[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E426-E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING BOROUGH OF STANHOPE IN SUSSEX COUNTY, NEW JERSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 2004

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Borough of 
Stanhope, in Sussex County, New Jersey, a vibrant community I am proud 
to represent. On March 24, 2004 the good citizens of Stanhope are 
celebrating the Borough's Centennial Anniversary with a special re-
enactment of the Incorporation Ceremony that took place over 100 years 
ago.
  Stanhope is an old ``iron town,'' and as the industry grew, so did 
Stanhope, which until 1904 was part of neighboring Byram Township. The 
earliest records indicate that the first iron production at Stanhope 
occurred about 1794. Silas Dickerson, brother of the future state 
governor and U.S. Senator Mahlon Dickerson, erected a forge and nail 
factory on the Musconetcong River in Stanhope--one of the first such 
forges in New Jersey.
  By the 19th century, Stanhope was a substantial iron-manufacturing 
community. The proximity of the Borough to the Morris Canal, which 
flows through its center, was pivotal to the early development of this 
rural town. In fact, the completion of the Morris Canal in the mid 
1800s saved the iron industry and consequently the town. By 1830, the 
wood supply needed for charcoal to fire the forges was depleted and the 
industry shut down. But when the Morris Canal opened up a link to a new 
fuel, anthracite coal from northeastern Pennsylvania, the iron economy 
of New Jersey and Stanhope was revitalized. Stanhope also became a 
well-deserved rest stop along the 102-mile canal from Phillipsburg to 
Jersey City, with a busy General Store and hotel and a large coal 
transfer station.
  The iron industry in Stanhope thrived for another 100 years, and by 
1930, people discovered Stanhope for what it remains today: a 
beautiful, rural community in the New Jersey Highlands, bordered by the 
Musconetcong River and Lake. Between 1930 and 1980, Stanhope's 
population tripled in size and today the quaint community boasts more 
than 3,500 proud residents. In recent times, citizens have become more 
and more aware of the importance of protecting Stanhope's natural 
resources and efforts to balance development

[[Page E427]]

with the preservation of open space, clean water and air have been a 
commendable priority for its municipal leaders.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating the residents of Stanhope on the celebration of 100 
years of a rich history and the building of one of New Jersey's finest 
municipalities.

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