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{{Infobox river | |||
{{Infobox_river | river_name = Paulins Kill | |||
| name = Paulins Kill | |||
| image_name = Paulinskill WarrenCounty.jpg | |||
| name_native = | |||
| caption = <br>''The Paulins Kill in ], in ], ].'' | |||
| name_native_lang = | |||
| origin = ''Western branch'': ] in ].<br>''Eastern Branch'': ], ], | |||
| name_other = | |||
| mouth = ] | |||
| name_etymology = | |||
| basin_countries = ] | |||
<!---------------------- IMAGE & MAP --> | |||
| length = 28.60 miles (46.03 km)<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> | |||
| image = Paulins Kill, Warrington, NJ - looking southwest.jpg | |||
| elevation = 629 feet (192 m)<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> | |||
| image_caption = The Paulins Kill flowing southwest near ] | |||
| discharge = 76 ft³/s (2.15 m³/s) at ]<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> | |||
| map = Paulins_Kill.png | |||
| watershed = 177 mi² (458 km²)<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> | |||
| map_size = 250 | |||
| map_caption = The Paulins Kill drains an area of {{convert|177|sqmi}} in northwestern New Jersey and is part of the Delaware River watershed | |||
| pushpin_map = | |||
| pushpin_map_size = | |||
| pushpin_map_caption= | |||
<!---------------------- LOCATION --> | |||
| subdivision_type1 = Country | |||
| subdivision_name1 = ] | |||
| subdivision_type2 = State | |||
| subdivision_name2 = ] | |||
| subdivision_type3 = Counties | |||
| subdivision_name3 = ], ] | |||
| subdivision_type4 = | |||
| subdivision_name4 = | |||
| subdivision_type5 = | |||
| subdivision_name5 = | |||
<!---------------------- PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS --> | |||
| length = {{convert|41.6|mi|km|abbr=on}}<ref name="usgs"/> | |||
| width_min = | |||
| width_avg = | |||
| width_max = | |||
| depth_min = | |||
| depth_avg = | |||
| depth_max = | |||
| discharge1_location= ]<ref name="waterdata.usgs.gov"> no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006.</ref> | |||
| discharge1_min = | |||
| discharge1_avg = {{convert|76|cuft/s|m3/s|abbr=on}}<ref name="waterdata.usgs.gov"/> | |||
| discharge1_max = | |||
<!---------------------- BASIN FEATURES --> | |||
| source1 = | |||
| source1_location = ], ] | |||
| source1_coordinates= {{coord|41|04|01|N|74|46|23|W|display=inline}}<ref name="usgs">{{cite gnis| 879174 |Paulins Kill}} Variant names: Paulins Kill Creek, Paulinskill, Paulinskill River, Pawlins Kill</ref> | |||
| source1_elevation = {{convert|750|ft|abbr=on}} | |||
| mouth = ] | |||
| mouth_location = ], ] | |||
| mouth_coordinates = {{coord|40|55|10|N|75|05|16|W|display=inline,title}}<ref name="usgs"/> | |||
| mouth_elevation = {{convert|262|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="usgs"/> | |||
| progression = | |||
| river_system = | |||
| basin_size = {{convert|177|sqmi|abbr=on}}<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829055636/http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/Flood_Website/floodclaims_reference.htm |date=2006-08-29 }} from ''Flood Insurance Claims in the Delaware River Basin: Comparative Analysis of Flood Insurance Claims in the Delaware River Basin, September 2004 and April 2005 Floods'', no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006.</ref> | |||
| tributaries_left = | |||
| tributaries_right = | |||
| custom_label = | |||
| custom_data = | |||
| extra = | |||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Paulins Kill''' (also known as |
The '''Paulins Kill''' (also known as '''Paulinskill River''') is a {{convert|41.6|mi|km|adj=on}}<ref name="usgs"/> tributary of the ] in northwestern ] in the United States. With a long-term median flow rate of 76 cubic feet of water per second (2.15 m<sup>3</sup>/s), it is New Jersey's third-largest contributor to the Delaware River, behind the ] and ].<ref> no further authorship information given, accessed October 30, 2006.</ref> The river drains an area of {{convert|176.85|sqmi}} across portions of ] and ] counties and 11 municipalities. It flows north from its source near ], and then turns southwest. The river sits in the Ridge and Valley geophysical province. | ||
The Paulins Kill was a conduit for the ] of ] |
The Paulins Kill was a conduit for the ] of ] who settled in northwestern New Jersey and northeastern ] during the ] and the ]. Remnants of their chiefly agricultural settlements are still found in local architecture, cemeteries, farms and mills, and the area remains largely rural. | ||
Flowing through rural sections of |
Flowing through rural sections of Sussex and Warren counties, it is regarded as an excellent place for ]. The surrounding area is used for hiking and other forms of recreation such as observing birds and other wildlife. | ||
==Course== | |||
The main branch of the Paulins Kill begins to form immediately north of Newton, in the marshes that straddle the town. The headwaters start near Route 622 in ].<ref name="usgs"/> It flows southwest for the rest of its journey, through ] and ] townships in ]. Trout Brook, which rises on ], flows into the river near Middleville in Stillwater Township. ] feeds Trout Brook through Keen's Mill Brook. The Paulins Kill continues its course southwest, entering ], where it initially forms the border between ] and ] townships. It enters ] immediately after, where it is joined by Blair Creek, named (as is the town) for ] (1802–1899), as well as ], Susquehanna Creek, Dilts Creek and Walnut Creek. ], which rises at the Yards Creek reservoir in Blairstown, enters the Paulins Kill near the hamlet of Hainesburg in ]. Finally, in Warren County its waters enter the ] just south of the ] at the hamlet of Columbia in Knowlton Township.<ref name="usgs"/> | |||
<div style="font-size: 80%"> | |||
__TOC__ | |||
</div> | |||
] | |||
==Geography and geology== | |||
After the establishment of ] in 1914, a dam was built in the 1920s across the river in Stillwater Township to create Paulins Kill Lake.<ref>{{Gnis|879175|Paulins Kill Lake}}</ref> Summer cottages were built to attract vacationers from nearby New York City. Today, the lake is a private, year-round residential community with over 500 homes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://paulinskilllake.com/about/|title=About the PLA|publisher=Paulinskill Lake Association|access-date=January 17, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://pla2009.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/phil-mag-art-1951.pdf|work=Philadelphia Magazine|date=June 1951|access-date=January 17, 2015|title=Business Man's Summer Retreat}}</ref> | |||
===Course=== | |||
] | |||
The Paulins Kill, itself a tributary of the ], is fed by several mountain streams—many of which are unnamed. However, several larger named streams contribute their waters to the Paulinskill at various points along its 28.6-mile (46 km) length. The river emanates from two branches that merge near the hamlet of ], in ]. | |||
==Watershed== | |||
The main, or eastern, branch of the Paulins Kill begins at 41° 04' 01" North, 74° 46' 23" West, immediately north and west of ] in the marshes that straddle both Newton and the northern reaches of ].<ref></ref> '''Moore's Brook''' is one of several small mountain streams, some beginning at small ponds, that enter the Paulins Kill near its source. The river flows northward into ] before curving west where it meets with the '''Culver Brook''' (also known as the Western branch of the Paulins Kill) near the hamlet of ] in ]. The Culver Brook begins at ], in the western portion of Frankford Township and flows east through ] before the two branches merge. | |||
The Paulins Kill drains a portion of the Kittatinny Valley watershed. Kittatinny Valley is bordered to the northwest by the ] segment of the ], and to the southeast by the ].<ref name="NJFS-9">{{cite report|url=http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/sustain/landscape_classif/hudson.pdf |title=Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey|publisher=New Jersey Forest Service|date=May 2000|access-date=January 17, 2015|section=Hudson–Kittatinny Valley|page=9}}</ref> ], near the northeastern end of the ridge, is the highest peak in New Jersey, reaching an elevation of {{convert|1800|ft|m}}.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/sustain/landscape_classif/hudson.pdf |title=Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey|publisher=New Jersey Forest Service|date=May 2000|access-date=January 17, 2015|section=Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Valley|page=40}}</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill then flows southwest for the rest of its journey, through ] and ]s in ]. The '''Trout Brook''', which rises on Kittatinny Mountain, flows into the Paulins Kill near Middleville in Stillwater Township. ] feeds the Trout Brook through '''Keen's Mill Brook'''. The Paulins Kill continues its course southwest, entering ], where it initially forms the border between ] and ]s. It enters ] immediately after, where it is joined by '''Blair Creek''' named (as is the town) for ] (1802-1899), as well as '''Jacksonburg Creek''', '''Dilts Creek''' and '''Walnut Creek'''. '''Yard's Creek''', which rises at the Yard's Creek reservoir in Blairstown, enters the Paulins Kill near the hamlet of Hainesburg in ]. Finally, in ] its waters enter the ] just south of the ] at the hamlet of Columbia in Knowlton Township (40° 55' 10" North, 75° 05' 16" West).<ref></ref> | |||
The lower southern and eastern portions of the valley are drained by the Paulins Kill and the ], which flow generally south to the Delaware River watershed.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/sustain/landscape_classif/hudson.pdf |title=Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey|publisher=New Jersey Forest Service|date=May 2000|access-date=January 17, 2015|section=Lower Kittatinny Valley|page=28}}</ref> The upper northwestern area is drained by the Big Flatbrook River to the Delaware River watershed in the south.<ref>{{cite report |url=http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/sustain/landscape_classif/hudson.pdf |title=Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey|publisher=New Jersey Forest Service|date=May 2000|access-date=January 17, 2015|section=Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Valley|page=40}}</ref> The ] drains the northeastern portion of the valley, flowing north to the ] watershed.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/sustain/landscape_classif/hudson.pdf |title=Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey|publisher=New Jersey Forest Service|date=May 2000|access-date=January 17, 2015|section=Hydrology|page=11}}</ref> | |||
A dam was built in the 1920s across the Paulins Kill in Stillwater Township, to create Paulinskill Lake, a narrow, 3-mile (4.8 km) long body of water that stretches back into Hampton Township to the north. It was constructed in response to the 1914 establishment of ], to provide seasonal (summer) housing and recreation for vacationers from the New York metropolitan area. At present, it is a year-round residential community managed by a homeowners association.<ref> at ''Skylands Magazine'' website, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
== History == | |||
Today, several dams and ] remain from the ], ], ] and ] built along the river's banks during the 18th and 19th century, and continue to alter the course and flow of the river. | |||
=== Origins of the name === | |||
===Valley and watershed=== | |||
], circa 1905. The Paulins Kill is a calm, slow-flowing river, without significant disturbance or rapids, and looks much like this view for all of its length.]] | |||
The valley and ] of the Paulins Kill is bordered on the west by the ] of the ]. Kittatinny Mountain, which is a segment of the Blue Ridge chain of the Appalachians, has been known historically as ''Schawangunk Mountain'' (as it is known north of the ]-] border), or ''Pahaqualong Mountain''. Beginning at the western boundary of the Paulins Kill valley and extending westward to the ] (and beyond that to the Allegheny Mountains), is the ], one of four physiographic provinces of New Jersey. This area was largely formed through the fold-and-thrust action 300 million years ago during the ]. The valley floor and its eastern boundary largely constitute the northwesternmost reaches of the ] region—a geological formation composed primarily of pre-] igneous and metamorphic rock—within New Jersey. Elevations within the Highlands region separate the Paulins Kill watershed from the watersheds of the ] and ] located a few miles to the east. | |||
The ] ] decided that the official spelling of the name would be ''Paulins Kill'' in 1898.<ref name="usgs"/> Other spellings (''Pawlins Kill'' or ''Paulinskill'') have remained in common use. '']'' is a ] word for "stream".<ref>"" by Mary Ann McRae (September 6, 1996), CNN.</ref> | |||
Local tradition says that the Paulins Kill was named for a girl named Pauline, the daughter of a ] soldier. During the ], Hessian soldiers captured at the ] and other skirmishes within New Jersey were held as ] in the ] area. Several of these Hessians are alleged to have deserted the British and taken up residence in Stillwater because of the village's predominantly German emigrant population. The assumption is that the name Paulins Kill was derived from "Pauline's Kill".<ref>''Northwestern New Jersey—A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties'', Vol. 1. (A. Van Doren Honeyman, ed. in chief, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927), 499</ref><ref>Snell, James P. (1881) ''''. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881), 379.</ref> However, the fact that the name Paulins Kill is present on maps and surveys dating from the 1740s and 1750s—two and three decades before the Revolution—negates the veracity of this tradition.<ref>Labelled "Tockhockonetkunk or Pawlings Kill" on an untitled map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey; also ''Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey''. . Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st–2nd series. 47 volumes. Newark, New Jersey, 1880–1949, passim.{{Nonspecific|date=January 2015}}</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill and its watershed share the Mamakating valley with ], which flows northward to the ] and is a part of the ] watershed. Historically, this valley was often called "Mamakating", from the ] for "valley of the divided waters"—however, this name has fallen into disuse in the latter half of the 20th century. At their closest, the Papakating Creek and Paulins Kill flow within one mile of each other, in ] in ]. | |||
Two other possibilities for the naming of the Paulins Kill are more likely. First, that the wife of one of the area's first ]s, Johan Peter Bernhardt (died 1748), was named Maria Paulina and that she had died prior to the first settlement at Stillwater in 1742. However, very few records are extant detailing Bernhardt's family. The second and most likely etymological origin is that the Native American name given to the mountain on the valley's western flank, ''Pahaqualong'' (also spelled ''Pahaqualin'', ''Pohoqualin'' and ''Pahaquarra'') may have been corrupted and anglicized to a spelling such as "Paulins" by early white settlers or surveyors. Pahaqualong is roughly translated as "end of two mountains with stream between", from a combination of the words ''pe’uck'' meaning "water hole," ''qua'' meaning "boundary," and the suffix ''-onk'' meaning "place."<ref>Decker, Amelia Stickney, ''That Ancient Trail'' (Trenton, New Jersey: Privately printed, 1942), 151</ref><ref>Anthony and Brinton, op. cit.</ref> This translation is thought to refer either to the valley of the Paulins Kill itself, or to the ]. Local tradition does place an Indian village named ''Pahaquarra'' near the mouth of the Paulins Kill which is immediately south of the Delaware Water Gap. Likewise, the former ] in Warren County derived its name from this origin.<ref name="snell 23">Snell, op. cit., 23</ref> | |||
==History== | |||
===Origins of the name=== | |||
], circa 1905. The Paulins Kill is a calm, slow-flowing river, without significant disturbance or rapids, and looks much like this view for all of its length.]] | |||
The ] ] decided that the official spelling of the name would be ''Paulins Kill'' in 1898.<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> Other spellings (''Pawlins Kill'' or ''Paulinskill'') have remained in common use. The use of ''Paulinskill River'', however—while often used—is redundant as '']'' is a geographic designation for a small stream or creek, derived from ]. | |||
A village named ] located a short distance east of ] on ], is said to have been named "from the stream upon which it is located." William Armstrong, a local settler, built the first grist mill there along the river in 1768, and the village took root.<ref>Snell, op. cit., 688.</ref> | |||
Local tradition says that the Paulins Kill was named for a girl named Pauline, the daughter of a ] soldier. During the ], Hessian soldiers captured at the ] and other skirmishes within New Jersey were held as ] in the ] area. Several of these Hessians are alleged to have deserted the British and taken up residence in Stillwater because of the village's predominantly German emigrant population. The assumption is that the name Paulins Kill was derived from "Pauline's Kill."<ref>''Northwestern New Jersey--A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties'', Vol. 1. (A. Van Doren Honeyman, ed. in chief, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927), 499; Snell, James P. (1881) ''History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers''. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881), 379.</ref> However, the fact that the name Paulins Kill is present on maps and surveys dating from the 1740s and 1750s—two and three decades before the Revolution—negates the veracity of this tradition.<ref>Labelled "Tockhockonetkunk or Pawlings Kill" on an untitled map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey; also ''Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey''. . Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series. 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey, 1880-1949, passim.</ref> Further, some local traditions state that the girl's name was Pauline Snover, however extant genealogical records do not indicate that any person existed by that name at that time. | |||
The Paulins Kill was originally known as the ''Tockhockonetcong'' by the local Native Americans, who were likely ], a ] or ] of the ]. The name ''Tockhockonetcong'' (or ''Tockhockonetcunk'') roughly translates to "stream that comes from Tok-Hok-Nok"—''Tok-hok-nok'' being an Indian village believed to have been within the boundaries of present-day ],<ref name="snell 23"/> near which the eastern (main) branch of the Paulins Kill begins, and the ] roots ''hannek'' meaning "stream" and the suffix ''-ong'' denoting "place".<ref>Anthony, A. S., Rev. and Brinton, Daniel G. ''Lenape-English Dictionary''. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1883).</ref> | |||
Two other possibilities for the naming of the Paulins Kill are more likely. First, that the wife of one of the area's first ]s, Johan Peter Bernhardt (died 1748), was named Maria Paulina and that she had died prior to the first settlement at Stillwater in 1742. However, very few records are extant detailing Bernhardt's family. The second and most likely etymological origin is that the Native American name given to the mountain on the valley's western flank, ''Pahaqualong'' (also spelled ''Pahaqualin'', ''Pohoqualin'' and ''Pahaquarra'') may have been corrupted and anglicized to a spelling such as "Paulins" by early white settlers or surveyors. Pahaqualong is roughly translated as “end of two mountains with stream between”, from a combination of the words ''pe’uck'' meaning “water hole,” ''qua'' meaning “boundary,” and the suffix ''-onk'' meaning “place.”<ref>Thieme, Christopher D., ''On Crossroads and Signposts: An Etymology of Place Names in Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey''. (New York: Newcastle Press, 2006 - ''release forthcoming'') advance copies prior to release (scheduled November 2006) available, contact ; Decker, Amelia Stickney, ''That Ancient Trail'' (Trenton, New Jersey: Privately printed, 1942), 151; Anthony and Brinton, op. cit.</ref> This translation my refer either to the valley of the Paulins Kill itself, or to the ]. | |||
=== Early settlement === | |||
Local tradition does place an Indian village named ''Pahaquarra'' near the mouth of the Paulinskill. ] in ] derives its name from this origin. <ref>Snell, op cit., 23; Thieme, op. cit.</ref> | |||
] | |||
The first human settlement along the Paulins Kill was by early Native Americans circa 8,000–10,000 BC at the close of the last ] (known as the ]). At the time of the first settlement by emigrating Europeans in this region, it was populated by the ] tribe of the ] (or Delaware) Indians. Artifacts (often of stone, clay or bone) of the Native American culture are often found in nearby farm fields and at the site of their ancient villages.<ref>Schrabisch, Max. ''Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey'' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915)</ref><ref>''Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties'' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917).</ref> | |||
Typically, early European settlement along the Paulins Kill was by Palatine Germans who had emigrated to the New World via the port of ] from 1720 to 1800. Many had trekked north through the valley of the Delaware and settled along the ], ] and Paulins Kill valleys in ] and along the ] valley in ]. Areas along the Paulins Kill generally were not settled until the 1740s and 1750s.<ref>Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. ''''. (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim.{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2015}} Often villages established and settled by German emigrants remained culturally German well into the Nineteenth Century, with German ] and ] churches (often as "Union" churches) established shortly after the first settlements (as was the case in Knowlton and in Stillwater). However, by the early Nineteenth Century, many descendants of these German settlers removed to newly opened lands in the West (i.e. ], the ], the ] of New York) and those that remained had assimilated into English-speaking culture, and the German Reformed or Lutheran Churches often became ].<ref>Schaeffer, Casper, M.D. and Johnson, William M. '''' (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). 42–43, 46–47</ref><ref>Chambers, op. cit., passim.{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2015}} The German cultural impact of this community can still be seen in local architecture—most notably in barns and in stone houses—and in cemeteries containing intricately carved gravestones often bearing archaic ] and ] symbols.<ref>Viet, Richard F. "John Solomon Teetzel and the Anglo-German Gravestone Carving Tradition of 18th century Northwestern New Jersey" in ''Markers XVII'' (Richard E. Meyer, ed.), Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies, XVII: 124–161 (2000).</ref> English, Scottish, and Welsh settlers located in the Paulins Kill valley throughout the latter half of the eighteenth century, often traveled north from Philadelphia, or west from ], ], and ] (now Elizabeth).<ref>Schaeffer, Casper, M.D. and Johnson, William M. '''' (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). passim.{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref name="Snell passim">Snell, op. cit., passim.{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>Armstrong, William C. ''Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey'' (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979), passim{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>Stickney, Charles E. ''Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region'' from articles in the ''Wantage Recorder'' (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988), passim.{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref> | |||
A village named ''Paulina'' located a short distance east of ] on ], is said to have been named "from the stream upon which it is located." William Armstrong, a local settler, built the first grist mill there along the river in 1768, and the village took root.<ref>Snell, op. cit., 688.</ref> | |||
The area around present-day ] was first settled by the family of ] (1712–1784), a Palatine German who had emigrated to Philadelphia a few years earlier. Shafer, with his father-in-law, Johan Peter Bernhardt (?–1748), and his brother-in-law Johann Georg Windemuth (or John George Wintermute) (1711–1782), settled at Stillwater in 1742. Both Shafer and Windemuth were married to Bernhardt's daughters.<ref>Wintermute, Jacob Perry. ''''. (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1900){{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref><ref>Wintermute, Leonard. ''''. (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1996).{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref> Shafer, who operated a grist mill at Stillwater starting in 1746, transported flour, fruit, and other products by ] down the Paulins Kill and the Delaware River to the market in Philadelphia. Most of the New Jersey shoreline and cities such as Elizabethtown and Newark were practically unknown to the German settlers along the Paulins Kill who learned of the existence of these cities only through trade with the local Lenni Lenape.<ref name="Snell passim"/><ref>Schaeffer and Johnson. op. cit., 33.</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill was originally known as the ''Tockhockonetcong'' by the local Native Americans who were likely ], a ] or ] of the ]. The name ''Tockhockonetcong'' (or ''Tockhockonetcunk'') roughly translates to "stream that comes from Tok-Hok-Nok"—''Tok-hok-nok'' being an Indian village believed to been within the boundaries of present-day ],<ref>Snell, op. cit., 23.</ref> near which the eastern (main) branch of the Paulins Kill begins, and the ] roots ''hannek'' meaning "stream" and the suffix ''-ong'' denoting "place."<ref>Thieme, op. cit.; Anthony, A. S., Rev. and Brinton, Daniel G. ''Lenape-English Dictionary''. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1883).</ref> | |||
The first road connecting Elizabethtown, and ] with settlements along the Delaware River, was the ] built by Jonathan Hampton (1711–1777) in 1755–1756.<ref> at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area website, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> This road, which crosses the Paulins Kill at present-day Baleville, in Hampton Township, was built to supply fortifications built in the Delaware valley at this time to protect New Jersey during the ]. Very few passable, large roads were built in this section of New Jersey, then largely a sparsely populated wilderness, before the creation of turnpike companies in the early decades of the Nineteenth Century. During much of the mid-eighteenth century, trade in the northwestern reaches of New Jersey was conducted through Philadelphia by way of the Delaware River.<ref name="Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit">Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit.</ref> | |||
===Early settlement=== | |||
] | |||
The first human settlement along the Paulins Kill was by early native Americans circa 8,000-10,000 BC at the close of the last ] (known as the ]). At the time of the first settlement by emigrating Europeans in this region, it was populated by the ] tribe of the ] (or Delaware) Indians. Artifacts (often of stone, clay or bone) of the Native American culture are often found in nearby farm fields and at the site of their ancient villages. <ref>Schrabisch, Max. ''Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey'' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915); and ''Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties'' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917).</ref> | |||
About the year 1760, ] (1739–1803) settled in Hardwick Township (now Frelinghuysen Township) and erected a gristmill and sawmill on the Paulins Kill. The settlement that arose was later named ] in his honour. Thomson, who removed to ] in ], became an officer in the ] during the ], and served two terms in the House of Representatives.<ref name="Snell passim"/> | |||
Typically, early European settlement along the Paulins Kill was by ] ] who had emigrated to the New World via the port of ] from 1720 to 1800. Many had treked north through the valley of the Delaware and settled along the ], ] and Paulins Kill valleys in ] and along the ] valley in ]. Areas along the Paulins Kill generally were not settled until the 1740s and 1750s.<ref>Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. ''The early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies''. (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim.</ref> Often villages established and settled by German emigrants remained culturally German well into the Nineteenth Century, with German ] and ] churches (often as "Union" churches) established shortly after the first settlements (as was the case in Knowlton and in Stillwater). However, by the early Nineteenth Century, many descendants of these German settlers removed to newly-opened lands in the West (i.e. ], the ], the ] of New York) and those that remained had assimilated into English-speaking culture, and the German Reformed or Lutheran Churches often became ].<ref>Schaeffer, Capser, M.D. and Johnson, William M. ''Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey.'' (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). 42-43, 46-47; Chambers, op. cit., passim.</ref> The German cultural impact of this community can still be seen in local architecture—most notably in barns and in stone houses—and in ] containing intricately-carved ] often bearing archaic ] and ] symbols.<ref>Viet, Richard F. "John Solomon Teetzel and the Anglo-German Gravestone Carving Tradition of 18th Century Northwestern New Jersey" in ''Markers XVII'' (Richard E. Meyer, ed.), the annual journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies. (2000).</ref> English, Scottish, Welsh settlers located in the Paulins Kill valley throughout the latter-half of the eighteenth century, often travelling north from Philadelphia, or west from ], ], and ] (now Elizabeth).<ref>Schaeffer, Capser, M.D. and Johnson, William M. ''Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey.'' (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). passim.; Snell, op. cit., passim.; Armstrong, William C. ''Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey'' (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979), passim; Stickney, Charles E. ''Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region'' from articles in the ''Wantage Recorder'' (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988), passim.</ref> | |||
=== Commercial and industrial impact === | |||
The area around present-day ] was first settled by the family of Casper Shafer (1712–1784), a ] ] who had emigrated to Philadelphia a few years earlier. Shafer, with his father-in-law, Johan Peter Bernhardt (?–1748), and his brother-in-law Johann Georg Windemuth (or John George Wintermute) (1711–1782), settled at Stillwater in 1742. Both Shafer and Windemuth were married to Bernhardt's daughters.<ref>Wintermute, Jacob Perry. ''Wintermute Family History''. (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1900); Wintermute, Leonard. ''Windemuth Family Heritage''. (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1996).</ref> Shafer, who operated a grist mill at Stillwater starting in 1746, transported ], ], and other products by ] down the Paulins Kill and the Delaware River to the market in Philadelphia. Most of the New Jersey shoreline and cities such as Elizabethtown and Newark were practically unknown to the German settlers along the Paulins Kill who learned of the existence of these cities only through trade with the local Lenni Lenape.<ref>Schaeffer and Johnson. op. cit., 33.; Snell, op. cit., passim.</ref> Part of this was because of the incredible hardship of an overland journey east to these cities resulting from a lack of roads. | |||
] | |||
Chiefly a pastoral river in a largely undeveloped area of New Jersey, the Paulins Kill has remained generally unaffected by industrial pollution. Dams were erected to power various small-town ]s, ]s, ], and ]s,<ref name="Snell passim"/> and the electrical power plant at ] established in 1903. Columbia, a hamlet near the mouth of the Paulins Kill in ], was known for a large ] manufacturing factory. In recent decades, the dams have been breached or no longer impede the flow of the river.<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> | |||
Still, pollution reaches the Paulins Kill from nearby ]s and farm ] containing agricultural ]s and ]s. Several farms along the banks of the Paulins Kill produce alfalfa, wheat, corn, hay (and historically, barley, buckwheat and rye). Fruit trees in orchards produce cherries, apples, plums, peaches and pears, while native wild grape vines, and blackberry bushes are also found in the valley.<ref name="Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit"/>{{failed verification|date=February 2015}} New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection occasionally brings civil actions against local firms that pollute in the Paulins Kill watershed, such as a $121,500 fine for a Sussex County shopping mall sewage treatment facility which discharged pollutants into a tributary of the Paulins Kill between 1996 and 1998.<ref> (Press Release) at NJDEP website, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> | |||
The first road connecting Elizabethtown, and ] with settlements along the Delaware River, was the ] built by Jonathan Hampton (1711-1777) in 1755-1756.<ref> at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area website, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> This road, which crosses the Paulins Kill at present-day Baleville, in Hampton Township, was built to supply fortifications built in the Delaware valley at this time to protect New Jersey during the ]. Very few passable, large roads were built in this section of New Jersey, then largely a sparsely-populated wilderness, before the creation of turnpike companies in the early decades of the Nineteenth Century. During much of the mid-eigthteenth century, trade in the northwestern reaches of New Jersey was conducted through Philadelphia by way of the Delaware River.<ref>Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit.</ref> | |||
The ] (NJPIRG) has ranked the Paulins Kill as the seventh in a collection of rivers and creeks in a Top 30 listing of ''New Jersey waterways to Save''<ref>"" in ''Jersey Coast Anglers Association Newsletter'', January 2002</ref> The Paulins Kill is home to a wide variety of amphibians, including the ], ], ], ], ] and others.<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.</ref> In 2000, a public sewer and water project in Branchville, New Jersey, was suspended out of concern for ]s (''Alasmidonta heterodon''), an endangered species, and restarted in 2002.<ref>"Branchville Sewer Plant May Still Be Built" by Jamie Goldenbaum in ''New Jersey Herald'' (April 16, 2002)</ref> | |||
About the year 1760, ] (1739-1803) settled in Hardwick Township (now Frelinghuysen Township) and erected a gristmill and sawmill on the Paulins Kill. The settlement that arose was later named Marksboro in his honour. Thomson, who removed to ] in ], became an officer in the ] during the ], and served two terms in the House of Representatives.<ref>Snell, op. cit., passim.</ref> | |||
Near Columbia, the ] built the ] (known also as the ''Hainesburg Viaduct''), a bridge crossing the Paulins Kill, for the ] rail corridor. Begun in 1908, this bridge was deemed an ] marvel for its use of ]. Spanning 1,100 feet (335 m) across the Paulins Kill Valley, the Viaduct rises 115 feet (35 m) above the valley floor, and opened for rail traffic in 1911.<ref>Cunningham, John T. ''Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off'' (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN</ref><ref>Richman, Steven M. ''The Bridges Of New Jersey: Portraits Of Garden State Crossings'' (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2005). {{ISBN|0-8135-3510-7}}</ref><ref> by Don Barnicle and Paula Williams in ''Skylands Magazine'', accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> It was the largest concrete viaduct in the world until 1915,{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} when the Lackawanna Railroad opened the ] in ], spanning over twice the Paulinskill Viaduct's length.<ref> | |||
===Commercial and industrial impact=== | |||
at the American Society of Civil Engineers website (ASCE.org), accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> Currently abandoned, several plans are underway by ] to open the route as a passenger line to ], ].<ref>, New Jersey Transit, (www.NJTransit.com), no further authorship information given, (April 2005), accessed October 29, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061113163408/http://www.njtransit.com/an_cp_project019.shtml |date=November 13, 2006 }}</ref> This site is commonly visited by adventure-seeking individuals.<ref>, by "Myke L.", no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517180623/http://www.weirdnj.com/stories/_archives2001.asp#34 |date=May 17, 2006 }}</ref> | |||
] | |||
From the standpoint of ], the Paulins Kill has benefited from having remained chiefly a pastoral river in a largely undeveloped area of New Jersey. No significant industry had developed since the 1740s to cause irreversible damage to the flow of the river or to heavily ] its waters. During this time, the river was dammed to provide power to the only industries established in these small rural towns: ], ], ], and ]s.<ref>Snell, op. cit., passim.</ref> Many of the dams that once powered the mills, and the electrical power plant at ] established in 1903, have been breached, or no longer impede the flow fo the river.<ref>, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
== Today == | |||
Columbia, a hamlet near the mouth of the Paulins Kill in ], was known for a large ] manufacturing factory. Near Columbia, the ] also constructed the ] (known also as the ''Hainesburg Viaduct''), a bridge crossing the Paulins Kill along he ] rail corridor. Begun in 1908, this bridge was deemed an ] marvel for its use of ]. Spanning 1,100 feet (335 m) across the Paulins Kill Valley, the Viaduct which rises 115 feet (35 m) above the valley floor, and opened for rail traffic in 1911.<ref>Cunningham, John T. ''Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off'' (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN</ref> | |||
] | |||
<ref>Richman, Steven M. ''The Bridges Of New Jersey: Portraits Of Garden State Crossings''. | |||
The Paulins Kill continues to maintain its rural character through both local concern and government policy. It is an excellent area for birdwatching, canoeing, hiking, hunting and fishing, and is considered to be one of the best trout streams in New Jersey.<ref> by Jim Sciascia at New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife website, accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> | |||
(New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2005). ISBN 0813535107</ref><ref> | |||
in ''Skylands Magazine'', accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> It was the largest such viaduct in the world until 1915, when the Lackawanna Railroad opened the ] in ] spanning over twice the Paulinskill Viaduct's length.<ref> | |||
at the American Society of Civil Engineers website ASCE.org), accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> Currently abandoned, several plans are underway by ] to open the route as a passenger line to ], ].<ref> at NJTransit.com (April 2005), accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> This site is commonly visited by ].<ref>, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
=== Fishing === | |||
However, despite its rural character, the Paulins Kill is still impacted by ], chiefly through nearby ]s and farm ] (agricultural ]s and ]s), known as "non-point pollution." The ] (NJPIRG) has ranked the Paulins Kill as the seventh in a collection of rivers and creeks in a Top 30 listing of ''New Jersey waterways to Save'' <ref> at the NJPIRG website, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> Also, New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection often brings civil actions against local firms that deliberately pollute in the Paulins Kill watershed, most recently levying a $121,500 against a Sussex County shopping mall owner who discharged pollutants from a sewage treatment facility into the main branch near Newton, New Jersey between 1996 and 1998.<ref> (Press Release) at NJDEP website, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill is a popular fishing destination for various species of trout, such as ], ] and ]. Trout are stocked each year during the spring fishing season by New Jersey's Division of Fish & Wildlife. Hardly any wild trout are found. This is due to the river getting shallow in summer and warm. The river owes its ] reputation largely to the prolific populations of various species of the ] and ].<ref> by Henry Bell in ''Skylands Magazine, accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> Historically, the Paulins Kill was known to be populated with ], but with the construction of mill dams across the river in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the shad were unable to spawn in the river.<ref>Cummings, Warren D. ''Sussex County: A History'' (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). transcribed , accessed October 26, 2006.</ref> Shad can still be found in the Delaware River.<ref> at Delaware River Recreation, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.</ref> | |||
=== Protected areas === | |||
Recent development, prompted by an enlarging New York City Metropolitan area, has lead to development issues which could threaten the Paulins Kill's future. A public sewer and water project in Branchville, New Jersey was halted in the 2000 out of concern for a population of ]s (''Alasmidonta heterodon''), an endangered species. This project was reauthorized in 2002.<ref>"Branchville Sewer Plant May Still Be Built" in ''New Jersey Herald'' (16 April 2002), transcribed at , accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill valley contains many protected areas. ], established in 1914 as the first and oldest state park in New Jersey, is on {{convert|2272|acre}} just north of Paulins Kill Lake in Sussex County.<ref>, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006</ref> Along Kittatinny Ridge in the northern part of the watershed are parts of ] (west), ] (central), and ]s (east).<ref name="Worthington State Forest">, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006</ref><ref>, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006</ref><ref>, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006</ref> In addition to these state forests, the Paulins Kill valley is host to a variety of common ] and ] trees, which have been harvested for ] in the past, including: ] and ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Trees that add to the beauty of the fall foliage include ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>Schaeffer and Johnson, op. cit., 45 ff.</ref> | |||
New Jersey's ] program has targeted the Paulins Kill and its surrounding valley as an excellent natural resources for open space and farmland preservation and recreational opportunities. The state, working together with agricultural development boards in Sussex and Warren Counties, and with the ''Ridge and Valley Conservancy'', a local nonprofit land trust, share land acquisition costs to enter tracts of real estate into the program.<ref> no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060827084404/http://www.state.nj.us/dep/greenacres/currentstate.htm |date=August 27, 2006 }}</ref> Since 1983, several farms across New Jersey have sold development rights to the county programs. Sussex County has permanently preserved {{convert|12242|acre}} of woodland and farmland.<ref>, spreadsheet from the County of Sussex (New Jersey) no further authorship information given, accessed October 30, 2006.</ref> Likewise, Warren County has preserved 100 farm properties, comprising over {{convert|12200|acre}}.<ref> (2004 Press Release) Warren County (NJ), no further authorship information given, accessed October 30, 2006.</ref> | |||
===Today=== | |||
The Paulins Kill continues to maintain its rural character through both local concern and government policy. It is an excellent area for ], ], ], ] and ], and is considered to be one of the best ] streams in New Jersey.<ref>[http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/trtartjs.htm "Trout Fishing in New Jersey - | |||
The Good 'Ole Days are Now!"] at New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife website, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> As in the past, the Paulins Kill Valley remains rural, and the landscape is dotted with many horse and ] along its entire length. | |||
In addition, four Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are in the Paulins Kill valley area: Bear Swamp WMA, Trout Brook WMA, White Lake WMA, and Columbia Lake WMA. Together they comprise 6,564 acres (2656 ha) of protected lands, mostly acquired through "Green Acres" funds.<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.</ref> Hunting and trapping are permitted in season in many of these protected areas. Common game animals include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], ], ], and ] or groundhog. Common game birds include ], ], ], and ].<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.</ref> | |||
New Jersey's ] program has targeted the Paulins Kill and its surrounding valley as an excellent natural resources for open space and farmland preservation and recreational opportunities. The state, working together with agricultural development boards in Sussex and Warren Counties, and with the '''Ridge and Valley Conservancy''', a local nonprofit land trust, share land acquisition costs to enter tracts of real estate into the program.<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> Since 1983, several farms across New Jersey have sold development rights to the county programs. Sussex County has permanently preserved 12,242.39 acres (4,954.32 ha) of woodland and farmland.<ref>, accessed 30 October 2006.</ref> Likewise, Warren County has preserved 100 farm properties, comprising over approximately 12,200 acres (4,937.16 ha).<ref> (2004 Press Release) Warren County (NJ), accessed 30 October 2006.</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill watershed is home to a variety of other animals. Other mammals include ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.</ref> Common northeastern American reptiles found there include snakes such as the ], ], ] and ], and turtles, including the ], and ].<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.</ref> | |||
The '''Paulinskill Valley Trail'''—a network of trails along abandoned railroad beds of the ]—have been transformed and maintained for ], ], and other recreational uses, stretches for 27 miles (44 km) from ] in ] to ] in ], roughly following the entire length of the river. After the New York, Susquehanna and Western decommissioned the route in 1962, the right-of-way along this corridor was purchased by the City of Newark the following year. Newark hoped to use the bed for a water pipeline connecting to the proposed ] on the ]. However, this project—controversial from the start because of environmental concerns and the federal government's abuse of eminent domain—was cancelled during the 1970s. Newark sold their claim to the corridor in 1992 to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for $600,000, and the Paulinskill Valley Trail was created.<ref> accessed 24 August 2006.</ref> | |||
== |
=== Hiking === | ||
The ]—a network of ]s along abandoned railroad beds of the ]—have been transformed and maintained for hiking, horseback riding, and other recreational uses, stretches for {{convert|27|mi}} from ] in Sussex County to ] in Warren County, roughly following the entire length of the river. After the New York, Susquehanna and Western decommissioned the route in 1962, the right-of-way along this corridor was purchased by the City of Newark the following year. Newark hoped to use the bed for a water pipeline connecting to the proposed ] on the Delaware River. However, this project—controversial from the start because of environmental concerns and the federal government's abuse of eminent domain—was canceled during the 1970s. Newark sold their claim to the corridor in 1992 to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for $600,000, and the Paulinskill Valley Trail was created.<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909231856/http://www.railtrails.org/find/totm/archives/04-06.asp |date=September 9, 2006 }}</ref> The ] follows the top of Kittatinny Ridge at the northern edge of the valley.<ref name="Worthington State Forest"/> | |||
] | |||
'''Birds'''<br> | |||
] have sighted a variety of common and endangered species of birds that inhabit the Paulins Kill valley. More common species include: ] (''Turdus migratorius ''), ] (''Hirundo rustica''), ] (''Spizella pusilla''), ] (''Cyanocitta cristata''), ] (''Corvus brachyrhynchos''), ] (''Paurs atricapillus''), ] (''Cardinalis cardinalis''), ] (''Agelaius phoeniceus'') and the ] (''Carduelis tristis''). Also sighted are several species of Woodpecker, including ] (''Melanerpes erythrocephalus''), ] (''Melanerpes carolinus''), ] (''Sphyrapicus varius''), ] (''Picoides pubescens'') and the endangered ] (''Dryocopus pileatus''). Often sighted are water fowl such as the ] (''Cygnus olor''), the ] (''Branta canadensis''), the ] (''Aix sponsa''), and the ] (''Anas platyrhynchos''), and predators such as the ] (''Buteo jamaicensis'') and the ] (''Charadrius vociferus''). During the winter months, ] (''Phasianus colchicus'') and ] (''Meleagris gallopavo'') are often hunted. More rare birds sighted in the Paulins Kill valley include: ] (''Progne subis''), ] (''Piranga olivacea''), ] (''Passerina cyanea''), ] (''Icterus galbula''), ] (''Carpodacus purpureus''), and a variety of owls, notably the ] (''Tyto alba''), ] (''Otus asio''), ] (''Bubo virginianus''), ] (''Nyctea scandiaca''), ] (''Strix varia''), ] (''Aegolius acadicus''). | |||
=== Birdwatching === | |||
'''Mammals'''<br> | |||
] have sighted a variety of common and endangered species of birds that inhabit New Jersey. More common species include: ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and the ]. Also sighted are several species of woodpecker, including ], ], and ], and the ], as well as the ]. Often sighted are water fowl such as the ], the ], and the ], wading birds such as the ], and predators such as the ]. More rare birds sighted in the Paulins Kill valley include: ], ], ], ], ], and a variety of owls, notably the ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill is also home to a variety of mammals, many of which are hunted during the winter months, including: ] (''Didelphis marsupialis'') ] (''Sylvilagus floridanus''), ] (''Tamias striatus''), | |||
] or Groundhog (''Marmota monax''), ] (''Sciurus carolinensis''), ] (''Tamiasciurus hudsonicus''), ] (''Castor candensis''), ] (''Ondatra zibethicus''), ] (''Erethizon dorsatum''), ] (''Canis latrans''), ] (''Vulpes vulpes''), ] (''Urocyon cinereoargenteus''), ] (''Ursus americanus''), ] (''Procyon lotor''), ] (''Mephitis mephitis''), ] (''Lutra canadensis''), ] (''Felis rufus''), ] (''Odocoileus virginianus''). | |||
== In art, literature and popular culture == | |||
'''Reptiles and amphibians'''<br> | |||
* Essayist, poet and children's author ] (1886–1941), the widow of poet ] (1886–1918) lived in ], for the last 13 years of her life. Her 1785 house, "Whitehall," was built along the Paulins Kill by Abraham Shafer (1754–1820), son of ]. It is thought that the setting of her children's book, ''A Buttonwood Summer'' (1929), was inspired by Stillwater and the Paulins Kill valley.<ref>Letter from Kenton Kilmer to Aline Kilmer (addressed to c/o Bob Holliday), November 18, 1929. quoted in Hillis, John. ''Joyce Kilmer: A Bio-Bibliography''. Master of Science (Library Science) Thesis. Catholic University of America. (Washington, DC: 1962). NO ISBN.{{Page needed|date=January 2015}}</ref> | |||
The Paulins Kill valley is home to many common northeastern American reptiles, including snakes such as the ] (''Agkistrodon contortrix''), the ] (''Crotalus adamanteus''), the ] (''Nerodia sipedon''), the ] (''Thamnophis sirtalis'') and the ] (''Lampropeltis triangulum''), and turtles including the ] (''Terrapene carolina carolina''), and the ] (''Chelydra serpentina''). It is also home to a wide variety of amphibians including the ] (''Ambystoma maculatum''), ] (''Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens''), ] (''Bufo americanus''), ] (''Bufo woodhousii fowleri''), ] (''Rana catesbeiana'') and many others. | |||
* The 1980 ] '']'' was filmed at Camp NoBeBosCo north of ], in ]. The camp's Sand Pond, which stood in for the movie's "Crystal Lake," feeds the ], a tributary of the Paulins Kill.<ref>, no further authorship information given, accessed December 16, 2006.</ref> | |||
* Artist and ] professor ] (1923–2000) created a painting entitled ''Trees at Paulinskill'' (c.1991–97) that was among his later ] works and critically compared to works by French artist and ] painter ] (1839–1906).<ref>, accessed December 21, 2006.</ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061031193417/http://www.loribooksteinfineart.com/page.php?pt=3&xid=45 |date=2006-10-31 }}, accessed December 21, 2006.</ref> | |||
== See also == | |||
] | |||
'''Fish and marine life'''<br> | |||
The Paulins Kill is a popular fishing destination for various species of ]—mostly ] (''Oncorhynchus mykiss''), ] (''Salmo trutta'') and ] (''Salvelinus fontinalis'')—many of which are stocked each year during fishing season by New Jersey's Division of Fish & Wildlife while others are found wild. Historically, the Paulins Kill was known to be populated with ] (''Alosa sapidissima''), but with the construction of mill dams across the river in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the population of Shad were unable to spawn in the river.<ref>Cummings, Warren D. ''Sussex County: A History'' (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). transcribed , accessed 26 October 2006.</ref> Shad can still be found in the Delaware River.<ref> at Delaware River Recreation, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> The river is also a breeding ground for ] (''Alasmidonta heterodon''), an ].<ref> at NJ Division of Fish & Wildlife website, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
'''Insects'''<br> | |||
The Paulins Kill owes its ] reputation to the prolific populations of various species of the ] (order ''Ephemeroptera'') and ] (order ''Trichoptera'').<ref> in ''Skylands Magazine, accessed 29 October 2006.</ref> | |||
'''Trees and plants'''<br> | |||
The Paulins Kill valley is host a a variety of common ] and ] trees which have in the past been harvested for ]. Among those to be found in the area include: ] (''Quercus alba''), ] (''Quercus velutina''), ] or ] (''Platanus occidentalis''), ] (''Juniperus virginiana''), ] (''Tsuga canadensis)'', ] (''Castanea dentata''), ] (''Juglans nigra''), ] (''Larix laricina''), and various species of ] (genus ''Acer''),] (genus ''Betula''), ] (genus ''Carya''), ] (genus ''Ulmus''), ] (genus ''Picea''), ] (genus ''Pinus''), and ] (genus ''Malus'').<ref>Schaeffer and Johnson, op. cit., 45 ff.</ref> | |||
Several ]s and ]s are located along the banks of the Paulins Kill, raising crops included grain-producing grasses including ], ], ], ] and historically ], ] and ]; fruit trees harvesting many varieties of ] (''Prunus cerasus''), ] (''Malus domestica''), ] (''Prunus domestica''), ] (''Prunus persica'') and ] (genus ''Pyrus'').<ref>Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit.</ref> Native wild ] vines (especially ''Vitis riparia''), and ] bushes (''Rubus fruticosus'') are often found.<ref>Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit.</ref> | |||
==In literature and popular culture== | |||
* Essayist, poet and children's author ] (1886–1941), the widow of poet ] (1886–1918) resided in ] for the last thirteen years of her life. Located along the Paulins Kill, her home, "Whitehall," was built in 1785 by Abraham Shafer (1754-1820), son of Casper Shafer. The setting of her children's book, ''A Buttonwood Summer'' (1929), was inspired by Stillwater and the Paulins Kill Valley. | |||
* The 1980 ] '']'' was filmed at Camp NoBeBosCo north of ] in ]. The camp's Sand Pond, which stood in for the movie's "Crystal Lake," feeds the Jacksonburg Creek, a tributary of the Paulins Kill. | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
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* ] | * ] | ||
==Resources |
== Resources == | ||
===Notes and citations=== | |||
<div style="font-size: 80%"> | |||
<references/> | |||
</div> | |||
=== |
=== Notes and citations === | ||
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} | |||
* Armstrong, William C. ''Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey'' (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979). | |||
* Cawley, James S. and Cawley, Margaret. ''Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey'' (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1942, 1961, 1971, 1993). ISBN 0813506840 | |||
* Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. ''The early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim. | |||
* Cummings, Warren D. ''Sussex County: A History'' (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). NO ISBN | |||
* Cunningham, John T. ''Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off'' (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN | |||
* ''Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey . Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series.'' 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey: 1880-1949). NO ISBN | |||
* Gleason, June Benore. ''Historical Paulinskill Valley, New Jersey: Blairstown's neighbors.'' (Blairstown, New Jersey: Blairstown Press, 1949). | |||
* Honeyman, A. Van Doren (ed.). ''Northwestern New Jersey--A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties'' Volume 1. (Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927). NO ISBN | |||
* Richman, Steven M. ''The Bridges Of New Jersey: Portraits Of Garden State Crossings''. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2005). ISBN 0813535107 | |||
* Schaeffer, Casper M.D. (and Johnson, William M.). ''Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey''. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). NO ISBN | |||
* Schrabisch, Max. ''Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey'' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915). NO ISBN | |||
* Schrabisch, Max. ''Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties'' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917). NO ISBN | |||
* Snell, James P. ''History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers''. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). NO ISBN | |||
* Stickney, Charles E. ''Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region'' from articles in the ''Wantage Recorder'' (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988) | |||
* Thieme, Christopher D., ''On Crossroads and Signposts: An Etymology of Place Names in Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey''. (New York: Newcastle Press, 2006). ISBN Pending | |||
* Wintermute, Jacob Perry. ''Wintermute Family History''. (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1900). NO ISBN. | |||
* Wintermute, Leonard. ''Windemuth Family Heritage''. (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1996). | |||
=== |
=== Books and printed materials === | ||
* Armstrong, William C. ''Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey'' (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979). NO ISBN (Privately printed). | |||
* Cawley, James S. and Cawley, Margaret. ''Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey'' (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1942, 1961, 1971, 1993). {{ISBN|0-8135-0684-0}} | |||
* Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. '''' (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895). NO ISBN (Pre-1964) | |||
* Cummings, Warren D. ''Sussex County: A History'' (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). NO ISBN (Privately printed). | |||
* Cunningham, John T. ''Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off'' (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN (Pre-1964). | |||
* ''Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey . Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series.'' 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey: 1880–1949). NO ISBN (pre-1964) | |||
* Gleason, June Benore. ''Historical Paulinskill Valley, New Jersey: Blairstown's neighbors.'' (Blairstown, New Jersey: Blairstown Press, 1949). NO ISBN (Pre-1964) | |||
* Honeyman, A. Van Doren (ed.). ''Northwestern New Jersey—A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties'' Volume 1. (Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927). NO ISBN (pre-1964) | |||
* Richman, Steven M. ''''. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2005). {{ISBN|0-8135-3510-7}} | |||
* Schaeffer, Casper M.D. (and Johnson, William M.). ''''. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). NO ISBN (Pre-1964) | |||
* Schrabisch, Max. '''' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915). NO ISBN (Pre-1964) | |||
* Schrabisch, Max. '''' Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917). NO ISBN (Pre-1964) | |||
* Snell, James P. . (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). NO ISBN (Pre-1964) | |||
* Stickney, Charles E. ''Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region'' from articles in the ''Wantage Recorder'' (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988). NO ISBN (Privately printed). | |||
* Viet, Richard F. "John Solomon Teetzel and the Anglo-German Gravestone Carving Tradition of 18th century Northwestern New Jersey" in '''' (Richard E. Meyer, ed.), Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies, XVII: 124–161 (2000). | |||
* Wintermute, Jacob Perry. ''''. (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1900). NO ISBN. (Pre-1964) | |||
* Wintermute, Leonard. ''''. (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1996). NO ISBN (Privately printed). | |||
=== Maps and atlases === | |||
* Map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey. | * Map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey. | ||
* Hopkins, Griffith Morgan. ''Map of Sussex County, New Jersey''. (1860) | * Hopkins, Griffith Morgan. ''Map of Sussex County, New Jersey''. (1860) | ||
* Beers, Frederick W. ''County Atlas of Warren, New Jersey: From actual surveys by and under the direction of F. W. Beers'' (New York: F.W. Beers & Co. 1874). . | * Beers, Frederick W. ''County Atlas of Warren, New Jersey: From actual surveys by and under the direction of F. W. Beers'' (New York: F.W. Beers & Co. 1874). . | ||
* ''Hagstrom Morris/Sussex/Warren counties atlas'' (Maspeth, New York: Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2004). | * ''Hagstrom Morris/Sussex/Warren counties atlas'' (Maspeth, New York: Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2004). | ||
* United States Geological Survey topographical map "Newton East" and "Newton West" (New Jersey). | |||
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== External links == | ||
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* {{cite web |title=Watershed Moments: Paulins Kill Valley |url=https://www.njskylands.com/tour-watershed-paulinskill |publisher=Skylands Visitor}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 01:49, 18 November 2024
River in New Jersey, United StatesPaulins Kill | |
---|---|
The Paulins Kill flowing southwest near Warrington, New Jersey | |
The Paulins Kill drains an area of 177 square miles (460 km) in northwestern New Jersey and is part of the Delaware River watershed | |
Location | |
Country | United States |
State | New Jersey |
Counties | Sussex, Warren |
Physical characteristics | |
Source | |
• location | Fredon Township, Sussex County |
• coordinates | 41°04′01″N 74°46′23″W / 41.06694°N 74.77306°W / 41.06694; -74.77306 |
• elevation | 750 ft (230 m) |
Mouth | Delaware River |
• location | Knowlton Township, Warren County |
• coordinates | 40°55′10″N 75°05′16″W / 40.91944°N 75.08778°W / 40.91944; -75.08778 |
• elevation | 262 ft (80 m) |
Length | 41.6 mi (66.9 km) |
Basin size | 177 sq mi (460 km) |
Discharge | |
• location | Blairstown, New Jersey |
• average | 76 cu ft/s (2.2 m/s) |
The Paulins Kill (also known as Paulinskill River) is a 41.6-mile (66.9 km) tributary of the Delaware River in northwestern New Jersey in the United States. With a long-term median flow rate of 76 cubic feet of water per second (2.15 m/s), it is New Jersey's third-largest contributor to the Delaware River, behind the Musconetcong River and Maurice River. The river drains an area of 176.85 square miles (458.0 km) across portions of Sussex and Warren counties and 11 municipalities. It flows north from its source near Newton, and then turns southwest. The river sits in the Ridge and Valley geophysical province.
The Paulins Kill was a conduit for the emigration of Palatine Germans who settled in northwestern New Jersey and northeastern Pennsylvania during the colonial period and the American Revolution. Remnants of their chiefly agricultural settlements are still found in local architecture, cemeteries, farms and mills, and the area remains largely rural.
Flowing through rural sections of Sussex and Warren counties, it is regarded as an excellent place for fly fishing. The surrounding area is used for hiking and other forms of recreation such as observing birds and other wildlife.
Course
The main branch of the Paulins Kill begins to form immediately north of Newton, in the marshes that straddle the town. The headwaters start near Route 622 in Fredon Township. It flows southwest for the rest of its journey, through Hampton and Stillwater townships in Sussex County. Trout Brook, which rises on Kittatinny Mountain, flows into the river near Middleville in Stillwater Township. Swartswood Lake feeds Trout Brook through Keen's Mill Brook. The Paulins Kill continues its course southwest, entering Warren County, where it initially forms the border between Frelinghuysen and Hardwick townships. It enters Blairstown immediately after, where it is joined by Blair Creek, named (as is the town) for John Insley Blair (1802–1899), as well as Jacksonburg Creek, Susquehanna Creek, Dilts Creek and Walnut Creek. Yards Creek, which rises at the Yards Creek reservoir in Blairstown, enters the Paulins Kill near the hamlet of Hainesburg in Knowlton Township. Finally, in Warren County its waters enter the Delaware River just south of the Delaware Water Gap at the hamlet of Columbia in Knowlton Township.
After the establishment of Swartswood State Park in 1914, a dam was built in the 1920s across the river in Stillwater Township to create Paulins Kill Lake. Summer cottages were built to attract vacationers from nearby New York City. Today, the lake is a private, year-round residential community with over 500 homes.
Watershed
The Paulins Kill drains a portion of the Kittatinny Valley watershed. Kittatinny Valley is bordered to the northwest by the Kittatinny Ridge segment of the Ridge and Valley Appalachian Mountains, and to the southeast by the New Jersey Highlands. High Point, near the northeastern end of the ridge, is the highest peak in New Jersey, reaching an elevation of 1,800 feet (550 m).
The lower southern and eastern portions of the valley are drained by the Paulins Kill and the Pequest River, which flow generally south to the Delaware River watershed. The upper northwestern area is drained by the Big Flatbrook River to the Delaware River watershed in the south. The Wallkill River drains the northeastern portion of the valley, flowing north to the Hudson River watershed.
History
Origins of the name
The U.S. Geological Survey Board of Geographic Names decided that the official spelling of the name would be Paulins Kill in 1898. Other spellings (Pawlins Kill or Paulinskill) have remained in common use. Kill is a Dutch word for "stream".
Local tradition says that the Paulins Kill was named for a girl named Pauline, the daughter of a Hessian soldier. During the American Revolution, Hessian soldiers captured at the Battle of Trenton and other skirmishes within New Jersey were held as prisoners of war in the Stillwater area. Several of these Hessians are alleged to have deserted the British and taken up residence in Stillwater because of the village's predominantly German emigrant population. The assumption is that the name Paulins Kill was derived from "Pauline's Kill". However, the fact that the name Paulins Kill is present on maps and surveys dating from the 1740s and 1750s—two and three decades before the Revolution—negates the veracity of this tradition.
Two other possibilities for the naming of the Paulins Kill are more likely. First, that the wife of one of the area's first settlers, Johan Peter Bernhardt (died 1748), was named Maria Paulina and that she had died prior to the first settlement at Stillwater in 1742. However, very few records are extant detailing Bernhardt's family. The second and most likely etymological origin is that the Native American name given to the mountain on the valley's western flank, Pahaqualong (also spelled Pahaqualin, Pohoqualin and Pahaquarra) may have been corrupted and anglicized to a spelling such as "Paulins" by early white settlers or surveyors. Pahaqualong is roughly translated as "end of two mountains with stream between", from a combination of the words pe’uck meaning "water hole," qua meaning "boundary," and the suffix -onk meaning "place." This translation is thought to refer either to the valley of the Paulins Kill itself, or to the Delaware Water Gap. Local tradition does place an Indian village named Pahaquarra near the mouth of the Paulins Kill which is immediately south of the Delaware Water Gap. Likewise, the former Pahaquarry Township in Warren County derived its name from this origin.
A village named Paulina located a short distance east of Blairstown on Route 94, is said to have been named "from the stream upon which it is located." William Armstrong, a local settler, built the first grist mill there along the river in 1768, and the village took root.
The Paulins Kill was originally known as the Tockhockonetcong by the local Native Americans, who were likely Munsee, a tribe or phratry of the Lenni Lenape. The name Tockhockonetcong (or Tockhockonetcunk) roughly translates to "stream that comes from Tok-Hok-Nok"—Tok-hok-nok being an Indian village believed to have been within the boundaries of present-day Newton, New Jersey, near which the eastern (main) branch of the Paulins Kill begins, and the Lenape roots hannek meaning "stream" and the suffix -ong denoting "place".
Early settlement
The first human settlement along the Paulins Kill was by early Native Americans circa 8,000–10,000 BC at the close of the last ice age (known as the Wisconsin glaciation). At the time of the first settlement by emigrating Europeans in this region, it was populated by the Munsee tribe of the Lenni Lenape (or Delaware) Indians. Artifacts (often of stone, clay or bone) of the Native American culture are often found in nearby farm fields and at the site of their ancient villages.
Typically, early European settlement along the Paulins Kill was by Palatine Germans who had emigrated to the New World via the port of Philadelphia from 1720 to 1800. Many had trekked north through the valley of the Delaware and settled along the Musconetcong, Pequest and Paulins Kill valleys in New Jersey and along the Lehigh River valley in Pennsylvania. Areas along the Paulins Kill generally were not settled until the 1740s and 1750s. Often villages established and settled by German emigrants remained culturally German well into the Nineteenth Century, with German Lutheran and Reformed churches (often as "Union" churches) established shortly after the first settlements (as was the case in Knowlton and in Stillwater). However, by the early Nineteenth Century, many descendants of these German settlers removed to newly opened lands in the West (i.e. Ohio, the Northwest Territory, the Southern Tier of New York) and those that remained had assimilated into English-speaking culture, and the German Reformed or Lutheran Churches often became Presbyterian. The German cultural impact of this community can still be seen in local architecture—most notably in barns and in stone houses—and in cemeteries containing intricately carved gravestones often bearing archaic German text and funerary symbols. English, Scottish, and Welsh settlers located in the Paulins Kill valley throughout the latter half of the eighteenth century, often traveled north from Philadelphia, or west from Long Island, Newark, and Elizabethtown (now Elizabeth).
The area around present-day Stillwater was first settled by the family of Casper Shafer (1712–1784), a Palatine German who had emigrated to Philadelphia a few years earlier. Shafer, with his father-in-law, Johan Peter Bernhardt (?–1748), and his brother-in-law Johann Georg Windemuth (or John George Wintermute) (1711–1782), settled at Stillwater in 1742. Both Shafer and Windemuth were married to Bernhardt's daughters. Shafer, who operated a grist mill at Stillwater starting in 1746, transported flour, fruit, and other products by flatboat down the Paulins Kill and the Delaware River to the market in Philadelphia. Most of the New Jersey shoreline and cities such as Elizabethtown and Newark were practically unknown to the German settlers along the Paulins Kill who learned of the existence of these cities only through trade with the local Lenni Lenape.
The first road connecting Elizabethtown, and Morristown with settlements along the Delaware River, was the Military Road built by Jonathan Hampton (1711–1777) in 1755–1756. This road, which crosses the Paulins Kill at present-day Baleville, in Hampton Township, was built to supply fortifications built in the Delaware valley at this time to protect New Jersey during the French and Indian War. Very few passable, large roads were built in this section of New Jersey, then largely a sparsely populated wilderness, before the creation of turnpike companies in the early decades of the Nineteenth Century. During much of the mid-eighteenth century, trade in the northwestern reaches of New Jersey was conducted through Philadelphia by way of the Delaware River.
About the year 1760, Mark Thomson (1739–1803) settled in Hardwick Township (now Frelinghuysen Township) and erected a gristmill and sawmill on the Paulins Kill. The settlement that arose was later named Marksboro in his honour. Thomson, who removed to Changewater in Hunterdon County, became an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and served two terms in the House of Representatives.
Commercial and industrial impact
Chiefly a pastoral river in a largely undeveloped area of New Jersey, the Paulins Kill has remained generally unaffected by industrial pollution. Dams were erected to power various small-town gristmills, sawmills, oil expellers, and fulling mills, and the electrical power plant at Branchville established in 1903. Columbia, a hamlet near the mouth of the Paulins Kill in Knowlton Township, was known for a large glass manufacturing factory. In recent decades, the dams have been breached or no longer impede the flow of the river.
Still, pollution reaches the Paulins Kill from nearby residential developments and farm run-off containing agricultural pesticides and fertilizers. Several farms along the banks of the Paulins Kill produce alfalfa, wheat, corn, hay (and historically, barley, buckwheat and rye). Fruit trees in orchards produce cherries, apples, plums, peaches and pears, while native wild grape vines, and blackberry bushes are also found in the valley. New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection occasionally brings civil actions against local firms that pollute in the Paulins Kill watershed, such as a $121,500 fine for a Sussex County shopping mall sewage treatment facility which discharged pollutants into a tributary of the Paulins Kill between 1996 and 1998.
The New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG) has ranked the Paulins Kill as the seventh in a collection of rivers and creeks in a Top 30 listing of New Jersey waterways to Save The Paulins Kill is home to a wide variety of amphibians, including the spotted salamander, red-spotted newt, American toad, Fowler's toad, American bullfrog and others. In 2000, a public sewer and water project in Branchville, New Jersey, was suspended out of concern for dwarf wedgemussels (Alasmidonta heterodon), an endangered species, and restarted in 2002.
Near Columbia, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad built the Paulinskill Viaduct (known also as the Hainesburg Viaduct), a bridge crossing the Paulins Kill, for the Lackawanna Cut-Off rail corridor. Begun in 1908, this bridge was deemed an engineering marvel for its use of reinforced concrete. Spanning 1,100 feet (335 m) across the Paulins Kill Valley, the Viaduct rises 115 feet (35 m) above the valley floor, and opened for rail traffic in 1911. It was the largest concrete viaduct in the world until 1915, when the Lackawanna Railroad opened the Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson, Pennsylvania, spanning over twice the Paulinskill Viaduct's length. Currently abandoned, several plans are underway by New Jersey Transit to open the route as a passenger line to Scranton, Pennsylvania. This site is commonly visited by adventure-seeking individuals.
Today
The Paulins Kill continues to maintain its rural character through both local concern and government policy. It is an excellent area for birdwatching, canoeing, hiking, hunting and fishing, and is considered to be one of the best trout streams in New Jersey.
Fishing
The Paulins Kill is a popular fishing destination for various species of trout, such as rainbow trout, brown trout and brook trout. Trout are stocked each year during the spring fishing season by New Jersey's Division of Fish & Wildlife. Hardly any wild trout are found. This is due to the river getting shallow in summer and warm. The river owes its fly fishing reputation largely to the prolific populations of various species of the mayfly and caddisfly. Historically, the Paulins Kill was known to be populated with American shad, but with the construction of mill dams across the river in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the shad were unable to spawn in the river. Shad can still be found in the Delaware River.
Protected areas
The Paulins Kill valley contains many protected areas. Swartswood State Park, established in 1914 as the first and oldest state park in New Jersey, is on 2,272 acres (919 ha) just north of Paulins Kill Lake in Sussex County. Along Kittatinny Ridge in the northern part of the watershed are parts of Worthington State Forest (west), Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (central), and Stokes State Forests (east). In addition to these state forests, the Paulins Kill valley is host to a variety of common coniferous and deciduous trees, which have been harvested for lumber in the past, including: white oak and black oak, buttonwood, eastern red cedar, eastern hemlock, American chestnut, black walnut, tamarack larch, spruce, and pine. Trees that add to the beauty of the fall foliage include maple, birch, hickory, elm, and crab apple.
New Jersey's Green Acres program has targeted the Paulins Kill and its surrounding valley as an excellent natural resources for open space and farmland preservation and recreational opportunities. The state, working together with agricultural development boards in Sussex and Warren Counties, and with the Ridge and Valley Conservancy, a local nonprofit land trust, share land acquisition costs to enter tracts of real estate into the program. Since 1983, several farms across New Jersey have sold development rights to the county programs. Sussex County has permanently preserved 12,242 acres (4,954 ha) of woodland and farmland. Likewise, Warren County has preserved 100 farm properties, comprising over 12,200 acres (4,900 ha).
In addition, four Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are in the Paulins Kill valley area: Bear Swamp WMA, Trout Brook WMA, White Lake WMA, and Columbia Lake WMA. Together they comprise 6,564 acres (2656 ha) of protected lands, mostly acquired through "Green Acres" funds. Hunting and trapping are permitted in season in many of these protected areas. Common game animals include white-tailed deer, eastern coyote, red fox, gray fox, opossum, eastern cottontail rabbit, raccoon, gray and red squirrel, beaver, muskrat, and woodchuck or groundhog. Common game birds include ring-necked pheasant, eastern wild turkey, American crow, and Canada goose.
The Paulins Kill watershed is home to a variety of other animals. Other mammals include eastern chipmunk, porcupine, black bear, striped skunk, river otter, and bobcat. Common northeastern American reptiles found there include snakes such as the American copperhead, northern water snake, common garter snake and milk snake, and turtles, including the eastern box turtle, and common snapping turtle.
Hiking
The Paulinskill Valley Trail—a network of rail trails along abandoned railroad beds of the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railroad—have been transformed and maintained for hiking, horseback riding, and other recreational uses, stretches for 27 miles (43 km) from Sparta Junction in Sussex County to Columbia in Warren County, roughly following the entire length of the river. After the New York, Susquehanna and Western decommissioned the route in 1962, the right-of-way along this corridor was purchased by the City of Newark the following year. Newark hoped to use the bed for a water pipeline connecting to the proposed dam and reservoir project on the Delaware River. However, this project—controversial from the start because of environmental concerns and the federal government's abuse of eminent domain—was canceled during the 1970s. Newark sold their claim to the corridor in 1992 to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for $600,000, and the Paulinskill Valley Trail was created. The Appalachian Trail follows the top of Kittatinny Ridge at the northern edge of the valley.
Birdwatching
Birdwatchers have sighted a variety of common and endangered species of birds that inhabit New Jersey. More common species include: American robin, barn swallow, field sparrow, blue jay, black-capped chickadee, northern cardinal, red-winged blackbird and the American goldfinch. Also sighted are several species of woodpecker, including red-headed, red-bellied, and downy, and the pileated woodpecker, as well as the yellow-bellied sapsucker. Often sighted are water fowl such as the mute swan, the wood duck, and the mallard, wading birds such as the killdeer, and predators such as the red-tailed hawk. More rare birds sighted in the Paulins Kill valley include: purple martin, scarlet tanager, indigo bunting, Baltimore oriole, purple finch, and a variety of owls, notably the barn, eastern screech, great horned, snowy, barred, and northern saw-whet owl.
In art, literature and popular culture
- Essayist, poet and children's author Aline Murray Kilmer (1886–1941), the widow of poet Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918) lived in Stillwater, New Jersey, for the last 13 years of her life. Her 1785 house, "Whitehall," was built along the Paulins Kill by Abraham Shafer (1754–1820), son of Casper Shafer. It is thought that the setting of her children's book, A Buttonwood Summer (1929), was inspired by Stillwater and the Paulins Kill valley.
- The 1980 slasher film Friday the 13th was filmed at Camp NoBeBosCo north of Blairstown, New Jersey, in Hardwick Township. The camp's Sand Pond, which stood in for the movie's "Crystal Lake," feeds the Jacksonburg Creek, a tributary of the Paulins Kill.
- Artist and Queens College professor Louis Finkelstein (1923–2000) created a painting entitled Trees at Paulinskill (c.1991–97) that was among his later pastel works and critically compared to works by French artist and Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne (1839–1906).
See also
- Geography of New Jersey
- History of New Jersey
- Kittatinny Valley State Park
- List of New Jersey rivers
- New Jersey
- Paulinskill Viaduct
- Swartswood State Park
Resources
Notes and citations
- ^ "Paulins Kill". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Variant names: Paulins Kill Creek, Paulinskill, Paulinskill River, Pawlins Kill
- Watershed Reference Map Archived 2006-08-29 at the Wayback Machine from Flood Insurance Claims in the Delaware River Basin: Comparative Analysis of Flood Insurance Claims in the Delaware River Basin, September 2004 and April 2005 Floods, no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006.
- ^ USGS National Water Information System: Web Interface - Real-Time Data for New Jersey: Streamflow no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006.
- USGS National Water Information System: Web Interface - Real-Time Data for New Jersey: Streamflow no further authorship information given, accessed October 30, 2006.
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Paulins Kill Lake
- "About the PLA". Paulinskill Lake Association. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Business Man's Summer Retreat" (PDF). Philadelphia Magazine. June 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Hudson–Kittatinny Valley". Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Forest Service. May 2000. p. 9. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Valley". Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Forest Service. May 2000. p. 40. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Lower Kittatinny Valley". Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Forest Service. May 2000. p. 28. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Kittatinny-Shawangunk Ridge and Valley". Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Forest Service. May 2000. p. 40. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "Hydrology". Landscape Classification for the Hudson Valley Section of New Jersey (PDF) (Report). New Jersey Forest Service. May 2000. p. 11. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
- "A fishy name will stay the same" by Mary Ann McRae (September 6, 1996), CNN.
- Northwestern New Jersey—A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties, Vol. 1. (A. Van Doren Honeyman, ed. in chief, Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927), 499
- Snell, James P. (1881) History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881), 379.
- Labelled "Tockhockonetkunk or Pawlings Kill" on an untitled map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey; also Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey. . Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st–2nd series. 47 volumes. Newark, New Jersey, 1880–1949, passim.
- Decker, Amelia Stickney, That Ancient Trail (Trenton, New Jersey: Privately printed, 1942), 151
- Anthony and Brinton, op. cit.
- ^ Snell, op. cit., 23
- Snell, op. cit., 688.
- Anthony, A. S., Rev. and Brinton, Daniel G. Lenape-English Dictionary. (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1883).
- Schrabisch, Max. Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915)
- Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917).
- Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. The early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies. (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895), passim.
- Schaeffer, Casper, M.D. and Johnson, William M. Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). 42–43, 46–47
- Chambers, op. cit., passim.
- Viet, Richard F. "John Solomon Teetzel and the Anglo-German Gravestone Carving Tradition of 18th century Northwestern New Jersey" in Markers XVII (Richard E. Meyer, ed.), Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies, XVII: 124–161 (2000).
- Schaeffer, Casper, M.D. and Johnson, William M. Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). passim.
- ^ Snell, op. cit., passim.
- Armstrong, William C. Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979), passim
- Stickney, Charles E. Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region from articles in the Wantage Recorder (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988), passim.
- Wintermute, Jacob Perry. Wintermute Family History. (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1900)
- Wintermute, Leonard. Windemuth Family Heritage. (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1996).
- Schaeffer and Johnson. op. cit., 33.
- Military Trail at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area website, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.
- ^ Schaeffer and Johnson, loc. cit.
- Branchville, New Jersey - History, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.
- NJ DEP Attains Settlement Over Water Pollution Violations affecting Paulinskill River (Press Release) at NJDEP website, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.
- "Defend New Jersey's Waters Release List of Top 30 Waterways To Save" in Jersey Coast Anglers Association Newsletter, January 2002
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Division of Fish and Wildlife: Amphibians of New Jersey, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.
- "Branchville Sewer Plant May Still Be Built" by Jamie Goldenbaum in New Jersey Herald (April 16, 2002)
- Cunningham, John T. Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN
- Richman, Steven M. The Bridges Of New Jersey: Portraits Of Garden State Crossings (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2005). ISBN 0-8135-3510-7
- "Touring the Lackawanna Cut-Off" by Don Barnicle and Paula Williams in Skylands Magazine, accessed October 29, 2006.
- History and Heritage of Civil Engineering: "Tunkhannock Viaduct" at the American Society of Civil Engineers website (ASCE.org), accessed October 29, 2006.
- Lackawanna Cutoff Project, New Jersey Transit, (www.NJTransit.com), no further authorship information given, (April 2005), accessed October 29, 2006. Archived November 13, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- Weird New Jersey Magazine, 2001 Weekly Story Archives, by "Myke L.", no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006. Archived May 17, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- "Trout Fishing in New Jersey - The Good 'Ole Days are Now!" by Jim Sciascia at New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife website, accessed October 29, 2006.
- Music to a Hare's Ears by Henry Bell in Skylands Magazine, accessed October 29, 2006.
- Cummings, Warren D. Sussex County: A History (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). transcribed http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/NJSUSSEX/2002-09/1032918263, accessed October 26, 2006.
- Fishing for Shad on the Delaware at Delaware River Recreation, no further authorship information given, accessed October 29, 2006.
- Swartswood State Park, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006
- ^ Worthington State Forest, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006
- National Park Service: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006
- Stokes State Forest, official website, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006
- Schaeffer and Johnson, op. cit., 45 ff.
- State Acquisitions Current Projects, Green Acres Program, NJ Department of Environmental Protection no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006. Archived August 27, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- Preserved Farmland in Sussex County (NJ), spreadsheet from the County of Sussex (New Jersey) no further authorship information given, accessed October 30, 2006.
- Preserved Farms in Warren County Hit 100 (2004 Press Release) Warren County (NJ), no further authorship information given, accessed October 30, 2006.
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Wildlife Management Areas, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Division of Fish and Wildlife: Small Game Hunting in New Jersey, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Division of Fish and Wildlife: Mammals of New Jersey, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Division of Fish and Wildlife: Reptiles of New Jersey, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.
- Paulinskill Valley Trail at Rails-to-Trail Conservancy, no further authorship information given, accessed August 24, 2006. Archived September 9, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Division of Fish and Wildlife: Birds of New Jersey, no further authorship information given, accessed December 20, 2006.
- Letter from Kenton Kilmer to Aline Kilmer (addressed to c/o Bob Holliday), November 18, 1929. quoted in Hillis, John. Joyce Kilmer: A Bio-Bibliography. Master of Science (Library Science) Thesis. Catholic University of America. (Washington, DC: 1962). NO ISBN.
- Friday the 13th Filming Locations, no further authorship information given, accessed December 16, 2006.
- Gael Mooney on Finkelstein, accessed December 21, 2006.
- "Louis Finkelstein: The Late Pastels in the Context of His Artistic Thinking" at Lori Bookstein Fine Art Archived 2006-10-31 at the Wayback Machine, accessed December 21, 2006.
Books and printed materials
- Armstrong, William C. Pioneer Families of Northwestern New Jersey (Lambertville, New Jersey: Hunterdon House, 1979). NO ISBN (Privately printed). Reprinted version.
- Cawley, James S. and Cawley, Margaret. Exploring the Little Rivers of New Jersey (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 1942, 1961, 1971, 1993). ISBN 0-8135-0684-0
- Chambers, Theodore Frelinghuysen. The early Germans of New Jersey: Their History, Churches, and Genealogies (Dover, New Jersey, Dover Printing Company, 1895). NO ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Cummings, Warren D. Sussex County: A History (Newton, New Jersey: Newton Rotary Club, 1964). NO ISBN (Privately printed).
- Cunningham, John T. Railroad Wonder: The Lackawanna Cut-Off (Newark, New Jersey: Newark Sunday News, 1961). NO ISBN (Pre-1964).
- Documents Relating to the Colonial, Revolutionary and Post-Revolutionary History of the State of New Jersey . Archives of the State of New Jersey, 1st-2nd series. 47 volumes. (Newark, New Jersey: 1880–1949). NO ISBN (pre-1964)
- Gleason, June Benore. Historical Paulinskill Valley, New Jersey: Blairstown's neighbors. (Blairstown, New Jersey: Blairstown Press, 1949). NO ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Honeyman, A. Van Doren (ed.). Northwestern New Jersey—A History of Somerset, Morris, Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties Volume 1. (Lewis Historical Publishing Co., New York, 1927). NO ISBN (pre-1964)
- Richman, Steven M. The Bridges Of New Jersey: Portraits Of Garden State Crossings. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2005). ISBN 0-8135-3510-7
- Schaeffer, Casper M.D. (and Johnson, William M.). Memoirs and Reminiscences: Together with Sketches of the Early History of Sussex County, New Jersey. (Hackensack, New Jersey: Privately Printed, 1907). NO ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Schrabisch, Max. Indian habitations in Sussex County, New Jersey Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 13. (Union Hill, New Jersey: Dispatch Printing Company, 1915). NO ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Schrabisch, Max. Archaeology of Warren and Hunterdon counties Geological Survey of New Jersey, Bulletin No. 18. (Trenton, N.J., MacCrellish and Quigley co., state printers, 1917). NO ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Snell, James P. History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). NO ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Stickney, Charles E. Old Sussex County families of the Minisink Region from articles in the Wantage Recorder (compiled by Virginia Alleman Brown) (Washington, N.J. : Genealogical Researchers, 1988). NO ISBN (Privately printed).
- Viet, Richard F. "John Solomon Teetzel and the Anglo-German Gravestone Carving Tradition of 18th century Northwestern New Jersey" in Markers XVII (Richard E. Meyer, ed.), Journal of the Association for Gravestone Studies, XVII: 124–161 (2000).
- Wintermute, Jacob Perry. Wintermute Family History. (Columbus, Ohio: Champlin Press, 1900). NO ISBN. (Pre-1964)
- Wintermute, Leonard. Windemuth Family Heritage. (Baltimore, Maryland: Gateway Press, 1996). NO ISBN (Privately printed).
Maps and atlases
- Map of Jonathan Hampton (1758) in the collection of the New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, New Jersey.
- Hopkins, Griffith Morgan. Map of Sussex County, New Jersey. (1860)
- Beers, Frederick W. County Atlas of Warren, New Jersey: From actual surveys by and under the direction of F. W. Beers (New York: F.W. Beers & Co. 1874). .
- Hagstrom Morris/Sussex/Warren counties atlas (Maspeth, New York: Hagstrom Map Company, Inc. 2004).
- United States Geological Survey topographical map "Newton East" and "Newton West" (New Jersey).
External links
- Media related to Paulins Kill at Wikimedia Commons
- "Watershed Moments: Paulins Kill Valley". Skylands Visitor.
- Map of Paulinskill Valley and Sussex Branch Trails
- U.S. Geological Survey: NJ stream flow-gauging stations
Municipalities and communities of Sussex County, New Jersey, United States | ||
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County seat: Newton | ||
Boroughs | ||
Town | ||
Townships | ||
CDPs | ||
Other communities | ||
Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |