Lower Valley, New Jersey

Lower Valley, New Jersey
Unincorporated community
Lower Valley Presbyterian Church
Lower Valley Presbyterian Church
Lower Valley is located in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Lower Valley
Lower Valley
Lower Valley is located in New Jersey
Lower Valley
Lower Valley
Lower Valley is located in the United States
Lower Valley
Lower Valley
Coordinates: 40°43′36″N 74°50′38″W / 40.72667°N 74.84389°W / 40.72667; -74.84389[1]
Country United States
State New Jersey
CountyHunterdon
Borough and TownshipCalifon and Lebanon
Elevation
[1]
594 ft (181 m)
GNIS feature ID877975[1]

Lower Valley is an unincorporated community located along County Route 513 (High Bridge-Califon Road) in Califon Borough and Lebanon Township of Hunterdon County, New Jersey.[1][2][3] It is at the western end of Long Valley, historically known as German Valley, the valley of the South Branch Raritan River south of Schooley's Mountain.[4]

History

Settlers came here as early as 1735.[5] By the late 19th century, the community had a church, schoolhouse, post office, and about a dozen houses.[6] The post office was started in 1866, but renamed and moved to Califon in 1877.[7] In 1918, parts of the community, including the church and cemetery, were incorporated into the Borough of Califon.[8]

The Lower Valley Presbyterian Church was built in 1871.[4][9] The congregation was formally established in 1872 and included many members of the Presbyterian Church at German Valley. The first pastor was Reverend I. A. Blauvelt, who also preached at German Valley.[10] The Lower Valley Union Cemetery is next to, but not affiliated with the church.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Lower Valley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Locality Search". State of New Jersey.
  3. ^ "County Route 513 straight line diagram" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Transportation. p. 10.
  4. ^ a b Greenagel, Frank L. (2001). "Lower Valley Presbyterian Church". The New Jersey Churchscape. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9-780-8135-2990-5.
  5. ^ Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen (1895). "Settlers of the Lower Valley". The Early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies. Dover Printing Company. pp. 158–164.
  6. ^ Snell, James P. (1881). "Lower Valley". History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey. Everts & Peck. p. 448.
  7. ^ Walker, Jim. "Lower Valley (Lebanon Township)" (PDF). Hunterdon County, New Jersey, Postal History (PDF). New Jersey Postal History Society.
  8. ^ "Chapter 257: An Act to incorporate the borough of Califon, in the county of Hunterdon". Acts of the Legislature of the State of New Jersey. New Jersey. 1918. pp. 979–984. Approved March 4, 1918.
  9. ^ a b "Lower Valley Presbyterian Church". Lower Valley Presbyterian Church.
  10. ^ Snell (1881), p. 451.