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Fredon Township Committee 03 - History

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> United States > New Jersey > NJ Counties > Sussex > Fredon Township

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Established

00, 0000

Disbanded

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Last Modified

WSNJ November 03, 2022 09:27am

Description

Fredon Township, located in the southwest corner of Sussex County was incorporated in 1904 and sits at an elevation of between 480 feet and 960 feet. The Township currently has a population of approximately 3450 resident, with 1203 residential dwellings. Much of the Township is farmland and open space. There are 32.53 miles of Township roads, 9.97 miles of County roads and 6.35 miles of State roads. Fredon has one school, Fredon Elementary School, which includes grades K-6, grades 7-12 attend Kittatinny Regional High School located in Hampton Township.

Fredon Township is the youngest township in Sussex County. It was formed from parts of Andover, Green, Hampton and Stillwater Townships. The main roadway in Fredon, Route 94, was once a dusty, rutted, narrow dirt road which traveled through a busy little village in the 1800’s known as Coursen’s Corners, located at the intersection of Phil Hardin Road and Stillwater Road. Fredon was described in 1939 as “a highway junction with a small white schoolhouse”. In addition to the school, the area had a blacksmith shop, tannery, tailor shop, chapel, two stores and a post office. In close proximity, the Fountain House was a favorite stopping place for travelers between Newton and Blairstown. It is still in operation today, but not for overnight customers. While Fredon does not have a “village center” or a “main street”, it is this portion of Route 94 — with Fredon School, the municipal building, the civic center and the fire company — that is still today the core of the township.

In the mid 18th Century, two descendants of New Amsterdam Dutch families, Johannes (John) Coursen, and his wife, Gertrude Van Tuyle, arrived in the Fredon area. The Colonel John Coursen Homestead, located across from the township school, was purchased by Fredon Township in 1994 as part of developing Lodestar Park, immediately adjacent to the house. It is being refurbished by the Keepers of Coursen's Corners. The farmstead reflects the history of agriculture and Fredon’s role in community development. In 1763, Johannes purchased over 800 acres, which included land extending from Paulinskill Road past the four-corners area by Stillwater Road. When he died, his property was inherited by two of his sons — the Paulinskill Mill Farm by Jacob Coursen, and the four-corners land by Colonel John. Starting in 1811.

Colonel John’s sons built and operated a blacksmith’s shop, a tannery, a store, and later a tailor shop. Also, his son Isaac established a post office and was the first postmaster. After Isaac’s death, the position was taken over by his son, William P. Coursen, until 1881. A log cabin was most likely the first building on the present site of the Coursen House at this highway junction. The Coursen mansion was built circa 1805.

RACES

Date

Type

Results [Show Primaries]

Nov 08, 2022

General Election

Carl F. Lazzaro(I)
886
61.49%

Laura Ciccolella
553
38.38%

Write-In(W)
2
0.14%

Nov 05, 2019

General Election

Carl F. Lazzaro
564
59.31%