[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1128-E1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   CELEBRATING THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF FRANKFORD TOWNSHIP NEW JERSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 5, 1997

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Frankford Township 
on the 200th anniversary of its founding along the southern ridge of 
the Kittatinny Mountains in Sussex County, NJ. There are few places 
that can equal Frankford Township as a place to live and raise a 
family.
  The earliest settlers from German, France, and Holland arrived in 
what is now Frankford in 1797, among them the Price, Hagerty, 
McDanolds, Pellett, Roe, Stoll, Stivers, and Wyker families.
  The early years of the settlement found the Frankford with few of the 
modern amenities we take for granted today. The dire condition of the 
earliest roads, for example, made an overseer of roads one of the 
earliest local government officials appointed. Improvement of roads was 
often left to the families who lived along them. It was not until the 
widespread use of the automobile in the beginning of the 20th century 
that good roads were common.
  Churches were among the earliest community buildings to follow the 
construction of individual homes. One of the oldest was the Frankford 
Plains Church, which served many denominations.
  Many schools dotted the landscape, with as many as 13 in operation at 
one point. The number had declined to six before the Frankford Township 
Consolidated School was created. The Augusta School remains in use as 
the Frankford Township Municipal Building.
  The first named villages within the township included Wykertown, 
named for the Wyker brothers; Augusta, where Col. John Gustin built a 
stagecoach inn, and Pellettown, later known as Coursenville and 
eventually Papakating.
  Colonel Gustin, proprietor of the stagecoach inn, was one of the 
community's great entrepreneurs of his day. He built not only the inn 
and his own home but a store and post office as well.
  Farming was the area's first industry, as necessitated by 
subsistence. Dairy farms came to flourish in later years, with as many 
as 89 in operation at the peak of the diary industry. Two railroads 
allowed farms and creameries to transport their product to city 
markets. A wide variety of mills also thrived, making use of the area's 
many brooks and streams for water power.
  Hotels also became successful as Frankford found its place as a 
tourist destination thanks to Lake Owassa and Culver Lake.
  There are many others, of course, who contributed to Frankford's 
history. I cite these as only a few examples of the wealth of history 
in a small town that might easily be overlooked by the pages of history 
books.
  Frankford today is one of the best places in New Jersey to call home. 
A strong, diversified local economy, sound schools, strong public 
safety programs, and an outstanding sense of community are clearly 
evident. With a population of 5,100, it is the type of town where you 
know your neighbor's name, the clerk at the store is a friend, and 
people speak to one another on the streets.

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  Frankford's importance in our State's history cannot be ignored. I 
congratulate Frankford on its history and accomplishments, and wish all 
the people of Frankford an equal amount of success in the town's 
future.

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