Branchville is a borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 841, reflecting a decline of 4 (-0.5%) from the 845 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 6 (-0.7%) from the 851 counted in the 1990 Census. The borough is located in the northernmost region of Sussex County.
Branchville was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1898, from portions of Frankford Township. An additional portion of Frankford Township was annexed as of March 1, 1951. The borough was named for its site at a branch of the Paulins Kill.
Branchville was established by settlers from Connecticut in the 18th century. It grew quickly and in the 1820s the town was divided into building lots. By the year 1844, it was a well-established community with 32 dwellings, mills, blacksmiths, an academy, a church and a variety of other factories and businesses.
The addition of two water-powered mills and a dam in 1855 furthered the town’s prosperity. Energy would later be harnessed from this dam and a second one that was built to supply Branchville with electricity and its own power company.
Extension of rail service to Branchville in 1869 brought an even greater boon to the village’s economic market growth. From 1869-1871 forty new homes were built. The railroad had made it possible to ship products from the local mills and creameries to larger urban areas to the east. With lake communities nearby the tourism was also spurred by the railroad. Up to six trains a day would bring people from the larger cities to enjoy a country vacation.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 0.600 square miles (1.553 km2), including 0.593 square miles (1.535 km2) of land and 0.007 square miles (0.018 km2) of water (1.15%).
Branchville is an independent municipality completely surrounded by Frankford Township, making it part of 21 pairs of “doughnut towns” in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another.
Branchville is on the Ordovician Martinsburg Formation. This is a shale, slate, and limestone formation created 450 million years ago when a chain of volcanic islands collided with proto North America. The islands went over the North American Plate, creating the Highlands of Sussex County and the Kittatinny Valley. Millions of years of erosion occurred and there was a second event. About 400 million years ago a small continent that was long and thin, collided with proto North America creating folding and faulting. The Silurian Shawangunk conglomerate that was under a shallow sea, lifted due to pressure. The pressure created heat which melted the silica and bonded the quartz and conglomerate together, creating Kittatinny Mountain.
The Wisconsin Glacier covered all of Branchville from 21,000 BC to 13,000 BC, covering the top of Kittatinny Mountain. End moraines exist in Stokes State Forest, another just off Route 565 north of the Skylands Park and one about a mile south of Ross’s Corner. An esker was created when the glacier retreated due to climate warming. Many ponds and lakes created. Culver Lake was created at this time, as the drainage became blocked. Branchville is drained by Culver’s Lake Creek and Dry brook. Dry Creek starts at the Branchville Reservoir, travels south, enters into Culver’s Creek in Branchville and eventually empties into the Paulinskill. There is a chain of hills between Dry Creek and Papakatin Creek. These hills are what separate the Paulinskill River drainage system from that of the Wallkill. The drainage divide is just north of Route 206 and the goes northwest toward Branchville Reservoir. Water near Route 206 or south of Route 206 drains into the Paulinskill. Water north of Route 206 drains into the Wallkill River.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 841 people, 364 households, and 220.948 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,419.2 per square mile (548.0/km2). There were 386 housing units at an average density of 651.4 per square mile (251.5/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.43% (811) White, 0.36% (3) Black or African American, 0.36% (3) Native American, 1.07% (9) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.48% (4) from other races, and 1.31% (11) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.92% (33) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
