The municipality is known as the "Township of Lakes", as there are roughly two dozen lakes and ponds within its borders.[1]
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, and was incorporated on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships.[23] The township was named for the Byram family, who were early settlers in the area.[23][24][25] Patriarch Jephthah Byram and his family, were believed to have emigrated to the area after the American Revolutionary War.[24] 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.[23] Portions of the township have been taken to form Sparta township (April 14, 1845), Brooklyn borough (March 24, 1898, now called Hopatcong) and Stanhope borough (March 24, 1904).[23]
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.[26] 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.[27][28]
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.[29]
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.[30]
Mining
Byram Township had a very large mining industry in the past. There are so many mineral mines in Byram that there is one almost walking distance from anywhere. The biggest 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 80 to 90 feet (24 to 27 m) 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.[citation needed]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 22.72 square miles (58.84 km2), including 21.53 square miles (55.76 km2) of land and 1.19 square miles (3.07 km2) of water (5.22%).[3][4] 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.[1]
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.[36]
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.
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.[20]
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.[20]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $103,519 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,758) and the median family income was $113,555 (+/− $12,281). Males had a median income of $78,347 (+/− $7,621) versus $54,504 (+/− $5,146) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $43,160 (+/− $3,087). 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.[51]
2000 census
As of the 2000 United States census[17] there were 8,254 people, 2,833 households, and 2,317 families residing in the township. The population density was 391.8 inhabitants per square mile (151.3/km2). There were 3,078 housing units at an average density of 146.1 per square mile (56.4/km2). 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.[49][50]
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.[49][50]
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.[49][50]
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.[49][50]
Parks and recreation
Trails and hiking
Byram Township is known as the "Gateway to New Jersey Trails".[52]
The Sussex Branch Trail extends 21.2 miles (34.1 km) 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.[53]
C.O. Johnson Park, named after former Byram mayor, Carl O. Johnson (Democrat). 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.[55]
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.[55]
Tomahawk Park is a small park located on Tomahawk Trail in Byram Township. It is across from Tomahawk Lake.
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 (the celebration was hosted by Waterloo Village before being moved to Neil Gylling Memorial Park) which is celebrated the 2nd Saturday in September of every year.[55]
Brookwood Park is a small park that contains a basketball court in East Brookwood.[55]
Waterloo Village used to exhibit many time periods from a 400-year-old Lenape (Delaware) 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.[57]
Cranberry Lake
Cranberry Lake is a man-made lake, originally created in 1830 as a reservoir for the Morris Canal.[58] 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[59] 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 ActCouncil-Manager plan. The township is one of 42 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form of government.[60] 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 (including the mayoral seat) or three seats up for election in odd-numbered years as part of the November general election, with terms beginning on January 1.[10][61][62][63] 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.[64][65]
As of 2024[update], 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 (2027), John M. "Jack" Gallagher Jr. (2027), Richard Proctor (2027) and Harvey S. Roseff (2025).[5][66][67][68]
Federal, state, and county representation
Byram Township is located in the 7th Congressional District[69] and is part of New Jersey's 24th state legislative district.[70][71][72]
Sussex County is governed by a Board of County Commissioners whose five members are elected at-large in partisan elections on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year. At an annual reorganization meeting held in the beginning of January, the board selects a Commissioner Director and Deputy Director from among its members, with day-to-day supervision of the operation of the county delegated to a County Administrator.[77] As of 2025[update], Sussex County's Commissioners are
Director Jill Space (R, Wantage Township, 2025),[78]
Deputy Director Chris Carney (R, Frankford Township, 2027),[79]
Jack DeGroot (R, Sussex, 2026),[80]
William Hayden (R, Branchville, 2025)[81] and
Alan Henderson (R, Lafayette Township, 2027).[82][83]
Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are
Clerk Jeffrey M. Parrott (R, Wantage Township, 2026),[84]
Sheriff Michael F. Strada (R, Hampton Township, 2025)[85] and
Surrogate Gary R. Chiusano (R, Frankford Township, 2028).[86]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 5,805 registered voters in Byram Township, of which 1,128 (19.4% vs. 16.5% countywide) were registered as Democrats, 1,957 (33.7% vs. 39.3%) were registered as Republicans and 2,714 (46.8% vs. 44.1%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.[87] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 69.5% (vs. 65.8% in Sussex County) were registered to vote, including 93.6% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 86.5% countywide).[87][88]
In the 2012 presidential election, Republican Mitt Romney received 2,373 votes (60.5% vs. 59.4% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,464 votes (37.3% vs. 38.2%) and other candidates with 78 votes (2.0% vs. 2.1%), among the 3,923 ballots cast by the township's 5,883 registered voters, for a turnout of 66.7% (vs. 68.3% in Sussex County).[89] In the 2008 presidential election, Republican John McCain received 2,693 votes (59.6% vs. 59.2% countywide), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 1,728 votes (38.3% vs. 38.7%) and other candidates with 76 votes (1.7% vs. 1.5%), among the 4,517 ballots cast by the township's 5,735 registered voters, for a turnout of 78.8% (vs. 76.9% in Sussex County).[90] In the 2004 presidential election, Republican George W. Bush received 2,727 votes (62.6% vs. 63.9% countywide), ahead of Democrat John Kerry with 1,558 votes (35.8% vs. 34.4%) and other candidates with 56 votes (1.3% vs. 1.3%), among the 4,353 ballots cast by the township's 5,371 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.0% (vs. 77.7% in the whole county).[91]
In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 70.0% of the vote (1,948 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 26.2% (729 votes), and other candidates with 3.8% (105 votes), among the 2,814 ballots cast by the township's 5,975 registered voters (32 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 47.1%.[92][93] In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 1,971 votes (65.4% vs. 63.3% countywide), ahead of Democrat Jon Corzine with 715 votes (23.7% vs. 25.7%), Independent Chris Daggett with 286 votes (9.5% vs. 9.1%) and other candidates with 35 votes (1.2% vs. 1.3%), among the 3,016 ballots cast by the township's 5,708 registered voters, yielding a 52.8% turnout (vs. 52.3% in the county).[94]
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.[106]
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.[107]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.
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 62.35 miles (100.34 km) of roadways, of which 45.40 miles (73.06 km) were maintained by the municipality, 12.34 miles (19.86 km) by Sussex County and 4.61 miles (7.42 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.[108]
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.
^ abcFAQ, Byram Township. Accessed July 1, 2011. "Byram Township is located in Northern New Jersey in Sussex County. Byram is known as The Township of Lakes, having more than two dozen lakes and ponds. Several large communities have grown around the larger lakes."
^ abTownship Council, Byram Township. Accessed May 20, 2024. "Byram Township has a Mayor and 4 Council members. The Mayor and all Council Members are elected at-large in Non-Partisan elections for 4-year staggered terms. Elected Officials enter office on January 1 following the Election Year."
^ abcdeSnyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 229. Accessed October 25, 2012. A date of April 9, 1798, is shown as the date the township was formed, which appears to be incorrect, as the township was incorporated some six weeks earlier.
^ abByram Township History, Byram Township. Accessed March 22, 2020. "Byram Township was established on February 5, 1798, having been separated from the vast area that was then Newton. The name honored the Byram Family, surveyors who had settled in the area before the Revolution. In 1798, the head of the family was Jephthah Byram, who is buried in the Sparta Cemetery."
^Open Space and Recreation Plan, Byram Township, June 2020. Accessed February 7, 2023. "Roseville Schoolhouse Museum This one-room schoolhouse was moved from its original location on Lackawanna Drive (originally known as Roseville Road) to its current location near the Municipal Building on Mansfield Road and Beatrice Johnson Way.... The building was moved onto a new foundation, refurbished, and opened as a Schoolhouse Museum on Byram Day, September 13, 1986."
^Higgs, Larry. "Construction underway on commuter rail line to Sussex County", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, January 14, 2015. Accessed October 31, 2016. "This spring, NJ Transit plans to take bids to build a station and high level platforms in Andover, and to do more track construction and work on the Roseville Tunnel, Smith said. Passenger service could start in four years, depending on factors such as how weather conditions affect construction, he said."
^via Associated Press. "N.J. mayor wants investigation into snowstorm", USA Today, March 8, 2001. Accessed April 9, 2013. "Byram Township Mayor Richard Bowe, who is an attorney, is calling for a federal or state investigation in an attempt to determine if the forecasts of heavy snow and blizzard conditions were mistakes or a deliberate attempt to generate ratings."
^Staff. A compendium of the ninth census, 1870, p. 260. United States Census Bureau, 1872. Accessed February 11, 2013. Total shown for Bridgewater is 5,883, including 556 in Bound Brook, 1,009 in Raritan and 2,236 in Somerville. Total shown was calculated via subtraction.
^Paulinskill & Sussex Branch Trails, Liberty Water Gap Trail. Accessed July 2, 2011. "The Sussex Branch Trail follows a section of the route of the former Sussex Branch line of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad that extends through Sussex County from Byram Township in the south to Branchville Borough.... Located in Sussex County, the trail follows a 20-mile route beginning from the north at the Frankford Township-Branchville Borough boundary, and continues south through Lafayette Township, Andover Township, and Andover Borough to its southern terminus in Byram Township at Waterloo Road."
^How Your Government Works, Byram Township. Accessed May 28, 2022. "The Township of Byram is chartered under the "Faulkner Act" (OMCL) Council-Manager plan. (NJSA 40:69A-81 et. seq.) Byram Township has a Mayor and 4 Council Members. The Mayor and all Council Members are elected at-large in Non-Partisan elections for 4-year staggered terms. Elected Officials enter office on January 1 following the Election Year."
^Moszczynski, Joe. "N.J. municipalities consider moving non-partisan elections from May to November", The Star-Ledger, September 26, 2010. Accessed July 28, 2014. "Byram, in Sussex County, became the first municipality in the state to make the change, on Aug. 30, after the township council voted 3-2 to approve the move, which will take effect in November 2011, when three council seats will be up for grabs."
^About County Government, Sussex County, New Jersey. Accessed May 20, 2024. "Sussex County is governed by five (5) Commissioners who are elected by the voters of Sussex County. Each serves on the county’s Board of County Commissioners for a term of three (3) years, after which time they can seek re‐election or retire.... The Commissioners are elected at‐large to serve three‐year staggered terms. The five Commissioners elect a director from among themselves to run their meetings and to serve as a spokesperson for the board."
^Byram Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Byram Township School District. Accessed March 8, 2024. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-Kindergarten through eight in the Byram Township School District. Composition: The Byram Township School District is comprised of all the area within the County of Sussex."
^About Our School, Lenape Valley Regional High School. Accessed March 8, 2023. "Lenape Valley Regional High School is a four-year regional public high school and school district in New Jersey serving approximately 850 students from two municipalities in Sussex County and one in Morris County. The communities served by the high school are Byram Township and Stanhope Borough in Sussex and Netcong Borough in Morris County. The school is located in Stanhope, New Jersey.'
^Stewart, Amy. "Seats open on Bryam Steering Committee"Archived 2012-03-19 at the Wayback Machine, The Township Journal, February 15, 2008. Accessed July 2, 2011. "Looking at the municipal buildings that already exist will be part of the process. These include the civic center, formally the consolidated school. The use of that building on Lackawanna Drive periodically comes into question since a large portion of the building is rented to Celebrate the Children, a school run privately for children with educational disabilities, mainly autism."
^Falkenstein, Michelle. "A Festival For the Band Next Door", The New York Times, April 24, 2005. Accessed October 23, 2007. "Nevertheless, Mr. Freeman, 24, who is from Byram, says he is excited to do a show next weekend."
^"Biographical Sketch Of Bishop Hoban By Rev. M. E. Lynott", Wilkes-Barre Record, November 15, 1926. Accessed January 3, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "The home of the vounr oonnl was a log cabin In the railroad clearing, and, as Abraham Lincoln, Liberator of men from political servitude, was born in a log cabin, so on June 6, 1861, at Waterloo, N. J, was born he who by priestly power would free men from the slavery of sin."
^Tredinnick, Andrew. "Alexia Lacatena signing with Kentucky is latest stop in softball journey", New Jersey Herald, November 17, 2020. Accessed July 21, 2021. "Alexia Lacatena has always challenged herself against the best competition since she began playing softball.... Prior to missing out on her junior year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Byram native led the Patriots to back-to-back sectional finals and an NJAC Freedom Division title."
^"HBO series based on Byram man's war story", New Jersey Herald, March 6, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2022. "One night in 1951, Robert Leckie and his wife Vera stepped out to see the musical South Pacific.... The Byram writer and his memoir are the main focus of the HBO miniseries The Pacific, debuting March 14."
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