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Stockton, New Jersey

Stockton is a borough in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough sits on the Delaware River at the western end of Amwell Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 495, a decrease of 43 (−8.0%) from the 2010 census count of 538, which in turn reflected a decline of 22 (−3.9%) from the 560 counted in the 2000 census.

Stockton was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 14, 1898, from portions of Delaware Township.

History
Stockton is located along the Delaware River north of Lambertville. The community was first known as Reading Ferry and later as Howell's Ferry. The name was changed to Centre Bridge Station to match the name of the post office and hamlet on the Pennsylvania side of the river. The name became Stockton with the creation of a railroad station and a local post office in 1851. The community was named in honor of U.S. Senator Robert Field Stockton, who was instrumental in the creation of the Delaware and Raritan Canal. Stockton soon began to develop as an industrious town with mills and quarries sprouting in the area. In 1852 the Belvidere Delaware Railroad reached town and accelerated its prosperity. The borough was incorporated in 1898, having been separated from Delaware Township.

Historic locations and sightseeing
The Stockton Inn (formerly known as Colligan's Stockton Inn) was established in 1710. The inn's Dog & Deer Tavern first opened in 1796. The inn that was the inspiration for Richard Rodgers for his hit song "There's a Small Hotel" sung in the 1936 Broadway musical On Your Toes. First built as a private residence it is believed to have been converted to an inn around 1832.

The Delaware River Mill Society was formed to preserve and promote the buildings and site known as Prallsville Mills. John Prall Jr., became the owner of the site in 1794 and with his settlement the area became known as Prallsville.

The Delaware River Mill Society is a private non-profit organization responsible for the restoration, maintenance, and operation of the historic John Prall Jr. House and the Prallsville Mills Complex, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The entire property became part of the D & R Canal State Park in 1973. In 1976 when the State of New Jersey was unable to fund the restoration of its newly acquired Prallsville Mills, local citizens formed the Delaware River Mill Society, to "restore, preserve, operate, maintain and interpret" the historic site.

Prallsville Mills has become a place of cultural and environmental events attracting widespread participation. Visitors can tour 10 historic buildings including an 1877 grist mill, a 1790 linseed oil mill, an 1850 saw mill and a 1900 grain silo. Concerts, art exhibitions, antique shows, holiday parties, school fund-raiser auctions, meetings, as well as private parties, are a source of income for restoration and maintenance of the site. The site currently includes artist Ty Hodanish's studio and gallery, known as The Art Colony, which is housed in the Linseed Mill. The Mill is also situated in the center of the Delaware River Scenic Byway.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.62 square miles (1.61 km2), including 0.55 square miles (1.41 km2) of land and 0.08 square miles (0.19 km2) of water (12.10%).

The borough borders Delaware Township in Hunterdon County and Solebury Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

Prallsville is an unincorporated community located along the border with Delaware Township.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 538 people, 237 households, and 142 families in the borough. The population density was 1,005.6 PD/sqmi. There were 259 housing units at an average density of 484.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 98.33% (529) White, 0.00% (0) Black or African American, 0.00% (0) Native American, 0.93% (5) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.00% (0) from other races, and 0.74% (4) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.56% (3) of the population.

Of the 237 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18; 48.5% were married couples living together; 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 40.1% were non-families. Of all households, 32.1% were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.94.

19.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 35.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.8 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $58,750 (with a margin of error of +/− $19,736) and the median family income was $72,321 (+/− $19,152). Males had a median income of $61,250 (+/− $24,259) versus $42,273 (+/− $34,015) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,153 (+/− $7,749). About none of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 560 people, 246 households, and 148 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,026.5 PD/sqmi. There were 258 housing units at an average density of 472.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the borough was 98.57% White, 0.89% Asian, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 246 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 34.5% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $51,406, and the median income for a family was $65,000. Males had a median income of $42,083 versus $36,250 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,712. About 1.3% of families and 2.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Stockton is governed under the borough form of New Jersey municipal government, which is used in 218 municipalities (of the 564) statewide, making it the most common government form in New Jersey. The governing body is comprised of the mayor and the borough council, with all positions elected at-large on a partisan basis as part of the November general election. The mayor is elected directly by the voters to a four-year term of office. The borough council includes six members elected to serve three-year terms on a staggered basis, with two seats coming up for election each year in a three-year cycle. The borough form of government used by Stockton is a "weak mayor / strong council" government in which council members act as the legislative body with the mayor presiding at meetings and voting only in the event of a tie. The mayor can veto ordinances subject to an override by a two-thirds majority vote of the council. The mayor makes committee and liaison assignments for council members, and most appointments are made by the mayor with the advice and consent of the council.

, the mayor of Stockton Borough is Democrat Aaron R. Lipsen, whose term of office ends December 31, 2026. Members of the borough council are Council President Michael L. Mann (D, 2023), William Brown (D, 2024; appointed to unexpired term), Peter Folz (D, 2025), Rebecca Hendricks (D, 2023), Peter M. Hunt (D, 2025), Kenneth Kozuhowski (R, 2024).

In January 2023, the borough council appointed William Brown to fill the seat expiring in December 2024 that became vacant when Aaron Lipsen took office as mayor. Brown will serve on an interim basis until the November 2023 general election, when voters will choose a candidate to serve the remainder of the term of office.

Democrat Neal Esposito died in office on October 23, 2014, and was reelected posthumously for a new three-year term in the November general election. In the same election, Timothy Nemeth was elected as mayor, creating a vacancy in his seat expiring in December 2016. Democrat Adam Juncosa and Republican Anthony A. Grecco were appointed to fill the council vacancies. In the November 2015 general election, both Juncosa and Grecco were elected to serve the balance of the terms of office.

Federal, state and county representation
Stockton is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 396 registered voters in Stockton, of which 166 (41.9%) were registered as Democrats, 127 (32.1%) were registered as Republicans and 102 (25.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There was one voter registered to another party.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 58.2% of the vote (174 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 40.1% (120 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (5 votes), among the 300 ballots cast by the borough's 399 registered voters (1 ballot was spoiled), for a turnout of 75.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 59.3% of the vote (210 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain with 38.1% (135 votes) and other candidates with 1.4% (5 votes), among the 354 ballots cast by the borough's 405 registered voters, for a turnout of 87.4%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 57.3% of the vote (200 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush with 41.5% (145 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (4 votes), among the 349 ballots cast by the borough's 412 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 84.7.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 60.1% of the vote (131 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 37.2% (81 votes), and other candidates with 2.8% (6 votes), among the 221 ballots cast by the borough's 393 registered voters (3 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 56.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 45.7% of the vote (122 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 43.4% (116 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 8.2% (22 votes) and other candidates with 1.9% (5 votes), among the 267 ballots cast by the borough's 398 registered voters, yielding a 67.1% turnout.

Education
Stockton is part of the South Hunterdon Regional School District, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 925 students and 108.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are The Lambertville Public School with 225 students in grades Pre-K–6, West Amwell School with 224 students in grades K–6 and South Hunterdon Regional High School with 458 students in grades 7–12.

Historically, Stockton had its own school district, the Stockton Borough School District, serving students in grades K–6. The district's sole school building, the District No. 98 Schoolhouse, had been in use since 1872. In a special election held in September 2013, voters from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township passed referendums to dissolve the South Hunterdon Regional High School District and to combine the three existing school districts from each municipality (Lambertville City School District, Stockton Borough School District and West Amwell Township School District), with majorities in each community passing both ballot items. A single combined regional district was created, serving students in grades Pre-K–12, in which property taxes are levied under a formula in which 57% is based on property values and 43% on the number of students. The executive county superintendent appointed an interim board of education for the new regional district, which was responsible for implementing the merger. The Stockton school was closed after the 2017–2018 school year and the elementary students were sent to Lambertville and West Amwell schools.

Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Transportation
, the borough had a total of 4.09 mi of roadways, of which 2.50 mi were maintained by the municipality, 0.28 mi by Hunterdon County and 1.31 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 29 and County Route 523 are the most significant highways passing through Stockton.

The Centre Bridge-Stockton Bridge is a toll-free bridge stretching 825 ft over the Delaware River that is owned and operated by the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, connecting Pennsylvania Route 32 and Pennsylvania Route 263 in Solebury Township, Pennsylvania, to New Jersey Route 29 in Stockton. The original bridge, constructed at the site formerly known as Reading's Ferry, was opened to traffic in the spring of 1814. The covered bridge was destroyed in a flood on January 8, 1841, striking the Lambertville Bridge on its way down the Delaware, as part of a flood that severely damaged every bridge between Easton, Pennsylvania, and Trenton.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Stockton include:

 * Anne Elstner (1899–1981), actress who played the title role on the radio soap opera Stella Dallas during its entire run, from 1937–1955
 * Chet Huntley (1911–1974), television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, the Huntley-Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956
 * JP Miller (1919–2001), writer of teleplays during the Golden Age of Television
 * Carolyn Rovee-Collier (1942–2014), pioneer and expert in cognitive development

title: Stockton, New Jersey


text:
Tewksbury Township, New Jersey

Tewksbury Township is a township located in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is located within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,870, a decrease of 123 (−2.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,993,  which in turn reflected an increase of 452 (+8.2%) from the 5,541 counted in the 2000 census.

The township has been one of the state's highest-income communities. Based on data from the 2012–2016 American Community Survey (ACS), NJ.com ranked the township as having the fifth-highest income in the state, with a median household income of $173,473. Based on data from the 2014–2018 ACS, the township residents had a median household income of $162,037, more than double the statewide median of $79,363.

Located within the Raritan Valley region, Tewksbury is situated in northeastern Hunterdon County bordering both Morris and Somerset (along the Lamington River) counties. The township's name is thought to be from Tewkesbury, England. Since 2003, the two communities have been twinned.

History
The area was originally settled by the Lenape Native Americans. European settlement began in 1708, when George Willocks acquired land from the Lenape in the area, followed by an acquisition by the proprietors of West Jersey of a tract covering 100000 acre.

The township was first mentioned as holding a township meeting on March 11, 1755, as having been formed partly from Lebanon Township, though the exact circumstances of its formation by charter are unknown. Tewksbury was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Califon borough (April 2, 1898). Portions of the township were acquired from Readington Township in 1832 and 1861, and portions were transferred to Clinton Township in 1871 and 1891.

The earliest European settlers were of English extraction and were followed by a large German contingent who began to settle in the area around 1749 and became the strongest influence around the time Tewksbury became a township. Their community was known as New Germantown, a name that survived until World War I when prejudice against Germans led residents to change the community's name to Oldwick. The more than 100 structures and its mixture of Victorian, Federal, New England and Georgian style homes in Oldwick is protected by its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Established in 1714 and granted a Royal Charter in 1767, Zion Lutheran Church in Oldwick is the oldest German Lutheran parish in New Jersey.

Oldwick is home to Mane Stream, a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) Premier Accredited Center for therapeutic horseback riding.

On April 5, 2024, the township was the epicenter of the 2024 New Jersey earthquake, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake that was felt throughout the Northeastern United States including New York City and Philadelphia.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 31.78 mi2, including 31.65 mi2 of land and 0.13 mi2 of water (0.41%).

Tewksbury Township borders Califon, Clinton Township, Lebanon Township and Readington Township in Hunterdon County; Chester Township and Washington Township in Morris County; and Bedminster Township in Somerset County.

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Apgar's Corner, Bissell, Cokesbury, Fairmount, Farmersville, Fox Hill, Laurel Farms, Lower Fairmount, Mountainville, New Germantown, Oldwick, Pottersville, Sutton and Vernoy.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,993 people, 2,189 households, and 1,769 families in the township. The population density was 190.1 per square mile (73.4/km2). There were 2,323 housing units at an average density of 73.7 per square mile (28.5/km2). The racial makeup was 94.16% (5,643) White, 0.83% (50) Black or African American, 0.03% (2) Native American, 2.92% (175) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.82% (49) from other races, and 1.23% (74) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.49% (209) of the population.

Of the 2,189 households, 34.9% had children under the age of 18; 73.0% were married couples living together; 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 19.2% were non-families. Of all households, 15.3% were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.05.

25.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 15.2% from 25 to 44, 38.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.3 years. For every 100 females, the population had 97.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $160,224 (with a margin of error of +/− $13,609) and the median family income was $189,833 (+/− $21,901). Males had a median income of $128,177 (+/− $22,406) versus $90,833 (+/− $32,868) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $91,644 (+/− $13,544). About 0.9% of families and 1.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 5,541 people, 1,986 households, and 1,662 families residing in the township. The population density was 175.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,052 housing units at an average density of 64.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 96.82% White, 0.52% African American, 1.88% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 0.51% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.53% of the population.

There were 1,996 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.3% were non-families. 12.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the township the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 25.2% from 25 to 44, 33.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $135,649, and the median income for a family was $150,189. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $57,500 for females. The per capita income for the township was $65,470. About 1.6% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation
Tewksbury Township hosts part of a rail trail that was created out of the former Central Railroad of New Jersey High Bridge Branch. The trail is maintained by Hunterdon County Parks and Recreation and is called the Columbia Trail, which includes a scenic area known as the Ken Lockwood Gorge.

Local government
Tewksbury Township is governed under the Township form of government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide governed under this form. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting held in January, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor, each serving a one-year term.

, members of the Tewksbury Township Committee are Mayor Jean Frankel (I, term on township committee and as mayor ends December 31, 2023), Deputy Mayor William J. Voyce (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2023), Dana D. Desiderio (R, 2024), Andrea B. Maranca (R, 2025) and Peter L. Melick (R, 2024).

In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $14,367, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.

Federal, state and county representation
Tewksbury Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 4,425 registered voters in Tewksbury Township, of which 699 (15.8%) were registered as Democrats, 2,310 (52.2%) were registered as Republicans and 1,412 (31.9%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 4 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2020 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 52.9% (2,245 votes) of the vote, compared to 45.6% (1,931 votes) for Joe Biden and 1.4% (61 votes) for all other candidates. In the 2016 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump received 57.6% (2,109 votes) of the vote, compared to 38.3% (1,402 votes) for Hillary Rodham Clinton and 4.1% (151 votes) for all other candidates. In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 66.6% of the vote (2,291 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 32.0% (1,100 votes), and other candidates with 1.5% (51 votes), among the 3,478 ballots cast by the township's 4,628 registered voters (36 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 75.2%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 60.7% of the vote (2,280 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 37.4% (1,403 votes) and other candidates with 1.0% (39 votes), among the 3,754 ballots cast by the township's 4,502 registered voters, for a turnout of 83.4%.

In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 66.7% of the vote (2,321 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 33.2% (1,156 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (25 votes), among the 3,480 ballots cast by the township's 4,171 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 83.4. In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.8% of the vote (1,706 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 20.3% (445 votes), and other candidates with 1.9% (41 votes), among the 2,238 ballots cast by the township's 4,551 registered voters (46 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 49.2%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 66.7% of the vote (1,982 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 21.5% (638 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 10.4% (310 votes) and other candidates with 0.2% (5 votes), among the 2,971 ballots cast by the township's 4,434 registered voters, yielding a 67.0% turnout.

Education
The Tewksbury Township Schools is a public school district, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2021–22 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 500 students and 55.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.0:1. Schools in the district (with 2021–22 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Tewksbury Elementary School with 309 students in grades PreK - 4 and Old Turnpike School with 186 students in grades 5 - 8. Tewksbury Elementary School was recognized in 2011 as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. Old Turnpike School was one of nine schools in New Jersey honored in 2020 by the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which recognizes high student achievement.

The original elementary school, Sawmill, opened in 1951 and was sold in 2003 for $1 million to the Hunterdon County Educational Services Commission.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend Voorhees High School in Lebanon Township (although the mailing address is Glen Gardner), which also serves students from Califon Borough, Glen Gardner Borough, Hampton Borough, High Bridge Borough and Lebanon Township. As of the 2021–22 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 780 students and 76.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.2:1. The school is part of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District, which also includes students from Bethlehem Township, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township, Lebanon Borough and Union Township who attend North Hunterdon High School in Annandale.

Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Historic district
The Oldwick Historic District is a 170 acre national historic district located along County Route 517 (Main Street), Church, King, James, Joliet and William streets in the historic Oldwick neighborhood of Tewksbury Township.

The community has been settled since the 1740s, when Ralph Smith bought land in the northern part of Oldwick. The construction of the Zion Lutheran Church in 1749 (remodeled in 1831) is a fixture of the community, as it utilizes the architectural style of vernacular Gothic/Greek revival. Other notable properties include the Tewksbury Inn (built in 1800 in the Colonial Revival architectural style) and the Oldwick Methodist Church (built in 1865 in the Romanesque architectural style).

The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 1988, for its significance in architecture, commerce, and industry, and has a total of 127 contributing buildings, 12 contributing structures, and one contributing site. Many of the buildings were documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 99.22 mi of roadways, of which 82.81 mi were maintained by the municipality, 15.39 mi by Hunterdon County and 1.02 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

There are several roadways that traverse the township. Interstate 78 passes through the township, and is accessible via Oldwick Road (County Route 523) at Exit 24. County Route 517 also passes through the township.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Tewksbury Township include:

 * Harriet Adams (1892–1982), novelist and publisher who authored some 200 books including many in the Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene) and a few in the Hardy Boys series (under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon)
 * Joseph Alexander Adams (1803–1880), engraver
 * John Amos (born 1939), actor
 * Dan Cocoziello (born 1985), professional lacrosse player
 * Everett Fagan (1918–1983), professional baseball player during the 1940s
 * Eileen Ford (1922–2014), co-founder of Ford Modeling Agency, now called Ford Models
 * Gerard W. Ford (1924–2008), co-founder of Ford Modeling Agency, now called Ford Models
 * James Gandolfini (1961–2013), actor best known for his lead role in the HBO series The Sopranos
 * Lawrence R. Hafstad (1904–1993), electrical engineer and physicist notable for his pioneering work on nuclear reactors.
 * Alison Haislip (born 1981), actress and correspondent for G4tv's Attack of the Show!
 * Andrew Horowitz (born 1983), musician/singer in Tally Hall
 * Kamine family, owners of Olympic horse Royal Kaliber.
 * Charlie Murphy (1959–2017), actor and comedian
 * Joe Piscopo (born 1951), actor and comedian
 * Webster B. Todd (1899–1989), businessman, Republican leader, and father of Christine Todd Whitman
 * Frederica von Stade (born 1945), opera singer
 * George David Weiss (1921–2010), songwriter and former President of the Songwriters Guild of America
 * Christine Todd Whitman (born 1946), 50th Governor of New Jersey
 * John Whitman (1944–2015), businessman, investment banker and husband of Christine Todd Whitman
 * Kate Whitman Annis (born c. 1977), general manager of the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Tewksbury Township, New Jersey


text:
Union Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

Union Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The southwest half of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau, the northwest corner consists of the Musconetcong Ridge and the northeast section is part of the lower-lying Newark Basin around Spruce Run Reservoir. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,507, its highest ever decennial count and an increase of 599 (+10.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,908,  which in turn reflected a decline of 252 (−4.1%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 census.

Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1853, from portions of Bethlehem Township. Clinton Town was formed on April 5, 1865, within portions of the township, and became an independent municipality in 1895. The township was named for Union Furnace, which was producing iron from 1742 until the 1780s. The name "Union" was chosen over the alternative "Rockhill", which was a community at the southern end of the township.

Union Furnace and its forge produced cannonballs for the Revolutionary War and shoes for horses and oxen, as well as farm implements. Farms and fields were established in areas where trees were felled to provide fuel for the furnace. A farm community developed, together with basket making and tanning industries.

New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Union Township 21st in its 2008 rankings of the "Best Places To Live" in New Jersey.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, township had a total area of 20.63 square miles (53.43 km2), including 18.77 square miles (48.60 km2) of land and 1.86 square miles (4.83 km2) of water (9.03%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Coles Mills, Grandin, Hensfoot, Jutland, Kingtown, Mechlings Corner, Mount Salem, Norton, Pattenburg, Perryville, Polktown and Van Syckel.

Pittstown is an unincorporated community that is also spread across Alexandria Township and Franklin Township.

The township borders the Hunterdon County municipalities of Alexandria Township, Bethlehem Township, Clinton, Clinton Township, Franklin Township and Lebanon Township.

Demographics
Two large state facilities in the township, the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (with 650 inmates in 2018) and Hunterdon Developmental Center (which had 480 residents as of 2017), account for almost 20% of the residents counted by the Census Bureau. Their inclusion skews the township's demographic characteristics. The unusual ratio of 100 females there vs. 77.5 males and the presence of 12.5% of residents but no families being below the poverty linen is largely due to the nature of the residents of these two facilities.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 5,908 people, 1,752 households, and 1,221 families in the township. The population density was 315.3 per square mile (121.7/km2). There were 1,830 housing units at an average density of 97.7 per square mile (37.7/km2). The racial makeup was 83.21% (4,916) White, 9.06% (535) Black or African American, 0.15% (9) Native American, 4.13% (244) Asian, 0.05% (3) Pacific Islander, 1.61% (95) from other races, and 1.79% (106) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.08% (359) of the population.

Of the 1,752 households, 33.8% had children under the age of 18; 61.6% were married couples living together; 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.8% were made up of individuals and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.12.

18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 37.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.7 years. For every 100 females, the population had 77.5 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 73.2 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,304 (with a margin of error of +/− $11,761) and the median family income was $126,157 (+/− $23,039). Males had a median income of $97,548 (+/− $31,580) versus $62,130 (+/− $7,607) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $33,753 (+/− $7,431). About none of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 6,160 people, 1,666 households, and 1,162 families residing in the township. The population density was 324.8 PD/sqmi. There were 1,725 housing units at an average density of 90.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 81.83% White, 13.36% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.59% from other races, and 1.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.13% of the population.

There were 1,666 households, out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the township the population was spread out, with 19.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 43.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $81,089, and the median income for a family was $102,146. Males had a median income of $64,375 versus $41,795 for females. The per capita income for the township was $29,535. About 0.4% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
Union Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor.

, members of the Union Township Committee are Mayor David DeGiralamo (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Page Stiger (R, term on committee ends 2025; term as deputy mayor ends 2023), Bruce R. Hirt (R, 2023), Richard Lordi (R, 2024) and Frank T. Mazza (R, 2023).

In February 2019, the Township Committee selected Page Stiger from a list of three candidates nominated by the Republican municipal committee to fill the seat expiring in December 2019 that was vacated by Michael Sroka when he resigned from office the previous month.

In 2010, the Township's Environmental Commission earned Union Township the distinction of becoming the first community in Hunterdon County to achieve certification under the Sustainable Jersey program, which works to help communities reduce waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental equity.

Federal, state and county representation
Union Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.

Two state facilities, the New Jersey Department of Corrections Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women (with 650 inmates in 2018), and the New Jersey Department of Human Services Hunterdon Developmental Center (which had 480 residents as of 2017), are located in Union Township.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 3,226 registered voters in Union Township, of which 1,335 (41.4%) were registered as Republicans, 574 (17.8%) were registered as Democrats, and 1,312 (40.7%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were five voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 60.8% of the vote (1,545 cast), ahead of Democrat Obama with 37.6% (955 votes), and other candidates with 1.7% (42 votes), among the 2,560 ballots cast by the township's 3,416 registered voters (18 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 74.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 58.9% of the vote here (1,568 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 38.7% (1,030 votes) and other candidates with 1.3% (35 votes), among the 2,662 ballots cast by the township's 3,265 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 64.3% of the vote here (1,566 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 35.3% (860 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (34 votes), among the 2,437 ballots cast by the township's 2,992 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.5.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 77.2% of the vote (1,179 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 21.0% (321 votes), and other candidates with 1.8% (28 votes), among the 1,549 ballots cast by the township's 3,409 registered voters (21 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.9% of the vote here (1,303 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 19.9% (366 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 7.6% (139 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (7 votes), among the 1,837 ballots cast by the township's 3,214 registered voters, yielding a 57.2% turnout.

Education
The Union Township School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 436 students and 44.8 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 9.7:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–2019 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Union Township Elementary School with 207 students in grades K–4 and Union Township Middle School with 225 students in grades 5–8.

Public school students in ninth through twelfth grades attend North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, which also serves students from Bethlehem Township, Clinton Town, Clinton Township, Franklin Township and Lebanon Borough. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 1,584 students and 123.2 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 12.9:1. The school is part of the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regional High School District, which also includes students from Califon, Glen Gardner, Hampton, High Bridge, Lebanon Township and Tewksbury Township, who attend Voorhees High School in Lebanon Township.

Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 64.00 mi of roadways, of which 43.08 mi were maintained by the municipality, 11.51 mi by Hunterdon County and 9.41 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Union is accessible by a variety of roads. The most prominent roadway is Interstate 78 / U.S. 22, which run concurrently through Union Township. Route 173 passes through the center and eventually merges briefly with both. County Route 513 runs along the southeastern border while County Route 579 goes along the southwestern border.

Rail service
The Norfolk Southern Railway's Lehigh Line (formerly the mainline of the Lehigh Valley Railroad), runs through Union Township.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Union Township include:

 * Scott Bradlee (born 1981), musician, pianist, composer, and arranger best known for his viral videos on YouTube, including his work under the moniker Postmodern Jukebox
 * Daniel Karcher (born 1964), is an NPR host and filmmaker, best known as host for WBGO, where he serves as the station's "full-time substitute host"
 * John Penn (1729–1795), last colonial governor of Pennsylvania
 * Charles Rinehart (1875–1933), football player, engineer and businessman who was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1964
 * Lloyd Wescott (1907–1990), agriculturalist, civil servant, and philanthropist
 * Glenway Wescott (1911–1987), novelist during the 1920s and 1930s and a figure in the American expatriate literary community in Paris during the 1920s


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Continuous track

Continuous track or tracked treads are a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle better than steel or rubber tyres on an equivalent vehicle, enabling continuous tracked vehicles to traverse soft ground with less likelihood of becoming stuck due to sinking.

Modern continuous tracks can be made with soft belts of synthetic rubber, reinforced with steel wires, in the case of lighter agricultural machinery. The more common classical type is a solid chain track made of steel plates (with or without rubber pads), also called caterpillar tread or tank tread, which is preferred for robust and heavy construction vehicles and military vehicles.

The prominent treads of the metal plates are both hard-wearing and damage resistant, especially in comparison to rubber tyres. The aggressive treads of the tracks provide good traction in soft surfaces but can damage paved surfaces, so some metal tracks can have rubber pads installed for use on paved surfaces. Other than soft rubber belts, most chain tracks apply a stiff mechanism to distribute the load equally over the entire space between the wheels for minimal deformation, so that even the heaviest vehicles can move easily, just like a train on its straight tracks.

The stiff mechanism was first given a physical form by Hornsby & Sons in 1904 and then made popular by Caterpillar Tractor Company, with tanks emerging during World War I. Today, they are commonly used on a variety of vehicles, including snowmobiles, tractors, bulldozers, excavators and tanks. The idea of continuous tracks can be traced back as far as the 1830s, however.

History
The British polymath Sir George Cayley patented a continuous track, which he called a "universal railway" in 1825. Polish mathematician and inventor Józef Maria Hoene-Wroński designed caterpillar vehicles in the 1830s to compete with the railways. In 1837, Russian army captain Dmitry Andreevich Zagryazhsky (1807 – after 1860) designed a "carriage with mobile tracks" which he patented the same year, but due to a lack of funds and interest from manufacturers he was unable to build a working prototype, and his patent was voided in 1839.

Heathcote's Steam Plough

 * Patented in 1832 by John Heathcoat (also Heathcote) M.P. for Tiverton, the Heathcote steam plough was demonstrated in 1837 and press coverage fortunately provided a wood cut of this unusual tracked vehicle. The continuous tracks were made of 7 foot sections of wood bolted to continuous iron bands which were driven by the 'drums' at each end. A strong chassis provided the bearings for the drums, and carried the steam engine, fuel and winch. The chassis was supported on "numerous small wheels or rollers" which ran upon the lower iron bands, which "thus form a perfectly portable and smooth road for the platform". The drums were 9 or in diameter, 26 foot apart. The tracks were each 7 foot wide with a 7 foot gap in-between giving an overall width of 21 feet. The twin-cylinder steam engine could be used either to drive the plough winch or to drive the vehicle along, at a speed of up to 5 feet/minute. Although the machine weighed 30 tons complete with 6 tons of fuel, its ground pressure was only 178 lb/sqft, considerably less than a man. The successful demonstration was carried out on Red Moss at Bolton-le-Moors on 20 April 1837. The steam plough was lost when it sank into a swamp by accident and was then abandoned as the inventor did not have the funds to continue development.

Dreadnaught wheel by Boydell (1846)
Although not a continuous track in the form encountered today, a dreadnaught wheel or "endless railway wheel" was patented by the British Engineer James Boydell in 1846. In Boydell's design, a series of flat feet are attached to the periphery of the wheel, spreading the weight. A number of horse-drawn wagons, carts and gun carriages were successfully deployed in the Crimean War, waged between October 1853 and February 1856, the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich manufacturing dreadnaught wheels. A letter of recommendation was signed by Sir William Codrington, the General commanding the troops at Sebastopol.

Boydell patented improvements to his wheel in 1854 (No. 431) – the year his dreadnaught wheel was first applied to a steam engine – and 1858 (No. 356), the latter an impracticable palliative measure involving the lifting one or other of the driving wheels to facilitate turning.

A number of manufacturers including Richard Bach, Richard Garrett & Sons, Charles Burrell & Sons and Clayton & Shuttleworth applied the Boydell patent under licence. The British military were interested in Boydell's invention from an early date. One of the objectives was to transport Mallet's Mortar, a giant 36 inch weapon which was under development, but, by the end of the Crimean War, the mortar was not ready for service. A detailed report of the tests on steam traction, carried out by a select Committee of the Board of Ordnance, was published in June 1856, by which date the Crimean War was over, consequently the mortar and its transportation became irrelevant. In those tests, a Garrett engine was put through its paces on Plumstead Common. The Garrett engine featured in the Lord Mayor's show in London, and in the following month that engine was shipped to Australia. A steam tractor employing dreadnaught wheels was built at Bach's Birmingham works, and was used between 1856 and 1858 for ploughing in Thetford; and the first generation of Burrell/Boydell engines was built at the St. Nicholas works in 1856, again, after the close of the Crimean War.

Between late 1856 and 1862 Burrell manufactured not less than a score of engines fitted with dreadnaught wheels. In April 1858, the journal The Engineer gave a brief description of a Clayton & Shuttleworth engine fitted with dreadnaught wheels, which was supplied not to the Western Allies, but to the Russian government for heavy artillery haulage in Crimea in the post-war period. Steam tractors fitted with dreadnaught wheels had a number of shortcomings and, notwithstanding the creations of the late 1850s, were never used extensively.

Endless Railway by John Fowler (1858)
In August 1858, more than two years after the end of the Crimean War, John Fowler filed British Patent No. 1948 on another form of "Endless Railway". In his illustration of the invention, Fowler used a pair of wheels of equal diameter on each side of his vehicle, around which pair of toothed wheels ran a 'track' of eight jointed segments, with a smaller jockey/drive wheel between each pair of wheels, to support the 'track'. Comprising only eight sections, the 'track' sections are essentially 'longitudinal', as in Boydell's initial design. Fowler's arrangement is a precursor to the multi-section caterpillar track in which a relatively large number of short 'transverse' treads are used, as proposed by Sir George Caley in 1825, rather than a small number of relatively long 'longitudinal' treads.

Further to Fowler's patent of 1858, in 1877, a Russian, Fyodor Blinov, created a tracked vehicle called "wagon moved on endless rails". It lacked self-propulsion and was pulled by horses. Blinov received a patent for his "wagon" in 1878. From 1881 to 1888 he developed a steam-powered caterpillar-tractor. This self-propelled crawler was successfully tested and featured at a farmers' exhibition in 1896.

20th century efforts
Steam traction engines were used at the end of the 19th century in the Boer Wars. But neither dreadnaught wheels nor continuous tracks were used, rather "roll-out" wooden plank roads were thrown under the wheels as required. In short, whilst the development of the continuous track engaged the attention of a number of inventors in the 18th and 19th centuries, the general use and exploitation of the continuous track belonged to the 20th century, mainly in the United States and England.

A little-known American inventor, Henry Thomas Stith (1839–1916), had developed a continuous track prototype which was, in multiple forms, patented in 1873, 1880, and 1900. The last was for the application of the track to a prototype off-road bicycle built for his son. The 1900 prototype is retained by his surviving family.

Frank Beamond (1870–1941), a less-commonly known but significant British inventor, designed and built caterpillar tracks, and was granted patents for them in a number of countries, in 1900 and 1907.

First commercial success (1901)
A first effective continuous track was not only invented but really implemented by Alvin Orlando Lombard for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler. He was granted a patent in 1901 and built the first steam-powered log hauler at the Waterville Iron Works in Waterville, Maine, the same year. In all, 83 Lombard steam log haulers are known to have been built up to 1917, when production switched entirely to internal combustion engine powered machines, ending with a Fairbanks diesel-powered unit in 1934. Alvin Lombard may also have been the first commercial manufacturer of the tractor crawler.

At least one of Lombard's steam-powered machines apparently remains in working order. A gasoline-powered Lombard hauler is on display at the Maine State Museum in Augusta. In addition, there may have been up to twice as many Phoenix Centipeed versions of the steam log hauler built under license from Lombard, with vertical instead of horizontal cylinders. In 1903, the founder of Holt Manufacturing, Benjamin Holt, paid Lombard $60,000 for the right to produce vehicles under his patent.

The stiff chain by Hornsby & Sons (1904)
At about the same time a British agricultural company, Hornsby in Grantham, developed a continuous track which was patented in 1905. The design differed from modern tracks in that it flexed in only one direction, with the effect that the links locked together to form a solid rail on which the road wheels ran. Hornsby's tracked vehicles were given trials as artillery tractors by the British Army on several occasions between 1905 and 1910, but not adopted.

The Hornsby tractors pioneered a track-steer clutch arrangement, which is the basis of the modern crawler operation. The patent was purchased by Holt.

Holt and the Caterpillar
The name Caterpillar came from a soldier during the tests on the Hornsby crawler, "trials began at Aldershot in July 1907. The soldiers immediately christened the 70bhp No.2 machine the 'caterpillar'." Holt adopted that name for his "crawler" tractors. Holt began moving from steam to gasoline-powered designs, and in 1908 brought out the 40 hp "Holt Model 40 Caterpillar". Holt incorporated the Holt Caterpillar Company, in early 1910, later that year trademarked the name "Caterpillar" for his continuous tracks.

Caterpillar Tractor Company began in 1925 from a merger of the Holt Manufacturing Company and the C. L. Best Tractor Company, an early successful manufacturer of crawler tractors.

With the Caterpillar D10 in 1977, Caterpillar resurrected a design by Holt and Best, the high-sprocket-drive, since known as the "High Drive", which had the advantage of keeping the main drive shaft away from ground shocks and dirt, and is still used in their larger dozers.

Snow vehicles
In a memorandum of 1908, Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott presented his view that man-hauling to the South Pole was impossible and that motor traction was needed. Snow vehicles did not yet exist however, and so his engineer Reginald Skelton developed the idea of a caterpillar track for snow surfaces. These tracked motors were built by the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company in Birmingham, tested in Switzerland and Norway, and can be seen in action in Herbert Ponting's 1911 documentary film of Scott's Antarctic Terra Nova Expedition. Scott died during the expedition in 1912, but expedition member and biographer Apsley Cherry-Garrard credited Scott's "motors" with the inspiration for the British World War I tanks, writing: "Scott never knew their true possibilities; for they were the direct ancestors of the 'tanks' in France."

In time, however, a wide array of vehicles were developed for snow and ice, including ski slope grooming machines, snowmobiles, and countless commercial and military vehicles.

Military application
Continuous track was first applied to a military vehicle on the British prototype tank Little Willie. British Army officers, Colonel Ernest Swinton and Colonel Maurice Hankey, became convinced that it was possible to develop a fighting vehicle that could provide protection from machine gun fire.

During World War I, Holt tractors were used by the British and Austro-Hungarian armies to tow heavy artillery and stimulated the development of tanks in several countries. The first tanks to go into action, the Mark I, built by Great Britain, were designed from scratch and were inspired by, but not directly based on, the Holt. The slightly later French and German tanks were built on modified Holt running gear.

Patent history
A long line of patents disputes who was the "originator" of continuous tracks. There were a number of designs that attempted to achieve a track laying mechanism, although these designs do not generally resemble modern tracked vehicles.

In 1877 Russian inventor Fyodor Abramovich Blinov created a horse-drawn tracked vehicle called "wagon moved on endless rails", which received a patent the next year. In 1881–1888 he created a steam-powered caterpillar-tractor. This self-propelled crawler was successfully tested and showed at a farmers' exhibition in 1896.

According to Scientific American, Charles Dinsmoor of Warren, Pennsylvania invented a "vehicle" on endless tracks, patented as No. 351,749 on November 2, 1886. The article gives a detailed description of the endless tracks.

Alvin O. Lombard of Waterville, Maine was issued a patent in 1901 for the Lombard Steam Log Hauler that resembles a regular railroad steam locomotive with sled steerage on front and crawlers in rear for hauling logs in the Northeastern United States and Canada. The haulers allowed pulp to be taken to rivers in the winter. Prior to then, horses could be used only until snow depths made hauling impossible. Lombard began commercial production which lasted until around 1917 when focus switched entirely to gasoline powered machines. A gasoline-powered hauler is on display at the Maine State Museum in Augusta, Maine. After Lombard began operations, Hornsby in England manufactured at least two full length "track steer" machines, and their patent was later purchased by Holt in 1913, allowing Holt to claim to be the "inventor" of the crawler tractor. Since the "tank" was a British concept it is more likely that the Hornsby, which had been built and unsuccessfully pitched to their military, was the inspiration.

In a patent dispute involving rival crawler builder Best, testimony was brought in from people including Lombard, that Holt had inspected a Lombard log hauler shipped out to a western state by people who would later build the Phoenix log hauler in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, under license from Lombard. The Phoenix Centipeed typically had a fancier wood cab, steering wheel tipped forward at a 45 degree angle and vertical instead of horizontal cylinders.

Linn
In the meantime, a gasoline-powered motor home was built by Lombard for Holman Harry (Flannery) Linn of Old Town, Maine to pull the equipment wagon of his dog & pony show, resembling a trolley car only with wheels in front and Lombard crawlers in rear. Linn had experimented with gasoline and steam-powered vehicles and six-wheel drive before this, and at some point entered Lombard's employment as a demonstrator, mechanic and sales agent. This resulted in a question of proprietorship of patent rights after a single rear-tracked gasoline-powered road engine of tricycle arrangement was built to replace the larger motor home in 1909 on account of problems with the old picturesque wooden bridges. This dispute resulted in Linn departing Maine and relocating to Morris, New York, to build an improved, contour following flexible lag tread or crawler with independent suspension of halftrack type, gasoline and later diesel powered. Although several were delivered for military use between 1917 and 1946, Linn never received any large military orders. Most of the production between 1917 and 1952, approximately 2500 units, was sold directly to highway departments and contractors. Steel tracks and payload capacity allowed these machines to work in terrain that would typically cause the poorer quality rubber tyres that existed before the mid-1930s to spin uselessly, or shred completely.

Linn was a pioneer in snow removal before the practice was embraced in rural areas, with a nine-foot steel v-plow and sixteen foot adjustable leveling wings on either side. Once the highway system became paved, snowplowing could be done by four wheel drive trucks equipped by improving tyre designs, and the Linn became an off highway vehicle, for logging, mining, dam construction, arctic exploration, etc.

Construction and operation
Modern tracks are built from modular chain links which together compose a closed chain. The links are jointed by a hinge, which allows the track to be flexible and wrap around a set of wheels to make an endless loop. The chain links are often broad, and can be made of manganese alloy steel for high strength, hardness, and abrasion resistance.

Track construction and assembly is dictated by the application. Military vehicles use a track shoe that is integral to the structure of the chain in order to reduce track weight. Reduced weight allows the vehicle to move faster and decreases overall vehicle weight to ease transportation. Since track weight is completely unsprung, reducing it improves suspension performance at speeds where the track's momentum is significant. In contrast, agricultural and construction vehicles opt for a track with shoes that attach to the chain with bolts and do not form part of the chain's structure. This allows track shoes to break without compromising the ability of the vehicle to move and decrease productivity but increases the overall weight of the track and vehicle.

The vehicle's weight is transferred to the bottom length of track by a number of road wheels, or sets of wheels called bogies. While tracked construction equipment typically lacks suspension due to the vehicle only moving at low speeds, in military vehicles road wheels are typically mounted on some form of suspension to cushion the ride over rough ground. Suspension design in military vehicles is a major area of development; the very early designs were often completely unsprung. Later-developed road wheel suspension offered only a few inches of travel using springs, whereas modern hydro-pneumatic systems allow several feet of travel and include shock absorbers. Torsion-bar suspension has become the most common type of military vehicle suspension. Construction vehicles have smaller road wheels that are designed primarily to prevent track derailment and they are normally contained in a single bogie that includes the idler-wheel and sometimes the sprocket.

Overlapping road wheels
Many World War II German military vehicles, initially (starting in the late 1930s) including all vehicles originally designed to be half-tracks and all later tank designs (after the Panzer IV), had slack-track systems, usually driven by a front-located drive sprocket, the track returning along the tops of a design of overlapping and sometimes interleaved large diameter road wheels, as on the suspension systems of the Tiger I and Panther tanks, generically known by the term Schachtellaufwerk (interleaved or overlapping running gear) in German, for both half-track and fully tracked vehicles. There were suspensions with single or sometimes doubled wheels per axle, alternately supporting the inner and outer side of the track, and interleaved suspensions with two or three road wheels per axle, distributing the load over the track.

The choice of overlapping/interleaved road wheels allowed the use of slightly more transverse-orientation torsion bar suspension members, allowing any German tracked military vehicle with such a setup to have a noticeably smoother ride over challenging terrain, leading to reduced wear, ensuring greater traction and more accurate fire. However, on the Russian front, mud and snow would become lodged between the overlapping wheels, freeze, and immobilize the vehicle. As a tracked vehicle moves, the load of each wheel moves over the track, pushing down and forward that part of the earth or snow underneath it, similarly to a wheeled vehicle but to a lesser extent because the tread helps distribute the load. On some surfaces, this can consume enough energy to slow the vehicle down significantly. Overlapped and interleaved wheels improve performance (including fuel consumption) by loading the track more evenly. It also must have extended the life of the tracks and possibly of the wheels. The wheels also better protect the vehicle from enemy fire, and mobility is improved when some wheels are missing.

This relatively complicated approach has not been used since World War II ended. This may be related more to maintenance than to original cost. The torsion bars and bearings may stay dry and clean, but the wheels and tread work in mud, sand, rocks, snow, and other surfaces. In addition, the outer wheels (up to nine of them, some double) had to be removed to access the inner ones. In WWII, vehicles typically had to be maintained for a few months before being destroyed or captured, but in peacetime, vehicles must train several crews over a period of decades.

Drive train
Transfer of power to the track is accomplished by a drive wheel, or drive sprocket, driven by the motor and engaging with holes in the track links or with pegs on them to drive the track. In military vehicles, the drive wheel is typically mounted well above the contact area on the ground, allowing it to be fixed in position. In agricultural crawlers it is normally incorporated as part of the bogie. Placing suspension on the sprocket is possible, but is mechanically more complicated. A non-powered wheel, an idler, is placed at the opposite end of the track, primarily to tension the track, since loose track could be easily thrown (slipped) off the wheels. To prevent throwing, the inner surface of the track links usually have vertical guide horns engaging grooves, or gaps between the doubled road and idler/sprocket wheels. In military vehicles with a rear sprocket, the idler wheel is placed higher than the road wheels to allow it to climb over obstacles. Some track arrangements use return rollers to keep the top of the track running straight between the drive sprocket and idler. Others, called slack track, allow the track to droop and run along the tops of large road wheels. This was a feature of the Christie suspension, leading to occasional misidentification of other slack track-equipped vehicles.

Steering
Continuous track vehicles steer by applying more or less drive torque to one side of the vehicle than the other, and this can be implemented in a variety of ways.

"Live" and "dead" track
Tracks may be broadly categorized as live or dead track. Dead track is a simple design in which each track plate is connected to the rest with hinge-type pins. These dead tracks will lie flat if placed on the ground; the drive sprocket pulls the track around the wheels with no assistance from the track itself. Live track is slightly more complex, with each link connected to the next by a bushing which causes the track to bend slightly inward. A length of live track left on the ground will curl upward slightly at each end. Although the drive sprocket must still pull the track around the wheels, the track itself tends to bend inward, slightly assisting the sprocket and somewhat conforming to the wheels.

Rubber track pads
Tracks are often equipped with rubber pads to improve travel on paved surfaces more quickly, smoothly and quietly. While these pads slightly reduce a vehicle's cross-country traction, they prevent damage to any pavement. Some pad systems are designed to remove easily for cross-country military combat.

Rubber tracks
Starting from late 1980s, many manufacturers provide rubber tracks instead of steel, especially for agricultural applications. Rather than a track made of linked steel plates, a reinforced rubber belt with chevron treads is used.

In comparison to steel tracks, rubber tracks are lighter, waste less power on internal friction, make less noise and do not damage paved roads. However, they impose more ground pressure below the wheels, as they are not able to equalize pressure as well as the stiff mechanism of track plates, especially the spring loaded live tracks. Another disadvantage is that they are not disassemblable into tracks and therefore cannot be repaired, having to be discarded as whole if once damaged.

Previous belt-like systems, such as those used for half-tracks in World War II, were not as strong, and during military actions were easily damaged. The first rubber track was invented and constructed by Adolphe Kégresse and patented in 1913; in historic context rubber tracks are often called Kégresse tracks. First rubber-tracked agricultural tracked was Oliver Farm Equipment HGR in 1945-1948, which was ahead of its time and only seen small-scale production.

Advantages

 * Tracked vehicles are much less likely than wheeled vehicles to get stuck in soft ground, mud or snow, since the tracks distribute the weight of the vehicle over a larger contact area, decreasing its ground pressure. The seventy-ton M1 Abrams tank has an average ground pressure of just over 15 psi. Since tyre air pressure is approximately equal to average ground pressure, a typical car will have an average ground pressure of 28 psi to 33 psi.
 * Tracked vehicles have better mobility over rough terrain than those with wheels: they smooth out the bumps, glide over small obstacles and are capable of crossing trenches or breaks in the terrain. Riding in a fast tracked-vehicle feels just like riding in a boat over heavy swells.
 * The larger contact area, coupled with the cleats, or grousers, on the track shoes, allows vastly superior traction that results in a much better ability to push or pull large loads where wheeled vehicles would dig in. Bulldozers, which are most often tracked, use this attribute to rescue other vehicles (such as wheel loaders) which have become stuck in, or sunk into, the ground.
 * Tracks cannot be punctured or torn and are more resilient in military combat. Should a track be broken, it often can be repaired immediately using special tools and spare parts, without the need for special facilities; this may be crucial in combat situations.

Disadvantages
The disadvantages of tracks are lower top speed, much greater mechanical complexity, shorter life and the damage that their all-steel versions cause to the surface on which they pass: They often cause damage to less firm terrain such as lawns, gravel roads, and farm fields, as the sharp edges of the track easily rout the turf. Accordingly, vehicle laws and local ordinances often require rubberised tracks or track pads. A compromise between all-steel and all-rubber tracks exists: attaching rubber pads to individual track links ensures that continuous track vehicles can travel more smoothly, quickly, and quietly on paved surfaces. While these pads slightly reduce a vehicle's cross-country traction, in theory they prevent damage to any pavement.

Additionally, the loss of a single segment in a track immobilizes the entire vehicle, which can be a disadvantage in situations where high reliability is important. Tracks can also ride off their guide wheels, idlers or sprockets, which can cause them to jam or to come completely off the guide system (this is called a "thrown" track). Jammed tracks may become so tight that the track may need to be broken before a repair is possible, which requires either explosives or special tools. Multi-wheeled vehicles, for example, 8 X 8 military vehicles, may often continue driving even after the loss of one or more non-sequential wheels, depending on the base wheel pattern and drive train.

Prolonged use places enormous strain on the drive transmission and the mechanics of the tracks, which must be overhauled or replaced regularly. It is common to see tracked vehicles such as bulldozers or tanks transported long distances by a wheeled carrier such as a tank transporter or train, though technological advances have made this practice less common among tracked military vehicles than it once was.

Current manufacturers
The pioneer manufacturers have been replaced mostly by large tractor companies such as AGCO, Liebherr Group, John Deere, Yanmar, New Holland, Kubota, Case, Caterpillar Inc., CLAAS. Also, there are some crawler tractor companies specialising in niche markets. Examples are Otter Mfg. Co. and Struck Corporation., with many wheeled vehicle conversion kits available from the American Mattracks firm of Minnesota since the mid-1990s.

Russian off-road vehicles are built by companies such as ZZGT and Vityaz.

In nature

 * Navicula diatoms are known for their ability to creep about on each other and on hard surfaces such as microscope slides. It is thought that around the outside of the navicula's shell is a girdle of protoplasm that can flow and thus act as a continuous track.

Video clips

 * Hornsby Chain Tractor Promotion-Video (6:17, 1908) (British Film Institute)
 * Scale Model Hornsby Traktor (Stapleford Steam, Leicestershire, 2008)
 * 1/3 Scale Hornsby Traktor

title: Continuous track


text:
West Amwell Township, New Jersey

West Amwell Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,005, a decrease of 835 (−21.7%) from the 2010 census count of 3,840, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,457 (+61.1%) from the 2,383 counted in the 2000 census.

West Amwell was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1846, when Amwell Township was split, also creating East Amwell Township at the same time. Portions of the township were taken to form Lambertville town on March 1, 1849. In 1896, the township annexed portions of Delaware Township, East Amwell Township and Raritan Township. The township was named for Amwell Township, which in turn was named for Great Amwell/Little Amwell, Hertfordshire in England.

History
The earliest settlers of the area were the Delaware Native Americans, who had a path through the woods from Lambertville through Mount Airy, Ringoes and Reaville to Newark which would later become the route followed by the Old York Road.

In 1935, local farmers signed a declaration against the Potato Control Law, which established federal controls on the growth of the crop, stating "[t]hat we protest against and declare that we will not be bound by the 'Potato Control Law,' an unconstitutional measure recently enacted by the United States Congress. We shall produce on our own land such potatoes as we may wish to produce and will dispose of them in such manner as we may deem proper."

Geography
The northern areas of West Amwell are in Amwell Valley, while the southern sections are in The Sourlands region. The Delaware River separates West Amwell from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 21.84 square miles (56.58 km2), including 21.65 square miles (56.07 km2) of land and 0.20 square miles (0.51 km2) of water (0.90%).

Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Alexauken, Bowlryville, Bowne, Linvale (historically known as New Market), Mount Airy, Oakdale and Rocktown.

The township borders Delaware Township, East Amwell Township and Lambertville in Hunterdon County; Hopewell Township, in Mercer County; along with New Hope and Solebury Township across the Delaware River in Bucks County in Pennsylvania.

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 3,840 people, 1,102 households, and 839 families in the township. The population density was 177.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,157 housing units at an average density of 53.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 82.58% (3,171) White, 13.39% (514) Black or African American, 0.05% (2) Native American, 1.46% (56) Asian, 0.05% (2) Pacific Islander, 1.12% (43) from other races, and 1.35% (52) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.84% (186) of the population.

Of the 1,102 households, 30.9% had children under the age of 18; 66.9% were married couples living together; 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present and 23.9% were non-families. Of all households, 19.5% were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.95.

16.5% of the population were under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.8 years. For every 100 females, the population had 155.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 165.5 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $101,094 (with a margin of error of +/− $16,403) and the median family income was $115,595 (+/− $19,328). Males had a median income of $86,875 (+/− $26,080) versus $53,438 (+/− $17,350) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $54,485 (+/− $9,741). About 4.2% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census there were 2,383 people, 949 households, and 696 families residing in the township. The population density was 109.7 PD/sqmi. There were 984 housing units at an average density of 45.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 98.07% White, 0.63% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.

There were 949 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $73,380, and the median income for a family was $79,605. Males had a median income of $49,539 versus $33,333 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,877. About 0.6% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.

Local government
West Amwell Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state. The governing body is comprised of a three-member Township Committee, whose members are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one seat coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another as Deputy Mayor for terms of one year.

, members of the West Amwell Township Committee are Mayor Gary Hoyer (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2023), Deputy Mayor Stephen Bergenfeld (R, term on committee ends 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2023), James Cally (R, 2025), John C. Dale (R, 2023) and Megan Hudson (D, 2025).

After voters passed a non-binding referendum in November 2014 supporting the expansion of the Township Committee from three to five members, the Township Committee addressed the process of following through with the expansion, which would involve gathering petitions of 147 voters after which the committee could approve the expansion or a referendum could be put on the ballot. In February 2016, the Township Committee voted to approve the expansion by ordinance.

Federal, state and county representation
West Amwell Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 15th state legislative district.

Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 2,071 registered voters in West Amwell Township, of which 498 (24.0%) were registered as Democrats, 830 (40.1%) were registered as Republicans and 741 (35.8%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 2 voters registered as either Libertarians or Greens.

In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 52.3% of the vote (827 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 46.4% (733 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (20 votes), among the 1,587 ballots cast by the township's 2,178 registered voters (7 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 72.9%. In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 50.8% of the vote (878 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 47.1% (814 votes) and other candidates with 1.4% (24 votes), among the 1,730 ballots cast by the township's 2,101 registered voters, for a turnout of 82.3%. In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 55.6% of the vote (899 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat John Kerry with 43.2% (698 votes) and other candidates with 1.1% (22 votes), among the 1,616 ballots cast by the township's 1,940 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 83.3.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.9% of the vote (675 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 26.2% (249 votes), and other candidates with 2.9% (28 votes), among the 979 ballots cast by the township's 2,149 registered voters (27 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.6%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 56.7% of the vote (764 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 34.3% (462 votes), Independent Chris Daggett with 6.6% (89 votes) and other candidates with 0.4% (6 votes), among the 1,348 ballots cast by the township's 2,074 registered voters, yielding a 65.0% turnout.

Education
The South Hunterdon Regional School District serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township. Each of the three municipalities had their own school through sixth grade, until the Stockton school was closed after the end of the 2017–18 school year; public school students in seventh through twelfth grades attend a shared high school in Lambertville. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of three schools, had an enrollment of 925 students and 108.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 8.6:1. Schools in the district (with 2018–19 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics ) are Lambertville Public School with 225 students in grades Pre-K–6, West Amwell School with 224 students in grades K–6 and South Hunterdon Regional High School with 458 students in grades 7–12.

In a special election held in September 2013, voters from Lambertville, Stockton and West Amwell Township passed referendums to dissolve the South Hunterdon Regional High School District and to combine the three existing school districts from each municipality (Lambertville City School District, Stockton Borough School District and West Amwell Township School District), with majorities in each community passing both ballot items. A single combined regional Pre-K–12 district was created, with property taxes levied under a formula in which 57% is based on property values and 43% on the number of students. The executive county superintendent appointed an interim board of education for the new regional district, which was responsible for implementing the merger.

Eighth grade students from all of Hunterdon County are eligible to apply to attend the high school programs offered by the Hunterdon County Vocational School District, a county-wide vocational school district that offers career and technical education at its campuses in Raritan Township and at programs sited at local high schools, with no tuition charged to students for attendance.

Historic district
The Pleasant Valley Historic District is a 1565 acre historic district located along Pleasant Valley Road, Valley Road, Woodens Lane and Hunter Road in the community of Pleasant Valley in Hopewell Township in Mercer County that extends into West Amwell Township. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 14, 1991, for its significance in agriculture, architecture, and exploration/settlement. It includes 52 contributing buildings, 7 contributing structures, and 22 contributing sites.

Central to the district is the Howell Living History Farm, which is a 130 acre living open-air museum located in the Hopewell Township side of the district, just north of Titusville. The farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1977, for its significance in agriculture and architecture. The farm was included in the Pleasant Valley Historic District on June 14, 1991. The farm was first created by Joseph Phillips, a blacksmith, who purchased 125 acre from William Bryant in 1732. By 1800, Henry Phillips, Joseph's son, had enlarged the farm by 100 acre. The current buildings on the property date to the 19th century, primarily before the American Civil War. The final private owner of the farm was the Howell family, who donated the land to Mercer County in 1974 for use as a museum. The museum shows farm life from the year 1900.

Roads and highways
, the township had a total of 56.52 mi of roadways, of which 37.75 mi were maintained by the municipality, 8.43 mi by Hunterdon County and 10.34 mi by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

Route 29 passes through the southwestern part of the municipality, but without any roads that connect to the heart of the township. Route 31 passes along the eastern border with East Amwell. Route 179 and U.S. Route 202 pass through around the northwestern part of the municipality. Major county roads that go through the township include County Route 518 and County Route 579. The closest interstate highway is Interstate 295 which is outside the township in neighboring Hopewell.

Public transportation
NJ Transit offers bus service to Trenton on the 608 route.

title: West Amwell Township, New Jersey


text:
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey

Whitehouse Station, also spelled White House Station, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Readington Township, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. At the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 2,089. Whitehouse Station takes its name from Whitehouse and Abraham Van Horne's 18th century tavern.

New Jersey Transit offers service on the Raritan Valley Line at White House Station.

History
The area, which is now served only by New Jersey Transit's Raritan Valley Line, used to be a railroad junction, serving as the endpoint of the ill-fated Rockaway Valley Railroad, which ceased operation in 1913.

Whitehouse Station was home to the global headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Merck, which was housed in the modernist Merck Headquarters Building for more than two decades. Merck has shifted its base of operations to Rahway.

On April 5, 2024, at 10:23 AM, the community was struck by a magnitude 4.8 earthquake. The quake saw no major damage and no injuries. At 5:59 PM, on the same day, a second earthquake recorded at magnitude 3.8 struck east of the community in Gladstone, New Jersey.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP had a total area of 1.346 mi2, including 1.303 mi2 of land and 0.043 mi2 of water (3.20%).

2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 2,089 people, 963 households, and 553 families in the CDP. The population density was 1602.7 /mi2. There were 989 housing units at an average density of 758.8 /mi2. The racial makeup was 91.53% (1,912) White, 2.82% (59) Black or African American, 0.05% (1) Native American, 3.06% (64) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.15% (24) from other races, and 1.39% (29) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.27% (110) of the population.

Of the 963 households, 23.2% had children under the age of 18; 46.0% were married couples living together; 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 42.6% were non-families. Of all households, 37.1% were made up of individuals and 17.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.87.

19.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 31.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 82.6 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 77.3 males.

2000 census
At the 2000 United States Census there were 1,951 people, 878 households and 531 families living in the CDP. The population density was 583.9 /km2. There were 905 housing units at an average density of 270.9 /km2. The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.05% White, 0.87% African American, 0.97% Asian, 0.56% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.

There were 878 households, of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.4% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.86.

Age distribution was 19.9% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.7 males.

The median household income was $75,111, and the median family income was $92,793. Males had a median income of $60,673 versus $43,438 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $38,627. None of the families and 1.4% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 2.9% of those over 64.

Points of interest
There are several nearby points of interest.

 * The Rockaway Reformed Church is the third building of the congregation founded in Whitehouse.
 * Memorial Park Cemetery in Whitehouse is near the site of Abraham Van Horne's "White House" tavern. It is maintained by the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
 * The Whitehouse–Mechanicsville Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 for its significance in architecture and community development.

Notable people
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Whitehouse Station include:
 * Taissa Farmiga (born 1994), actress.
 * Robyn Kenney (born 1979), field hockey player.
 * Tom Malloy (born 1974), actor and filmmaker.
 * Ed Martin, politician who served as Chair of the Missouri Republican Party.
 * James N. Pidcock (1836–1899), represented New Jersey's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1885 to 1889.

title: Whitehouse Station, New Jersey