Location of Little Egg Harbor Township in
Ocean County highlighted in yellow (right). Inset map: Location of Ocean County in
New Jersey highlighted in black (left).
Census Bureau map of Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Originally part of
Burlington County, Little Egg Harbor took its name from the portion of a bay called Egg Harbor (known today as
Little Egg Harbor) by the Dutch sailors because of the eggs found in nearby
gull nests. The first known account of the town was made by Captain
Cornelius Jacobsen May in 1614.[21][22]
The first European to settle the township was
Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg, who likely arrived by 1693 when he does not appear on a census of the Swedes along the
Delaware River, where he had lived for nearly three decades.[23] Though he was from
Holstein (now in Germany), his first wife was a
Finn and part of the
Swedish community. Falkenberg settled on an 800-acre (320 ha) tract of land that he had acquired from the
Lenni LenapeNative Americans in 1674, and a 1697 deed re-confirmed this earlier purchase. This tract included the two islands of Monhunk and Minnicunk later known as Osborn Island and Wills Island.[24] Falkenberg was a linguist, fluent in the Lenape language, and was considered southern New Jersey's foremost language interpreter involving land transactions between the Indians and the European settlers, particularly the English
Quakers.[25]
The
Little Egg Harbor Massacre took place in October 1778 during the
American Revolutionary War, as
British Army Major
Patrick Ferguson was wreaking havoc on Colonial shipping in the
Mullica River.
Kazimierz Pułaski and his newly raised forces were ordered to oppose his actions. Pulaski's Legion, along with three companies of light infantry, three troops of light horse, and one artillery detachment, came too late to be of great use against Ferguson's operations. But their arrival did stop Ferguson from raiding the iron works at
Batsto, and stemmed their attacks on privateers at The Forks of the Mullica River.
They then set up camp on a farm. A deserter, Lt. Gustav Juliet, found Ferguson and told him of Pulaski's encampment; he mentioned that morale was fairly low, and security almost nonexistent, so that a surprise attack would be devastating. Ferguson promptly loaded 250 of his best men onto boats and rowed them, in the dark, some 10 miles (16 km) to Osborne Island. He then marched them a further 2 miles (3.2 km) to the site of the infantry outpost, which comprised 50 men a short distance from the main encampment. At first light, Ferguson ordered the attack; only five of his quarry were taken alive. Pulaski eventually led his mounted troops up, causing Ferguson to retreat to his boats minus a few men that had fallen into the colonists' hands. A memorial on Radio Road commemorates the attack.[26]
Little Egg Harbor Township was formed on February 13, 1740, as Egg Harbour Township from portions of
Northampton Township (now
Mount Holly), while the area was still part of
Burlington County. It was incorporated as one of New Jersey's 104 in the Township Act of 1798 by an act of the
New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. While in Burlington County, portions of the township were taken to form
Washington Township (November 19, 1802) and
Bass River Township (March 30, 1864). Little Egg Harbor Township became part of Ocean County on March 30, 1891, after which further portions of the township were ceded to create
Long Beach Township (March 23, 1899) and
Tuckerton (February 18, 1901).[27]
Tuckerton Wireless Tower
The Tuckerton Wireless Tower (39°33′31″N74°22′14″W / 39.5585°N 74.3706°W / 39.5585; -74.3706), at 825 feet (251 m) in height, was built in 1912[28][29] by the German "Hochfrequenzmaschinen Aktiengesellschaft Für Drahtlose Telegraphie" company (The High Frequency Machine Corporation for Wireless Telegraphy, often referred to as HOMAG) when the present-day
Mystic Island was called Hickory Island. The tower was used to communicate with an identical radio telegraph station in
Eilvese, Germany starting on Jun 19, 1914, less than two weeks before the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. The station continued to communicate with Eilvese [30] until America entered World War I on
April 6, 1917.[31] It is rumored that it was used to send the message to order the attack by a German
U-boat on the
RMS Lusitania. After President Wilson's Declaration of Neutrality, the President's Executive Order 2042[32] required the US Navy to take over the station on September 9, 1914, to assure the neutrality of messages sent to and from the station.[33] However, the station continued to be operated by German nationals employed by HOMAG and continued to communicate only with the Eilvese radio station.[34]
When America entered the war, all U.S. radio stations were seized and shut down by Executive Order 2605A on April 30, 1917.[35] The remaining German personnel at Tuckerton immediately became war prisoners and were replaced by U.S. Navy personnel. The Navy used the Tuckerton Radio Station for transatlantic communications while the naval radio stations in
New Brunswick, New Jersey and
Sayville, New York were undergoing major transmitter and antenna upgrades. Tuckerton was used for fleet broadcasts after installations of 200 kilowatt transmitters at New Brunswick and Sayville were completed in June 1918.
After the war, the Tuckerton Wireless Station was included in German war reparations paid to America. Shortly afterwards, it was sold to
RCA which operated it until 1948 as a backup to their famous Radio Central facility in
Rocky Point, New York.[31] In 1921, RCA installed two massive
Alexanderson alternators, which were removed in 1948. For transatlantic communications, the radio station operated under the
call signs WCI and WGG. For coastal communications, after World War I, the station operated under the callsign WSC. The 820-foot (250 m) steel tower, anchored by three large concrete blocks, was taken down on December 27, 1955.[36] The three huge anchor blocks still exist today, in a backyard on North Ensign Drive and in the middle of South Ensign Drive and Staysail Drive. Many smaller anchor blocks providing foundations for smaller towers that supported the
umbrella antenna are still visible in the lagoons. Remains of the large tower can be seen in scraps at the Giffordtown Museum.[37]
Later history
While the township was formed in the 1700s, Little Egg Harbor remained predominantly rural and undeveloped well into the late 20th century. It wasn't until the late 1950s until any major development was started. During this time, the construction of manufactured waterfront bungalows on
lagoons were built and marketed as vacation properties, most notably
Mystic Islands, Holly Lake Harbor, as well as Atlantis; the latter of which a "research home" was constructed to test hundreds of components and finishing materials for possible inclusion in model homes.[38] Most of the population were seasonal residents from either
New York,
Philadelphia, or other parts of New Jersey. Several developments were constructed in the decades following around the Mystic Islands area, mostly consisting of townhomes, duplex, and small single-family homes meant to act as either vacation homes or year-round residence.
By the 2000s, the township was one of the fastest-growing in Ocean County, next to
Barnegat.[40] The formerly sleepy township saw the development of several new housing developments, shopping centers, and offices. While 75% of the growth came from new retirement communities, the former resort town dubbed "Little Treasure on the Bay" saw an influx of year-round residents and families, becoming more of a suburb.[41]
On November 3, 2004, a fighter jet on a training mission from the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia
Air National Guard, based at
Andrews Air Force Base in
Maryland,
shot seven bullets into the roof of the Little Egg Harbor Intermediate School, and many others into the parking lot. Only a few custodians were in the school, and nobody was injured. The plane had been on a training mission at the Warren Grove Gunnery Range, a 2,400-acre (10 km2) area about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from the school. The school was repaired during the New Jersey Teachers' Convention, using $519,000 paid by the Air Force to the school district.[42]
On the morning of August 28, 2011,
Tropical Storm Irene made its second U.S. landfall in
Brigantine, though initial reports placed it at the
Little Egg Inlet on the border with
Galloway Township. At the time it was believed to be the first hurricane to make landfall in New Jersey since 1903,[43] but later analysis by the
National Hurricane Center determined that the storm had weakened to
tropical storm status by the time it made its second landfall.[44] On October 29, 2012,
Hurricane Sandy caused widespread damage and flooding to the township, damaging roughly 4,000 homes, especially in the Mystic Island section.[45] On the one-year anniversary of the storm, New Jersey Governor
Chris Christie visited the township's Community Center to celebrate both the reopening of the storm-damaged building as well as the recovery efforts from the storm.[46]
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 72.97 square miles (188.99 km2), including 47.35 square miles (122.63 km2) of land and 25.62 square miles (66.36 km2) of water (35.11%).[1][2]
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Atlantis, Edge Cove, Giffordtown, Jessies Point, Nugentown, Parkertown, Storm Island, Tucker Beach and West Tuckerton.[51]
The
2010 United States census counted 20,065 people, 8,060 households, and 5,674 families in the township. The population density was 423.6 inhabitants per square mile (163.6/km2). There were 10,324 housing units at an average density of 218.0 per square mile (84.2/km2). The racial makeup was 94.19% (18,899)
White, 1.35% (271)
Black or African American, 0.16% (33)
Native American, 1.24% (249)
Asian, 0.01% (2)
Pacific Islander, 1.51% (303) from
other races, and 1.54% (308) from two or more races.
Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.22% (1,047) of the population.[18]
Of the 8,060 households, 25.5% had children under the age of 18; 55.5% were married couples living together; 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 29.6% were non-families. Of all households, 24.2% were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.[18]
20.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 92.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 89.8 males.[18]
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010
American Community Survey showed that (in 2010
inflation-adjusted dollars)
median household income was $59,365 (with a margin of error of +/− $3,765) and the median family income was $66,345 (+/− $4,466). Males had a median income of $56,279 (+/− $3,204) versus $42,683 (+/− $3,850) for females. The
per capita income for the borough was $28,566 (+/− $1,778). About 6.5% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.[68]
2000 census
As of the
2000 United States census[15] there were 15,945 people, 6,179 households, and 4,442 families residing in the township. The population density was 324.7 inhabitants per square mile (125.4/km2). There were 7,931 housing units at an average density of 161.5 per square mile (62.4/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 96.22%
White, 0.79%
African American, 0.26%
Native American, 0.60%
Asian, 0.01%
Pacific Islander, 0.98% from
other races, and 1.15% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 3.26% of the population.[65][66]
There were 6,179 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98.[65][66]
In the township the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.[65][66]
The median income for a household in the township was $45,628, and the median income for a family was $51,580. Males had a median income of $39,668 versus $29,576 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,619. About 4.1% of families and 6.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.[65][66]
Government
Local government
Little Egg Harbor Township operates under the
Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.[69] The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters
at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.[7][70] Annually, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor, and another as Deputy Mayor, each serving one-year terms.[71]
As of 2023[update], the members of the Township Committee are Mayor Blaise Scibetta (
R, term on committee ends December 31, 2024; term as mayor ends 2024), Deputy Mayor Dan Maxwell (R, term on committee ends 2024; term as deputy mayor ends 2024), Ray Gormley (R, 2025), John Kehm Jr. (R, 2025) and Kenneth W. Laney Jr. (R, 2025).[3][72][73][74][75][76][77]
In January 2022, the Township Committee appointed Kenneth Laney Jr. to fill the seat expiring in December 2022 that had been held by Barbara Jo Crea until she stepped down from office to take a seat on the
Ocean CountyBoard of County Commissioners.[78]
Ocean County is governed by a
Board of County Commissioners composed of five members who are elected on an
at-large basis in partisan elections and serving staggered three-year terms of office, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election. At an annual reorganization held in the beginning of January, the board chooses a director and a deputy director from among its members.[89] As of 2024[update], Ocean County's Commissioners (with party affiliation, term-end year and residence) are:
Constitutional officers elected on a countywide basis are:
Clerk Scott M. Colabella (R, 2025, Barnegat Light),[97][98]
Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy (R, 2025; Toms River)[99][100] and
Surrogate
Jeffrey Moran (R, 2028,
Beachwood).[101][102][103]
Politics
As of March 2011, there were a total of 13,562 registered voters in Little Egg Harbor Township, of which 2,641 (19.5%) were registered as
Democrats, 3,963 (29.2%) were registered as
Republicans and 6,951 (51.3%) were registered as
Unaffiliated. There were 7 voters registered as
Libertarians or
Greens.[104] Among the township's 2010 Census population, 67.6% (vs. 63.2% in Ocean County) were registered to vote, including 84.9% of those ages 18 and over (vs. 82.6% countywide).[104][105]
In the
2016 presidential election, Republican
Donald Trump received 64.97% of the vote (6,700 cast), ahead of Democrat
Hillary Clinton with 30.88% (3,184 votes), and other candidates with 4.15% (428 votes), among the 10,417 ballots cast by the township's 14,633 registered voters (105 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 71.1%.[106] In the
2012 presidential election, Republican
Mitt Romney received 57.0% of the vote (5,129 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barack Obama with 42.0% (3,777 votes), and other candidates with 1.1% (97 votes), among the 9,060 ballots cast by the township's 14,200 registered voters (57 ballots were
spoiled), for a turnout of 63.8%.[107][108] In the
2008 presidential election, Republican
John McCain received 56.5% of the vote (5,577 cast), ahead of Democrat Barack Obama with 41.6% (4,108 votes) and other candidates with 1.2% (117 votes), among the 9,879 ballots cast by the township's 14,042 registered voters, for a turnout of 70.4%.[109] In the
2004 presidential election, Republican
George W. Bush received 58.9% of the vote (5,046 ballots cast), outpolling Democrat
John Kerry with 40.0% (3,430 votes) and other candidates with 0.6% (71 votes), among the 8,571 ballots cast by the township's 12,064 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 71.0.[110]
In the
2013 gubernatorial election, Republican
Chris Christie received 74.6% of the vote (4,603 cast), ahead of Democrat
Barbara Buono with 23.5% (1,449 votes), and other candidates with 2.0% (122 votes), among the 6,322 ballots cast by the township's 13,898 registered voters (148 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 45.5%.[111][112] In the
2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 63.0% of the vote (4,198 ballots cast), ahead of Democrat
Jon Corzine with 28.9% (1,926 votes), Independent
Chris Daggett with 5.5% (364 votes) and other candidates with 1.4% (91 votes), among the 6,666 ballots cast by the township's 13,690 registered voters, yielding a 48.7% turnout.[113]
St. Mary Academy near
Manahawkin, a
K–8 school of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton, is managed by St. Mary Church of Barnegat. From 1997,[136] until 2019 it operated as All Saints Regional Catholic School and was collectively managed by five churches,[137] including St. Theresa Church in Little Egg Harbor Township.[136] In 2019 St. Mary took entire control of the school, which remained on the same Manahawkin campus, and changed its name. The other churches no longer operate the school but still may send students there.[137]
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of May 2010[update], the township had a total of 128.34 miles (206.54 km) of roadways, of which 86.31 miles (138.90 km) were maintained by the municipality, 34.55 miles (55.60 km) by Ocean County, 3.47 miles (5.58 km) by the
New Jersey Department of Transportation and 4.01 miles (6.45 km) by the
New Jersey Turnpike Authority.[138]
Lily McBeth (born 1934), transgender substitute teacher at the town's local schools who made national news after she underwent a gender reassignment operation[146]
Brian E. Rumpf (born 1964), member of the
New Jersey General Assembly since 2003, who also served on the Little Egg Harbor Township Committee, serving as the township's mayor from 2000 to 2003[148]
^
abMayor and Committee, Little Egg Harbor Township. Accessed July 11, 2022. "The Township Committee is voted in by Public election on the General Election Day. The Mayor in Little Egg Harbor Township is appointed annually by the Township Committee from among the Committee’s five members. Under this form of government the Mayor is not elected directly by the citizens."
^Weaver, Donna.
"Ceremony remembers massacre of Count Pulaski's troops by the British in Little Egg Harbor", The Press of Atlantic City, October 9, 2011. Accessed September 16, 2013. "A small crowd of residents and historical enthusiasts gathered at the Pulaski Monument at Pulaski and Radio roads Sunday afternoon to remember the massacre of 50 of Count Kazimierz Pulaski's troops in a surprise attack by more than 200 British troops 233 years ago this week during the Revolutionary War."
^Tuckerton Community Profile, Ocean County Library. Accessed April 2, 2007. "Just prior to World War I, the German government built the Tuckerton Wireless, a 680 feet (207 m) tall tower with the capability of communicating directly with Europe. The tower was operated by German nationals until the entrance of the United States into the war. Local folklore maintains that the message "Get the Lucy" was broadcast from the tower, which resulted in the famous sinking of the Lusitania. The tower was dismantled in 1955."
^Museum Exhibits, Tuckerton Historical Society. Accessed September 16, 2013.
^The History of SRHS..., Southern Regional School District. Accessed January 24, 2015. "But eventually the high school had to go into split sessions due to over-crowding again. That problem was finally solved in 1979 with the opening of Pinelands Regional High School in Tuckerton. All mainland students south of Manahawkin would no longer be attending Southern Regional."
^Spahr, Rob.
"Little Egg school shot by jet to get $519,000", The Press of Atlantic City, November 2, 2006. Accessed September 29, 2014. "Superintendent of Schools Frank Kasyan, along with Assemblyman Brian Rumpf, announced Wednesday that after a lengthy tort-claims process, the Air Force has agreed to pay the school board more than $500,000."
^Staff.
"Hurricane Irene makes landfall in New Jersey; storm should be gone by mid-afternoon, meteorologist predicts - UPDATE", The Express-Times, August 28, 2011. Accessed September 29, 2014. "Hurricane Irene made landfall at 5:35 this morning in Little Egg Inlet, near Atlantic City, according to Hackettstown-based WeatherWorks meteorologist Nick Troiano, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, 1 mile an hour above the level at which a hurricane is defined. It was 1903 the last time a hurricane -- also a category one storm -- Troiano said. It was also near Atlantic City."
^Avila, Lixion A.; and Cangialosi, John.
"Tropical Cyclone Report - Hurricane Irene",
National Hurricane Center, December 14, 2011. Accessed January 24, 2015. "Irene then continued north-northeastward, just offshore of the Delmarva peninsula, and made another landfall very near Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Brigantine Island, at 0935 UTC 28 August. Although Irene's intensity at the New Jersey landfall was 60 kt, winds of that strength were confined to the waters east of the track of the center."
^Johnson, Pat.
"Little Egg Harbor Appoints New Committeeman Kenneth Laney", The SandPaper, January 19, 2022. Accessed July 11, 2022. "The Little Egg Harbor Township Committee appointed local businessman Kenneth Laney Jr. to fill the unexpired term of Barbara Jo Crea, who has left to take her position on the Ocean County Board of Commissioners. Laney took the oath of office at the Jan. 13 committee meeting."
^Home Page, Great Bay Regional Volunteer EMS. Accessed June 13, 2016. "Great Bay Regional Volunteer EMS is committed to protecting the lives of Little Egg Harbor's, Bass River's, and Eagleswood's residents and visitors by providing the best possible emergency and medical response services."
^Biography of Bob Menendez,
United States Senate, January 26, 2015. "Menendez, who started his political career in Union City, moved in September from Paramus to one of Harrison's new apartment buildings near the town's PATH station.."
^Little Egg Harbor Township Board of Education District Policy 0110 - Identification, Little Egg Harbor Township School District. Accessed May 21, 2022. "Purpose: The Board of Education exists for the purpose of providing a thorough and efficient system of free public education in grades Pre-K through sixth in the Little Egg Harbor School District. Composition: The Little Egg Harbor School District is comprised of all the area within the municipal boundaries of Little Egg Harbor."
^Lowe, Claire.
"Bass River Township students to attend Little Egg Harbor schools next year",The Press of Atlantic City, April 6, 2020. Accessed May 22, 2022. "Students from Bass River Township will attend Little Egg Harbor Schools next year as financial and academic challenges have crippled the district’s ability to operate.... The decision to enter into an agreement with Little Egg Harbor Township was reached at a March 25 school board meeting and will go into effect on July 1."
^Pinelands Regional School District 2016 Report Card Narrative,
New Jersey Department of Education. Accessed January 22, 2020. "The Pinelands Regional School District is a regional school district located in southern Ocean County. The District consists of a Junior High School for grades 7-9 and a High School for grades 10-12. The communities of Bass River, Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor, and Tuckerton are served by the District with approximately 1,700 students in grades 7-12."
^School Choice Pinelands Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2020. "Pinelands Regional School District is comprised of a Junior High School and a High School. The District serves students in grades 7 through 12 living in the communities of: Bass River Township (Burlington County), Eagleswood Township, Little Egg Harbor Township, Tuckerton Borough"
^Staff.
"Regional School Districts", Burlington County Times, March 14, 2012. Accessed July 14, 2022. "Pinelands Regional - Serves: Bass River in Burlington County; Eagleswood, Little Egg Harbor and Tuckerton in Ocean County"
^Greenfield, Bruce.
"Ocean County Report On Consolidation and Regionalization", Report of the Executive County Superintendent, March 15, 2010. Accessed April 21, 2011. "Pinelands Regional - Eagleswood, Tuckerton, Bass River, Little Egg Harbor"
^Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the Pinelands Regional School District,
New Jersey Department of Education, for year ending June 30, 2013. Accessed January 22, 2020. "The Pinelands Regional School District is a Type II district located in the County of Ocean, State of New Jersey. As a Type II district, the School District functions independently through a Board of Education. The Board is comprised of 9 members elected to three-year terms. These terms are staggered so that three members' terms expire each year."
^Board of Education: About Us, Pinelands Regional School District. Accessed January 22, 2020. "The Board of Education is composed of nine citizens elected to serve terms of three years each. Representatives are elected on the basis of constituent population - one from Bass River Township, one from Eagleswood Township, six from Little Egg Harbor Township, and one from the Borough of Tuckerton."
^Lee, Michelle.
"Transgender teaching sub won't return", The Press of Atlantic City, July 23, 2009. Accessed September 12, 2011. "Lily McBeth, a substitute teacher from Little Egg Harbor Township, became a national symbol of acceptance for transgender Americans in 2006 when the Eagleswood and Pinelands Regional school districts kept her on the job despite protests from some parents."
^"The Loyalist",Sparta Independent, September 21, 2017. Accessed July 11, 2022. "The man George Washington dubbed 'that villain Moody' and New Jersey's loyalist Gov. William Franklin called 'the best Partizan we had,' was born an American in 1744, in Little Egg Harbor in what is now Ocean County."