsippany-Troy Hills | Pequannock | Randolph | Rockaway | Roxbury | Washington

CDPs

Budd Lake | Lake Telemark | Long Valley | Succasunna-Kenvil | White Meadow Lake

Unincorporated

communities

Cedar Knolls | Cedar Lake | Convent Station | Flanders | Gillette | Green Pond | Green Village | Hibernia | Lake Hiawatha | Lake Swannanoa | Landing | Mount Freedom | Millington | Mount Tabor | New Vernon | Pine Brook | Port Morris | Speedwell | Stirling | Towaco | Union Hill | Vasa Park | Whippany

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Boonton, New Jersey