Tabernacle Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township’s population was 6,949 reflecting an decline of 221 (-3.1%) from the 7,170 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn declined by 190 (-2.6%) from the 7,360 counted in the 1990 Census.
Tabernacle was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 22, 1901, from portions of Shamong Township, Southampton Township and Woodland Township. The township was named for a tabernacle constructed by missionaries David and John Brainerd.
New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Tabernacle Township as its 23rd best place to live in its 2008 rankings of the “Best Places To Live” in New Jersey. New Jersey Monthly magazine ranked Tabernacle Township as its sixth best place to live in its 2010 rankings of the “Best Places To Live” in New Jersey. In 2009, it was rated the #1 small town by South Jersey Magazine.
The area that is now Tabernacle was inhabited by Lenni Lenape Native Americans. In 1778, John and David Brainerd came to the area and erected a church to convert the local Native Americans to Christianity. The church was called Tabernacle In The Wilderness. In 1803, William Wilkins acquired land from Hosea Moore to build Tabernacle Cemetery, next to the church.
The church was originally used as a schoolhouse but in 1856, the one-room Union School was built on the future site of Tabernacle Town Hall to serve the children of the community. As the community grew, a second schoolhouse was built in the vicinity of the other school.
In 1860, Gilbert Knight built the Pepper-Knight House next to the Union Schoolhouse. It was later sold to the Pepper family who turned the property over to the Tabernacle Historic District following Clara Pepper’s death in 1987. In the 1880s there were problems at the Tabernacle, so a new church was built on the spot. It was called the Tabernacle Methodist Episcopal Church, which still stands today.
On March 22, 1901, Tabernacle was incorporated as a township by an act of New Jersey State Legislature from portions of Shamong Township, Southampton Township and Woodland Township.
During the early 1900s, parts of Tabernacle were used as a logging mill at Burrs Mill Brook.
On July 13, 1928, Emilio Carranza (known as the Lindbergh of Mexico) was flying his plane from New York City to Mexico when he crashed in the middle of a storm over Tabernacle. The Carranza Monument was built with funds from Mexican schoolchildren, Hampton Gates Road was renamed Carranza Road for the pilot.
In 1910, the Union Schoolhouse was demolished and Tabernacle Town Hall was erected on the site. 1917 was the last year for the Friendship Schoolhouse, as enrollment dwindled to four pupils with more students attending the Sequoia School, further south on Carranza Road. In 1936 it was moved down the road next to the Sequoia School. In the 1950s, Tabernacle Elementary School was built on New Road and Olson Middle School (formerly Tabernacle Middle School) was built across the road in 1968. Tabernacle School District renamed its school after Kenneth R. Olson following his death in 1990. In 2003, Seneca High School was built to serve high school students from Tabernacle, Shamong, Woodland, and Southampton.
In 1970, Tabernacle’s population was 2,103, but by 1980, it had almost tripled to 6,236, reflecting rapid suburbanization of Philadelphia in South Jersey. Around the same time, the population of many other nearby towns boomed. Tabernacle’s population reached a high in 1990 at 7,362 inhabitants and has continued to drop gradually. In 2000 there were 7,170 residents in the township and the population dropped to 6,949 in the 2010 Census.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 49.614 square miles (128.501 km2), including 49.120 square miles (127.221 km2) of land and 0.494 square miles (1.280 km2) of water (1.00%).
Unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Apple Pie Hill, Bozuretown, Carranza Monument, Eagle, Fairview, Fox Chase, Friendship, Hampton Gate, Harris, Oriental, Paisley, Pine Crest, Sandy Ridge, Sooy Place, South Park, Speedwell and White Horse Station.
The township borders the Burlington county municipalities of Medford Township, Shamong Township, Southampton Township, Washington Township and Woodland Township.
The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering 1,100,000 acres (450,000 ha), that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation’s first National Reserve. All of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Ocean counties.
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 6,949 people, 2,375 households, and 1,978.375 families residing in the township. The population density was 141.5 per square mile (54.6/km2). There were 2,445 housing units at an average density of 49.8 per square mile (19.2/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 95.80% (6,657) White, 1.38% (96) Black or African American, 0.07% (5) Native American, 0.69% (48) Asian, 0.06% (4) Pacific Islander, 0.94% (65) from other races, and 1.06% (74) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.76% (192) of the population.
Source: Wikipedia
