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Moorestown, New Jersey

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This article is about the Township of Moorestown in New Jersey. Other places in New Jersey with similar names are Morris Township, New Jersey and Morristown, New Jersey.
Township in New Jersey, United States
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
Township
Moorestown Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.Moorestown Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Moorestown Township, New JerseyCensus Bureau map of Moorestown Township, New Jersey
CountryUnited States
StateNew Jersey
CountyBurlington
IncorporatedMarch 11, 1922
Government
 • TypeFaulkner Act (Council-Manager)
 • MayorKevin E. Aberant
 • ManagerChristopher J. Schultz
Area
 • Total14.9 sq mi (38.7 km)
 • Land14.8 sq mi (38.3 km)
 • Water0.2 sq mi (0.4 km)
Elevation69 ft (21 m)
Population
 • Total19,624
 • Density1,287.3/sq mi (497.0/km)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code08057
Area code856
FIPS code34-47880Template:GR
GNIS feature ID0882095Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.moorestown.nj.us

Moorestown is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States as well as an affluent eastern suburb of Philadelphia. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 19,017. Moorestown is not to be confused with similarly-named Morristown, a town in the northern part of New Jersey.

Moorestown Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 11, 1922, from portions of Chester Township (now Maple Shade Township), based on the results of a referendum held on April 25, 1922.

In keeping with Moorestown's Quaker heritage, the township banned all liquor sales in 1915 and retained the restrictions after Prohibition ended in 1933. Referendums aiming to repeal the ban failed in both 1935 and 1953. In 2007, the Township Council approved a referendum that would allow the sale by auction of six liquor licenses (the state limit of one per every 3,000 residents), with estimates that each license could sell over $1 million each.

Moorestown was ranked number one in Money magazine's list of the best places to live in America in 2005. The magazine screened over a thousand small towns and created a list of the top 100 for its August 2005 issue. The township earned the top spot because of its true community feeling, in addition to its relatively high income and good schools. Another one of its attributes is its close proximity to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about a 15-minute commute.


Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 14.9 square miles (38.7 km²), of which, 14.8 square miles (38.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (1.07%) is water.

Moorestown Township is located in southwest Burlington County and borders Maple Shade Township to the south, Cinnaminson Township and Delran Township to the west, Willingboro Township on the north and Mount Laurel Township to the east. Moorestown Township is approximately ten miles east of Philadelphia. Moorestown Township is also commonly referred to by residents and locals as "the hub" due to its proximity to surrounding points of interest.

Moorestown-Lenola is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Moorestown Township. Other place names used within Moorestown include North Bend, Stanwick, Northwest Estates and West Moorestown.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19307,247—
19407,7496.9%
19509,12317.7%
196012,49737.0%
197015,57724.6%
198015,5960.1%
199016,1163.3%
200019,01718.0%
2007 (est.)19,624
Population 1930 - 1990

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 19,017 people, 6,971 households, and 5,270 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,287.3 people per square mile (497.1/km²). There were 7,211 housing units at an average density of 488.1/sq mi (188.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.19% White, 5.69% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.75% of the population.

There were 6,971 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $78,826, and the median income for a family was $94,844. Males had a median income of $74,773 versus $39,148 for females. The per capita income for the township was $42,154. About 2.4% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

Moorestown's municipal government operates under a Council-Manager plan under the Faulkner Act. A five-member Council is elected at large on a partisan basis, with each member elected for a four-year term of office on a staggered basis, with one or two seats coming up for election each year.

The Township Manager, a full-time professional administrator, is appointed by the Council. Under the Township's administrative code and the Faulkner Act, the Manager is vested with broad executive and administrative authority and responsibility.

Members of the Moorestown Township Council are Mayor Kevin E. Aberrant, Acting Mayor Ann B. Segal, Seth N. Broder, Jonathan Eron and Daniel Roccato.

On Election Day, November 4, 2008, Republicans John Button (5,671 votes), Gregory Gallo (5,651) and Michael Testa (5,424) won election to all three open seats on the Township Council, defeating Democrats Mark E. Hines (4,281), Jonathan A. Eron (4,148) and Grit-Karen Anhold (3,911). In 2004 Moorestown went for a majority Democrat council for the first time in its history. In 2008, the Moorestown Republicans won back three seats, giving them a 4-1 majority starting in 2009.

During the summer of 2007, the Council Chamber of Town Hall suffered damages caused by an electrical fire. The office is now located in temporary quarters at 2 Executive Place. Moorestown Township Council meetings are now held at the William Allen Middle School Auditorium.

Federal, state and county representation

Moorestown Township is in the Third Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 8th Legislative District.

For the 119th United States Congress, New Jersey's 3rd congressional district is currently represented Herb Conaway (D, Delran Township). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Democrats Cory Booker (Newark, term ends 2027) and Andy Kim (Moorestown, term ends 2031).

For the 2024-2025 session, the 8th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the New Jersey Senate by Latham Tiver (R, Southampton Township) and in the General Assembly by Andrea Katz (D, Chesterfield Township) and Michael Torrissi (R, Hammonton). Template:NJ Governor

Template:NJ Burlington County Freeholders

Education

The Moorestown Township Public Schools serve students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Schools in the district (with 2005-06 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are three K-3 elementary schools — George C. Baker (433 students), Mary E. Roberts (401 students) and South Valley (464 students) — Moorestown Upper Elementary School for grades 4-6 (1,004 students), William Allen Middle School for grades 7-8 (724 students) and Moorestown High School for grades 9-12 (1,314 students).

Moorestown Friends School is a private Quaker school located at East Main Street and Chester Avenue. The school serves approximately 700 students from Pre-School through 12th grade.

History

Moorestown originated as a Quaker town. It is not certain when the first European settlers came here, but it was in 1682 that the road from Burlington to Salem, passing through what is now Moorestown, was laid out. Dr. John Rodman bought 500 acres (2 km²) of land in 1686 in what is now the western section of Moorestown, but was called Rodmantown at that time. What is now the east part of Moorestown was called Chestertown. The name Moorestown didn't come into use until the mid 1800s, named after Moore's Tavern. The first meetinghouse was built out of logs in 1700, but burned down in 1720. Another meetinghouse was built out of stone, but was erected in 1802 for a burial site. Until 1867, the only form of transportation from Moorestown to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was stagecoach, until a railroad was built. Before this, Coles Hotel was a major resting point.

Today, as one walks along Main Street from the Friends’ School west past the old Town Hall, it is hard to believe that the ridge that the road (formerly The King’s Highway) follows was once occupied by the wigwams of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans. Two fine springs, one to the west (off Main Street before reaching the Perkins Center for the Arts, just by Roberts Elementary School) and one to the east (off North Stanwick Road) were attractive to Native Americans and traders alike.

Although there were property owners as early as 1680 in the present township location, (formerly known as Chester Township), the Village of Moorestown was founded in 1682 when the first owners built homes and actually lived here. Thomas Hooton and son acquired 600 acres (2.4 km) in 1682 and a Roberts family also set up their farmstead in the area. In May of 1686, when Philadelphia was about 3 years old, John Rodman bought 500 acres (2 km²) on the west side of Chester Township, and Thomas Rodman bought 533 acres (2.2 km) additional in the same area, where the area soon became known as the Village of Rodmantown. The growing area around the eastern spring was known as the Village of Chestertown.

In 1700, the first Society of Friends’ Meeting House, built of logs, was erected on The King’s Highway. Originally known as Meeting House Lane, Chester Avenue was laid out in 1720. The Village at that time probably consisted of a few farmhouses along The King's Highway from Stanwick Road to Locust Street.

Thomas Moore and his wife Elizabeth settled here in 1722 and in 1732, Moore purchased 33 acres of land on the north side of The King's Highway. The land ran from the west side of the Friends' graveyard on the northwest corner of The King’s Highway and Meeting House Lane on the east and west to Locust Street on the western boundary of his property and north to Second Street. Mr. Moore set up a hotel on the northwest corner of The King’s Highway and Union Streets (where a former Shell gas station is, across the street from the Wawa). With so much land eventually being owned by Thomas Moore, the name Moorestown gradually replaced Chester informally in what is now the center of town. Finally, Moorestown formerly split off from Chester and became a Township.

The Coles Hotel, east of the corner of Main and Chester, was the scene of great activity prior to the building of the railroad in 1867. Before this time, the stagecoach was the only public conveyance between Moorestown and Philadelphia, and the hotel was a stagecoach stop.

Another landmark on Main Street, east of Chester Avenue, is now the present home of Verizon. In 1745 John Cox erected a tavern there that was to become famous in the early history of Moorestown. Town Meetings were held in the tavern prior to 1812 when Old Town Hall was then erected.

The home now standing on the northwest corner of Main and Schooley Streets, then the home of Joshua Bispham, was commandeered by Hessian officers during the American Revolutionary War as they retreated from Philadelphia in 1778.

The old homestead on the northeast corner of King's Highway and Lenola Road was constructed in 1742 by John Cowperthwaite. Because of its excellent example of an 18th century home, record of its construction was made in 1937 by the United States Department of the Interior and is now recorded in the Library of Congress.

Vernon Hill's 46,000 ft² (4,270 m²) mansion Villa Collina — Italian for "Hill House" — the largest private residence in New Jersey, is located in Moorestown.

Moorestown's Quaker heritage is discussed in Moorestown resident and native historian William H. Kingston's book, Moorestown's Third Century: The Quaker Legacy.

Transportation

Moorestown does not have its own train station, as residents have historically been opposed to the concept (the original concept of the PATCO line had a train stopping in Moorestown). Residents can drive to train stations in the nearby communities of Haddonfield and Lindenwold, for access to PATCO Speedline and NJ Transit service.

New Jersey Transit provides bus service to Philadelphia on the 317, 407, 409 and 413 bus routes, with local service available on the 457 line.

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Moorestown Township include:

Moorestown in Fiction

References

  1. Township Manager, Moorestown Township. Accessed May 5, 2008.
  2. ^ 2005 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, April 2005, p. 43.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Township of Moorestown, Geographic Names Information System. Accessed January 4, 2008.
  4. ^ Census data for Moorestown township, United States Census Bureau. Accessed November 11, 2008.
  5. A Cure for the Common Codes: New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed July 14, 2008.
  6. "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 97.
  7. Jones, Richard G. "A New Fight for a Holdout on Prohibition", The New York Times, July 17, 2007. Accessed July 19, 2007.
  8. Best Places to Live 2005, Money magazine, accessed May 17, 2006.
  9. New Jersey Localities, accessed September 9, 2006.
  10. New Jersey Resident Population by Municipality: 1930 - 1990, Workforce New Jersey Public Information Network. Accessed March 1, 2007.
  11. Town Council, Moorestown Township. Accessed November 4, 2008.
  12. Tally Sheet for November 4, 2008 General Election, Moorestown Township. Accessed November 11, 2008.
  13. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 61. Accessed August 30, 2006.
  14. Fox, Joey. , New Jersey Globe, January 3, 2024. Accessed January 4, 2023.
  15. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker cruises past Republican challenger Rik Mehta in New Jersey, PhillyVoice. Accessed April 30, 2021. "He now owns a home and lives in Newark's Central Ward community."
  16. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/andy-kim-new-jersey-senate/
  17. Legislative Roster for District 8, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 12, 2024.
  18. Data for the Moorestown Township Schools, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed May 4, 2008.
  19. Smith, Eileen and Walsh, Jim. "Hill's climb took bank to heights of industry", Asbury Park Press, June 30, 2007. Accessed July 25, 2007. "Hill and his wife Shirley built Villa Collina, literally Hill House, a 46,000-square-foot (4,300 m) Tuscan-style mansion in Moorestown that is the biggest private residence in the state."
  20. Burlington County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed July 15, 2007.
  21. New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame "Samuel Leeds Allen has been awarded almost 300 patents for farming machinery,..." "Because the production of farm equipment was seasonal, many of Allen's employees were laid off during the winter." "Allen invented the Flexible Flyer,..." Accessed July 25, 2008
  22. Assembly Member Francis L. Bodine, Project Vote Smart. Accessed August 8, 2007.
  23. Donnellon, Sam. "Sam Donnellon / Moorestown's.", Philadelphia Daily News, June 22, 2007. Accessed June 15, 2008. "His future lay 1,805 miles away, on the easternmost point of an island nearer the Arctic Circle than his Moorestown home. This is where the National Hockey League would discover T.J. Brennan."
  24. Gardner, Amanda. "THEATER; Tony Awards' New Jersey Ties", The New York Times, July 23, 2008.
  25. The Ice Man Accessed July 26. 2008: "On Comcast's website, he's 'the ultimate Flyer' who's married to wife Sandy, has four children (sons Wade and Lucas and daughters Jody and Jakki) and resides in Moorestown, N.J."
  26. John Collins Biography, Miami Beach History. Accessed March 13, 2008. "Born on December 29, 1837, in Moorestown, New Jersey, John Stiles Collins was the sixth generation of Collinses to farm the family's western New Jersey homestead since 1678."
  27. Holloway, Lynette. "John F. Gerry, 69, Chief Judge Of Federal Court in New Jersey", The New York Times, March 12, 1995. Accessed December 12, 2007.
  28. Alfred Hunt's obituary "The announcement of the death of Alfred Hunt, president of the Bethlehem Iron Company, will be a shock to his numerous friends throughout the Lehigh Valley and the State. The sad event occurred last evening at the home of his brother, Mordecai Hunt, in Moorestown, N. J."
  29. Hunt family history
  30. "E.R. JOHNSON BUYER OF ORIGINAL 'ALICE'; Pays $150,000 for Manuscript and Two Copies of Carroll's Famous Story. WILL SEND IT ON TOUR Former Head of Victor Talking Machine Company Will Never Sell It, He Says.", The New York Times, October 15, 1928. Accessed July 25, 2008.
  31. Klein, Michael. "Inqlings: Throwback plan for Striped Bass", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 8, 2008. Accessed June 15, 2008. "Former Eagle Jevon Kearse has cut the asking price of his Moorestown five-bedroom from $3.1 million to $2,699,993."
  32. New Jersey Mirror, March 2, 1938: "Death of William G. LeConey." "Surviving are his wife, Laura Haines LeConey, a very active worker in the First Baptist Church; and two sons, Everett LeConey, of Moorestown; and J. Alfred LeConey, of Plainfield. The latter was a winner in the Olympics at Paris in 1924 and upon his return to Moorestown, a great reception was held on the lawn of the LeConey home here to do him honor."
  33. "Moorestown, N.J., named best town to live", USA Today, July 11, 2005. Accessed July 25, 2008. "Plenty of executives still inhabit its 15-square miles. But the best-known citizens these days are a number of Philadelphia Eagles players, including star quarterback Donovan McNabb."
  34. The Life of Stephen W. Meader "A third child, John, was born in 1921, and in 1922, the family moved to Moorestown, New Jersey." Accessed April 16, 2008.
  35. "MASTER SERGEANT BRENDAN W. O’CONNOR", United States Army, April 20, 2008. Accessed May 4, 2008.
  36. Reid: T.O. will not play for Eagles this season, ESPN.com, November 8, 2005.
  37. Alice Paul House, Moorestown, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. Accessed July 25, 2008.
  38. Ginsberg, Wendy. "New Magazine Aims to Be Social Guide for Southern New Jersey Suburbs", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 17, 2002. Accessed March 8, 2008. "The monthly magazine, which aims to be a social guide for South Jerseyans, was relaunched this month with the toothy grin of Philadelphia Flyer Jeremy Roenick, a Moorestown resident, gracing the cover."
  39. "Inside Jon Runyan's New Crib", WPVI, November 17, 2007. Accessed June 15, 2008. "The man is Philadelphia Eagle Jon Runyan, and the house is located in Moorestown, New Jersey."
  40. O'Donell, Chuck. "Ulf Samuelsson: the fearsome defender recalls the night the Penguins' bid for a third straight Stanley Cup title came to an end - The Game I'll Never Forget", Hockey Digest, May 2003. Accessed December 8, 2007. "Samuelsson has dabbled in broadcasting, calling the Salt Lake City Olympics for a television station in Sweden. But mostly, he enjoys hanging out in his home in the Philadelphia suburb of Moorestown, N.J., with his family."
  41. "A S. JERSEY GIRL TAKES THE CROWN AS MISS AMERICA \ BUT SHE'S MISS ILLINOIS.", Philadelphia Inquirer, September 14, 1977. "Moorestown native and Bishop Eustace graduate Katherine Shindle was named Miss America 1998 last night, topping an all-vocalist field of five finalists in the 77th annual competition."
  42. Albert Young, Iowa Hawkeyes. Accessed May 25, 2008.
  43. , New Jersey Business. Accessed July 29, 2008.

External links

Further reading

  • DeCou, George (1929). Moorestown and her neighbors; historical sketches. OCLC 722953. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Kingston, William H. Moorestown's third century: the Quaker legacy. OCLC 9436832. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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