Tuckerton is a borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States, named for founder Ebenezer Tucker (1758–1845), and was a port of entry, but not the third Port of Entry in the United States, as is often described. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough’s population was 3,347, reflecting a decline of 170 (−4.8%) from the 3,517 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 469 (+15.4%) from the 3,048 counted in the 1990 Census.

Tuckerton was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 18, 1901, from portions of Little Egg Harbor Township.

The borough is surrounded by Little Egg Harbor Township, but is politically independent. Because Tuckerton and Little Egg Harbor share the same 08087 ZIP code and Little Egg Harbor has no true “downtown” area, many refer to Little Egg Harbor and surrounding suburbs as “Tuckerton”.

Tuckerton is home to the Tuckerton Seaport, a working maritime museum and village.

The area that is now Tuckerton was settled in 1698. Some of the early settlers were Andrews, Falkinburgs, Shourds, Ongs, Willets and Osborns. Edward Andrews settled on the east side of the Pohatcong Creek; his brother, Mordecai Andrews settled on the west side of the same creek. Edward, tired of going to Mount Holly Township with his grain, constructed a cedar log grist mill on the site of a dam built by beavers at the mouth of what is known as Tuckerton Creek. He built the grist mill in 1704, and it still stands to this day.

Tuckerton became a Port of Entry of the United States, but not the third port as is commonly believed, with Ebenezer Tucker appointed Collector, his commission bearing the date March 21, 1791, signed by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It was six years later that Tuckerton became a post town with Reuben Tucker as its first postmaster.

Former names of the town included “Andrew Mills”, “Middle-of-the-Shore”, “Clamtown”, “Quakertown”, and “Fishtown”. In March 1789, Ebenezer Tucker hosted a feast at the then-named Clamtown for the residents at which time they officially changed the name to Tuckerton.

In 1816, Isaac Jenkins established the first stage line between Tuckerton and Philadelphia, making one trip a week, each trip taking two days to travel each way. John D. Thompson bought the line in 1828 and ran the stages each way in a day and carried the mail. The stages and vessels were the only public conveyances to the cities until the Tuckerton Railroad was built in 1871.

What was probably New Jersey’s first summer resort was on Tucker’s Island offshore from Little Egg Harbor. The island sported boarding houses, private cottages, and a school. In 1848 a Lighthouse was erected there, with Eben Rider as its first light keeper. In 1869 the Little Egg Harbor Lifesaving’s Station was constructed there. Also known as Sea Haven, the island contained two hotels. The island was wiped away in a storm, including its lighthouse, which fell into the sea. At the Tuckerton Seaport Museum, a re-created lighthouse has been built as well as other re-created buildings that were on Tuckers Island. In the lighthouse, there are several wall-mounted pictures showing the instant that the original lighthouse fell into the sea. The original island remains under water.

The area surrounding present-day Tuckerton was part of Burlington County until 1891 when it joined with Ocean County. Tuckerton was established in March 1901. with its first Mayor being Frank R. Austin.

By the turn of the 1800s, Tuckerton was home to a robust downtown area of shops, boarding houses, and hotels. Around 1800, Ebenezer Tucker built the “Union House” on the corner of Main Street & Green Street, which served as a post office, stagecoach stop, and lodge. The Union House was later known as the “Carlton House”, which operated as an inn and tavern until it was destroyed by fire in 1964. The “Everett House” was built in the 1870s as a first-class temperance hotel to serve railroad passengers; the building, on Main Street between Green Street and Water Street, was demolished by the mid-20th Century. The Lakeside Hotel, situated on Main Street next to Lake Pohatcong, operated well into the 20th Century before its closure and demolition; a plaque commemorating World War I veterans on the side of the building was moved to its current site in Greenwood Cemetery.

The Tuckerton Methodist Episcopal Church was originally established in 1797. In 1868, the congregation broke ground on an elaborate Colonial-style church building featuring a slate-covered steeple, forged stained glass windows, a town clock, bell, and pipe organ. The building was constructed by shipwrights, as the boro was a bustling shipping and fishing village at the time.

In 1921, Reuben Gerber opened Gerber’s Department Store on Main Street. The store’s art deco interior was modeled after the Macy’s Herald Square flagship store in New York City. Gerber’s served as Tuckerton’s main general store and was an authorized dealership for early Ford vehicles. The building remains and is currently known as the “Tuckerton Emporium”, which houses a consortium of local vendors.

On May 7, 1979, a large wind-driven fire destroyed the century-old Tuckerton United Methodist Church, two stores, and several homes on Main Street, leaving 23 people homeless. The conflagration started in the Tuckerton Variety Store on 25 W. Main Street and spread to a vacant storefront and two second-floor apartments next door; 20-mph sea breeze winds carried embers 200 yards to the church, which quickly burned out of control. The embers also ignited fires in five homes on N. Green Street and several brush fires, all of which were quickly extinguished. 18 fire departments from Ocean and Burlington counties responded to the blaze.

Tuckerton received extensive damage after Superstorm Sandy struck the boro on October 28, 2012. Almost 300 homes suffered extensive damage, while 32 homes were completely destroyed. Floodwaters also ravaged businesses along South green Street as well as flooding some buildings in the Tuckerton Seaport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.804 square miles (9.851 km²), including 3.364 square miles (8.712 km²) of land and 0.440 square miles (1.139 km²) of water (11.56%).

The borough borders the Ocean County municipality of Little Egg Harbor Township.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 3,347 people, 1,396 households, and 872.5 families residing in the borough. The population density was 995.1 per square mile (384.2/km²). There were 1,902 housing units at an average density of 565.5 per square mile (218.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.79% (3,139) White, 0.75% (25) Black or African American, 0.09% (3) Native American, 1.05% (35) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 2.06% (69) from other races, and 2.27% (76) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.07% (203) of the population.

Source: Wikipedia