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Maplewood is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 23,868.
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Geography
Maplewood is located at (40.728901, -74.268213)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 10.0 km˛ (3.8 mi˛). With the exception of a small pond in Memorial Park and the Rahway River, all of the area is land.
History
When surveying the area now known as Maplewood, Robert Treat found several trails used by Leni-Lenapi tribes of Algonquin Native Americans, though there was only sparse pre-European settlement. These paths form the basis for what are the town’s main thoroughfares today.
The first European settlers arrived around 1675, primarily English, Dutch, and French Puritans who had earlier settled Hempstead, Long Island, and Stamford, Connecticut, via Newark and Elizabeth. They had acquired most of today’s Essex County from the Native Americans and followed three trails that roughly correspond to South Orange Avenue, Springfield Avenue, and Ridgewood Road from Connecticut and Long Island. These three routes resulted in three separate communities that merged into Maplewood and South Orange.
Those who came from Newark on the trail that now corresponds to South Orange Avenue settled the area that became South Orange Village.
Six families (with last names of Smith, Brown, Pierson, Freeman, Ball, and Gildersleeve) came up today’s Ridgewood Road and established scattered farms around a center that became Jefferson Village, named after Thomas Jefferson. This village, which roughly corresponds to downtown Maplewood today, developed several mills and orchards. John Durand, the son of Hudson River school painter Asher Brown Durand (who was born in Maplewood in 1796), describes the place as a picturesque but slightly backwards community with close ties to Springfield. The apple harvest was apparently quite impressive and included “Harrison” and “Canfield” varieties. By 1815, there were approximately 30 families in the village. Although the residents of the area were predominantly Presbyterian, the first house of worship was a Baptist chapel in 1812. This was in use until 1846 and fell into disrepair until 1858 when it was taken into use in 1858 as a Methodist Episcopal church.
Those who came up today’s Springfield Avenue settled on a hillcrest near today’s intersection between Tuscan and Springfield Avenue and established a hamlet known as North Farms. Over time, this community became known as the Hilton section. It became a stagecoach stop between Newark, Jersey City (then Paulus Hook), and Morristown and thereby a center for trade and light manufacturing. The village changed its name from North Farms to Middleville in 1830, and then to Hilton in 1880 when it was granted a post office. In 1855, Seth Boyden settled in what was then Middleville to retire but innovated a number of agricultural products, especially berries. Boyden also built and put into operation the first steam engines to service the railroad through Maplewood.
In 1802, Jefferson Village and North Farms were named as districts under the Township of Newark.
The three communities operated independently, establishing its own school associations: South Orange established the Columbian school in 1814, which would form the basis for today’s Columbia High School; North Farms established the North Farms Association in 1817; and Jefferson Village the Jefferson Association in 1818. In 1867, when the State of New Jersey established public education through the School Law, the newly appointed County Superintendent merged the three associations into one school district, which was formalized in 1894 as the South Orange-Maplewood School District. James Ricalton, a teacher born in Waddington, New York of Scottish parents, set the high standard of education that persists in the school district to this day.
The area became known for its orchards and related industries, including cider mills and distilleries of rum, but also honey and some livestock.
When the Morris and Essex Railroad from Newark was extended to Maplewood in 1838, a land speculator by the name of John Shedden built a railroad station in Jefferson Village and named it Maplewood. This name came to comprise areas known as Hilton, Jefferson Village, and areas previously part of Springfield. In 1868, farms were divided into parcels for residential housing. The 1920s saw significant growth in new residents, foreshadowing a complete suburb. Theodore Roosevelt spent several summers in Maplewood visiting his uncle Cornelius V.S. Roosevelt’s home and property, known as The Hickories, covering 100 acres.
The town separated officially from South Orange in 1903 and incorporated as a township on November 7, 1922. It borders South Mountain Reservation, and wild deer, turkey, hares, and raccoon often find their way into the streets of Maplewood.
There are approximately 226 streets covering 60 miles within Maplewood. One thoroughfare, Springfield Avenue, is a state highway (Route 124, from Newark to Morristown), and four thoroughfares (Valley Street, Millburn Avenue, Irvington Avenue and Wyoming Avenue), are Essex County roads.
Government
Local government
The Township of Maplewood operates under the Township Committee form of government, in which the five members are elected at-large to staggered three year terms. The elections are partisan.
During the first week in January, the Township Committee meets for an annual reorganization. At this meeting the Township Committee elects one of the five members to serve as Mayor for a one year term, and another to serve as Vice Mayor. The Mayor has the responsibility of Chair for the Township Committee meetings with voice and vote. The Mayor is considered the head of the municipal government.
The Township Committee is the legislative body of the municipality. It is under these powers that the Township Committee has the responsibility for passing laws that effect the Township. The Township Committee is also an executive body.
Under this form of government, the elected Township Committee sets policy and overall direction for the Township. The Township staff, under the direction of the Township Administrator, carries out Committee decisions and provides day to day services. The Township Administrator serves as the chief administrative officer and is accountable to the Township Committee.
Members of the Maplewood Township Committee are Mayor Fred R. Profeta, Vice Mayor Kenneth A. Pettis, David R. Huemer, Kathleen M. Leventhal and Victor Deluca
Federal, state and county representation
Maplewood is part of the Tenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 27th Legislative District.
New Jersey's Tenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex County, Hudson County, and Union County, is represented by Donald M. Payne (D, Newark). New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Robert Menendez (D, Union City).
The 27th legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Richard Codey (D, West Orange) and in the Assembly by Mims Hackett (D, Orange) and John F. McKeon (D, West Orange). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).
Essex County's County Executive is Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. The executive, along with the Board of Chosen Freeholders administer all county business. Essex County's Freeholders are Freeholder President Johnny Jones, Freeholder Vice President Patricia Sebold, Freeholder-At-Large Blonnie R. Watson, Freeholder-At-Large Donald M. Payne, Jr., Freeholder District 1 Samuel Gonzalez, Freeholder District 2 D. Bilal Beasley, Freeholder District 3 Carol Y. Clark, Freeholder District 4 Linda Lordi Cavanaugh and Freeholder District 5 Ralph R. Caputo.
Politics
On the national level, Maplewood leans strongly toward the Democratic Party. In 2004, Democrat John Kerry received 76 percent of the vote here, defeating Republican George W. Bush, who received around 23 percent.
Community
Maplewood prides itself on being a diverse and family-friendly community. In a number of surveys it is ranked among the most desirable places to live in the United States. The township has a downtown area known as "the village" with its own movie theater, several upscale and midscale restaurants, a small supermarket, independent café, two liquor stores, and a small bookstore. The structure of the village is largely unchanged since the 1950s.
It has been the site for several films, including One True Thing ,Stepmom, and The Reader. It was the home town of Anges Sligh Turnbull, who wrote a series of novels in the middle 20th century. Maplewood was also the home of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams, the syndicate owner and one of the ghost writers of the Nancy Drew series. It is also the birthplace of the wooden golf tee, invented by William Lowell in the 1920s. Ultimate Frisbee was invented in Maplewood in 1968.
Education
Maplewood schools are part of the unified South Orange-Maplewood School District, together with the neighboring community of South Orange. The combined district features one public high school, Columbia High School, which serves 2,013 students.
Other schools in the district (with 2003-04 school enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are:
Elementary Schools (K-5)
- Clinton Elementary School (K-5, 470 students) - Maplewood
- Jefferson Elementary School (3-5, 412 students) - Maplewood
- Marshall Elementary School (K-2, 394 students) - South Orange
- Seth Boyden Elementary School (K-5, 496 students) - Maplewood
- South Mountain Elementary School / Annex (K-5, 514 students) - South Orange
- Tuscan Elementary School (K-5, 584 students) - Maplewood
Middle Schools (6-8)
- Maplewood Middle School (725 students) - Maplewood
- South Orange Middle School (778 students) - South Orange
External links
- Township of Maplewood official website
- South Orange-Maplewood School District
- South Orange-Maplewood School District's 2004-2005 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
- National Center for Education Statistics data for the South Orange-Maplewood School District
- Maplewood Online (popular community message boards)
- South Orange–Maplewood Community Coalition (Community organization providing information about town for prospective buyers and organizing events for current residents)