In the early 1700’s the forest teemed with wildlife. Wolves, bear, deer, bobcat, turkeys, and rich variety of small game shared this bountiful land with the Leni Lenape Indians. Settlers had yet to discover the beauty and the serenity of what was to become modern day Hampton Township.
On March 10, 1864, the State Legislature officially established the Township of Hampton, New Jersey. The small villages of Baleville and Washingtonville were no longer under the wing of the Town of Newton but became the community centers of the newly established township. The gristmills, country stores, and schools had sprung up as the population had increased and bound the inhabitants together and helped them to endure and prosper in this remote corner of the state.
Now, at the turn of the millennium, the Indians and wolves are but a memory. However, the scenic charm that attracted those early settlers still work its magic today. Over the years farms have replaced forests, and dams fill valleys with lakes where streams once wound their way down to the Delaware. Three centuries of growth and change have transformed Hampton Township from a wilderness into a thriving community, with a modern commercial corridor surrounded by rural neighborhoods that remain a haven for residents and tourists alike.
