Brief History of Pohatcong Township

THE MINSI LENAPE tribe were the earliest inhabitants of the area which later became known as Pohatcong Township.  Settling in the region sometime in the 11^th Century, they organized their villages near water supplies, hunted the local game, and practiced slash and burn agriculture.  By the time the Europeans began to arrive in the early 18^th Century, the Lenape were already being crowded out by bordering tribes of Native Americans.

EUROPEAN SETTLERS first surveyed this region in 1714.  However, the majority of Europeans arrived in the middle of the 18^th Century from a variety of countries including: Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, and Wales.  They also settled near the water supplies, building forges and mills which made use of the water power of the Musconetcong River and the Pohatcong Creek.

SMALL VILLAGES grew around these industries. The early iron forges, which supplied the Revolutionary Army with shot and cannonballs, were eventually replaced in the early 19^th Century with oil, grist, wool and saw mills.  Using stone quarried locally, mill owners built houses and stores for the workers and their families.

AGRICULTURE in the area prospered during these years as well, and Pohatcong became known for its peach crops and later as a center for dairy production.  By the middle of the 19^th Century, the villages had grown to include churches, schools, post offices, and smaller supporting industries.

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