Byram Township, New Jersey


Byram Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,028, a decrease of 322 from the 2010 census count of 8,350, which in turn reflected an increase of 96 from the 8,254 counted in the 2000 census.
The municipality is known as the "Township of Lakes", as there are roughly two dozen lakes and ponds within its borders.
WWW byramtwp.org

History

Byram Township was created by an act by the New Jersey General Assembly on February 5, 1798, from portions of the now-defunct [Newton Township, Sussex County, New Jersey|Sussex County, New Jersey|Newton Township], and was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. The township was named for the Byram family, who were early settlers in the area. Patriarch Jephthah Byram and his family, were believed to have emigrated to the area after the American Revolutionary War. Before being named Byram, the community had been called Lockwood, and the Lockwood Tavern continued to hold this original name until its demolition in 2015. In 1829, a section of Green Township was incorporated into the township. Portions of the township have been taken to form Sparta township, Brooklyn borough and Stanhope borough.
There are many historical sites located in Byram. The town's oldest structure, the 1802 Leport House, stands by the Byram General Store on Sparta-Stanhope Road. The Lockwood Cemetery, established around 1818, consists of about 30 gravestones and the remnants of a church's foundation. The 1853 Roseville Schoolhouse was moved from its original location on Lackawanna Drive to Mansfield Drive, reopening in September 1986 as the Roseville Schoolhouse Museum.
In 1911, the Lackawanna Cut-Off rail line opened through Byram Township, with a station stop near the current Forest Lakes neighborhood. The Cut-Off was part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad's mainline from Hoboken, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York. The railroad was important in providing transportation for mines in Northern Jersey. It passes through Byram for a long distance. It runs mainly along Roseville, but as Roseville veers north, the tracks continue west. The line was abandoned in 1980 and the tracks were removed four years later. There is a proposal to reactivate passenger service via NJ Transit in the future, with work underway at the Roseville Tunnel.
In 2001, then-mayor Richard Bowe called for an investigation of weather forecasters due to a snowstorm that had been forecast but never materialized, arguing that forecasters should be held responsible for the "excessive overtime costs" that the township experienced and for losses of local businesses shut in advance of the predicted snowfall.

Mining

Byram Township had a very large mining industry in the past. The largest mine, The Roseville Mine, is located on the current Roseville Road. The mine is in a quadrilateral plot of land, with the southwestern corner created by Roseville Road and Amity Road. The southeastern corner is created by an intersection between Roseville Road and the Lackawanna Cut-off. The Roseville Mine was first excavated in the early 1850s. It was well worked during its life, with production in 1880 alone documented as 67,000 tons of ore. Most of the work was done via a large open cut. This cut as it exists today, is water-filled, with vertical walls as much as high. The Charlotte Uranium mine extracted uranium from the rocks of southwestern Byram. The mine closed in the 1950s, but many remnants are still visible.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 22.72 square miles, including 21.53 square miles of land and 1.19 square miles of water. It is divided into several sections. They include the neighborhoods of Forest West, East and West Brookwood, Forest Lakes, Lackawanna, Cranberry Lake, and the Lake Mohawk area.
The township is known as the "Township of Lakes" because of the community's nearly two dozen lakes and ponds.
A wooded exclave owned by the State of New Jersey and covering is located on Lake Musconetcong adjoining Hopatcong and Stanhope, away from the remainder of the township.
Byram Center is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located within Byram Township. Lake Mohawk is a CDP split between Byram Township and Sparta Township.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Brookwood East, Brookwood West, Cage Hill, Cranberry Lake, Forest Lakes, Jefferson Lake, Lake Lackawanna, Lockwood, Panther Pond, Roseville, Stag Pond, Tomahawk Lane, Waterloo, Wolf Lake and Wrights Pond.
;Streams
  • Lubbers Run runs through the township, intersecting Mansfield Drive. The run is monitored monthly by the Byram Intermediate School's Environmental Club.
  • Punkhorn Creek runs through the township, flowing southwest from Lake Bottom, on the north side of and parallel with Amity Road, to Roseville Pond.
Residents of Byram are served by adjacent post offices in Stanhope, Andover Township and Sparta Township.
The township borders the municipalities of Andover Township, Green Township, Hopatcong, Sparta Township and Stanhope in Sussex County; Mount Olive Township in Morris County; and Allamuchy Township in Warren County.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 8,350 people, 2,926 households, and 2,361 families in the township. The population density was. There were 3,207 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 94.35% White, 1.47% Black or African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.14% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from [Race and ethnicity Right to die|in the United States census|other races], and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.99% of the population.
Of the 2,926 households, 37.4% had children under the age of 18; 69.3% were married couples living together; 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present and 19.3% were non-families. Of all households, 14.9% 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 2.85 and the average family size was 3.19.
25.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.2 years. For every 100 females, the population had 101.1 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 99.1 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that median household income was $103,519 and the median family income was $113,555. Males had a median income of $78,347 versus $54,504 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $43,160. About 0.8% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census there were 8,254 people, 2,833 households, and 2,317 families residing in the township. The population density was. There were 3,078 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the township was 95.77% White, 0.97% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.94% of the population.
There were 2,833 households, out of which 43.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.9% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the township the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $81,532, and the median income for a family was $89,500. Males had a median income of $59,722 versus $40,396 for females. The per capita income for the township was $30,710. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Trails and hiking

Byram Township is known as the "Gateway to New Jersey Trails".
The Sussex Branch Trail extends from Netcong to Branchville, following the route of the old Sussex Railroad, a branch of the Erie Lackawanna Railway, which was in service under various ownerships from 1848 to 1966. Trail users can explore the route once used by steam locomotives and long freight trains.

Parks

The township has several municipal parks:
  • C.O. Johnson Park, named after former Byram mayor, Carl O. Johnson. Carl was the mayor of Byram for 25 years. This park has a football field, baseball field, tennis court, skateboard park, and a track for walking. It has restrooms, a refreshment/snack area, and a picnic area with five tables with attached benches and two handicapped-accessible tables.
  • Riverside Park is at the intersection of River Road and Waterloo Road in Byram Township. Opened in late summer 2001, it is Byram's newest park. The park has the Musconetcong River running right behind it and features walking paths, fishing and canoeing. The park has a playground, picnic tables, a gazebo and basketball courts.
  • Tomahawk Park is a small park located on Tomahawk Trail in Byram Township. It is across from Tomahawk Lake.
  • Parts of Allamuchy Mountain State Park are in the township, with the park accessible via state trails.
  • Neil Gylling Memorial Park has two softball fields. A soccer field is also set up between the softball fields during the fall season. There are also two tennis courts. This is the traditional location for Byram Day which is celebrated the 2nd Saturday in September of every year.
  • Brookwood Park is a small park that contains a basketball court in East Brookwood.
Wild West City is a Dodge City-styled theme park located on County Route 607

Waterloo Village

Waterloo Village used to exhibit many time periods from a 400-year-old Lenape Native American village to a bustling port along the once prosperous Morris Canal. The early 19th-century village contained a working mill with gristmills and sawmills, a general store, a blacksmith shop and restored houses. Classical and popular music programs are available to the public during the summer months. Waterloo Village was shut down to preserve the artifacts inside, though plans have been made to restore the buildings on the site.

Cranberry Lake

Cranberry Lake is a man-made lake, originally created in 1830 as a reservoir for the Morris Canal. Cranberry Lake is bordered on the east by U.S. Route 206 and the Sussex Branch Trail. The local community is bordered on the north and south by Allamuchy Mountain State Park. The Cranberry Lake footbridge, one of the oldest pedestrian footbridges in NJ transverses the lake from east to west and connects the west shore of the community with the Sussex Branch Trail.

Government

Local government

The Township of Byram is chartered under the Faulkner Act Council-Manager plan. The township is one of 42 municipalities statewide that use this form of government. The governing body is comprised of the Mayor and the five-member Township Council. All officials are elected on an at-large basis in non-partisan elections for four-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either two seats or three seats up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election, with terms beginning on January 1. In August 2010, the township became the first in the state to shift its non-partisan elections from May to November as part of an effort to raise turnout and cut costs by combining the municipal election with the November general election; the first election under the new cycle took place in November 2011.
, the Mayor of Byram Township is Alexander Rubenstein, whose term of office ends on December 31, 2025. Members of the Byram Township Council are Lisa A. "Cris" Franco, John M. "Jack" Gallagher Jr., Richard Proctor and Harvey S. Roseff.

Federal, state, and county representation

Byram Township is located in the 7th Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 24th state legislative district.

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,805 registered voters in Byram Township, of which 1,128 were registered as Democrats, 1,957 were registered as Republicans and 2,714 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens. Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.5% were registered to vote, including 93.6% of those ages 18 and over.

Education

The Byram Township School District serves public school students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of two schools, had an enrollment of 837 students and 74.0 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.3:1. Schools in the district are
Byram Lakes Elementary School with 453 students in grades PreK-4 and
Byram Intermediate School with 380 students in grades 5-8.
For public school students in ninth through twelfth grades, the township shares Lenape Valley Regional High School, which also serves Netcong in Morris County and the Sussex County community of Stanhope. As of the 2022–23 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 667 students and 58.3 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 11.5:1.
The Consolidated School, a former public school building that had previously been used by the school district for students in Kindergarten through second grade, has been leased to Celebrate the Children, a private school that serves students with special needs.
Private schools in the area include Reverend Brown in Sparta for grades K–8 and Pope John XXIII Regional High School, the county's only private high school, which operate under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Paterson. Hilltop Country Day School, which also serves K–8, also has students from Byram. Byram has students in various private high schools, but all but one school are located outside of Sussex County.

Transportation

Roads and highways

, the township had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Sussex County and by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
The township is bisected by U.S. Route 206. A small portion of Interstate 80 passes through the southern tip of Byram Township but without any interchanges; the closest exit is Exit 25 in bordering Mount Olive Township.

Public transportation

Lakeland Bus Lines provides service operating along Interstate 80 between Newton, New Jersey and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.

Notable people

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