Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey

Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey
Census-designated place
Lake Hiawatha Location in Morris County Show map of Morris County, New Jersey Lake Hiawatha Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Lake Hiawatha Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 40°52′57″N74°22′54″W / 40.88250°N 74.38167°W / 40.88250; -74.38167
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Morris
Township	Parsippany-Troy Hills
Area [1]
• Total	1.11 sq mi (2.88 km2)
• Land	1.10 sq mi (2.86 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation	253 ft (77 m)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	10,194
• Density	9,233.70/sq mi (3,565.89/km2)
ZIP Code	07034
FIPS code	34-37680 [3]
GNIS feature ID	0877634 [4]

Lake Hiawatha is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) ^[5] located within Parsippany-Troy Hills in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ^[6] The area is served as United States Postal Service as ZIP Code 07034. As of the 2010 United States census, the population for ZIP Code Tabulation Area 07034 was 9,360. ^[7]

Lake Hiawatha was named after Hiawatha, a 16th-century First Nations leader and peacemaker, as evident by plaques on the gazebo on Beverwyck Road, the name of its park, and in the name and emblem of its fire department. However, its name was likely inspired by the popularity of The Song of Hiawatha , an 1855 poem by Longfellow which has little to no correlation with the historical figure of Hiawatha.

History

Pre-colonial history

Lake Hiawatha is part of the Lenapehoking, the traditional territory of the Munsee subtribe of the Lenape tribe. Lenape tribes inhabited the lands for thousands of years prior to European arrival.

Beverwyck plantation

See also: History of slavery in New Jersey and New Jersey in the American Revolution

Beverwyck Road is the central road that divides downtown Lake Hiawatha, containing the majority of its small businesses, ^[8] and leads to U.S. Route 46. ^[9]

The road was named for the 2,000-acre (810 ha) Beverwyck plantation, a slave plantation which was in operation from the 1730s to the early 1800s. ^[10] The estate's owners included William Kelly, Abraham Lott, and Lucas Von Beverhoudt. It was also called Beaverwyck, Beaverwick, and the Red Barracks. ^[11]

In 1768, a newspaper advertisement for the property mentioned a "Negro House" which was constructed to house over 20 enslaved workers, including a blacksmith, a shoemaker, and a mason. ^{[11] [12]} In 1780, Von Beverhoudt posted a newspaper notice providing a description to re-capture "Jack," a "runaway slave"; this notice is on file at the Morristown National Historical Park. ^[11]

Phebe Ann Jacobs (1785–1850) was "born a slave" on the Beverwyck plantation. ^[13] As a child, she was "given to" ^[13] Maria Malleville, the daughter of President Wheelock of Dartmouth College. In 1820, Maria Malleville married President Allen of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. Jacobs remained with the family until the death of Maria Allen, from which time she chose to live alone. For the last years of her life, she was free in Maine, laundering clothes for students of Bowdoin. Mrs. T. C. Upham, the wife of a theology professor at Bowdoin, met Jacobs and wrote the biography of her life. Jacobs died in Brunswick, February 28, 1850. ^[13]

In 1850, Upham published the biography titled Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs in London. ^[13] The book demonstrated Jacobs's lifelong devotion to Christianity. The biography served as inspiration for author Harriet Beecher Stowe as she wrote 1852 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. ^[14]

During the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783, Beverwyck Road was known as Washington's Trail, ^[8] and was often traversed by French and Continental armies en route to Morristown. ^[9]

Visitors entertained at the Beverwyck plantation include George Washington, Nathaniel Greene, and Marquis de Lafayette. ^[10]

Addition of lake

In the 1920s, developers began developing the community, focusing on summer houses.

By 1932, the built environment was complete and houses were settled. North Beverwyck Road, Dacotah Avenue and Nokomis Avenue were the only streets available. ^[15]

The lake was completed in 1935. Developers redirected the Rockaway River into a lake and used the shoreline to construct summer houses and a meeting house for its country club. The lake was meant as the center of summer activity, consisting of an artificial beach with white sand, a pavilion, a playground, and an area for barbecues. ^[15]

In January 1935, a fire destroyed a home on Wenonah Avenue in Lake Hiawatha. As a response, six men founded the volunteer-based Lake Hiawatha Fire Department in a basement. Their first meeting was held at the clubhouse in February. The town could only afford three backpacks of galvanized fire pumps (a.k.a., "Indian pumps"). The new Department's goal was to fundraise the purchase of more substantial firefighting equipment.

Several fundraisers were held in 1935. First, the fire department hosted a professional boxing match that cost 50¢ for general admission and 75¢ for ringside.

In 1935, the firefighters organized and performed a minstrel show fundraiser, ^[15] a type of stage performance based on racist Black caricatures. Circa 1935, minstrel shows were predominantly amateur theater, continuing to perform slavery-focused musical skits of the Antebellum era, circa 1850s. ^[16] An audience of 414 attended the show; donations and ticket sales provided enough money for the purchase of the first fire engine. ^[15]

In August 1935, the fire department purchased their first fire engine, a 1913 American LaFrance. ^[15]

In 1948, Benjamin J. Kline donated the funds required to create the Lake Hiawatha Public Library. ^[17]

By the 1960s, the lake had dried up and the cabins were rebuilt into year-round homes. ^[18]

Geology

The area was created when a chain of volcanic islands collided with the North American plate. The islands went over the North American plate and created the highlands of New Jersey. Then around 450 million years ago, a small continent collided with proto North America and created folding and faulting in western New Jersey and the southern Appalachians. When the African plate separated from North America, this created an aborted rift system or half-graben. The land lowered between the Ramapo fault in western Parsippany–Troy Hills and the fault that was west of Paterson.

The Wisconsin Glacier covered the area from 21,000 to 13,000 BC. When the glacier melted due to climate change, Lake Passaic was formed, covering all of what is now Lake Hiawatha. Lake Passaic slowly drained and much of the area is swamps or low-lying meadows such as Troy Meadows. The Rockaway River flows over the Ramapo fault in Boonton and then flows along the northwestern edge of Lake Hiawatha. In this area, there are swamps near the river or in the area.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 10,194. ^[2]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2020	10,194		—
U.S. Decennial Census [19]

The 2020 United States census counted 10,194 people, 4,158 households, and 2,540 families in Lake Hiawatha. The racial makeup was 42.6% (4,350) white, 3.2% (332) black or African-American, 0% (10) Native American, 37.6% (3,833) Asian, 0% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.06% (71) from other races, and 3.1% (321) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 12.5% (1,277) of the population. ^[20]

Based on data from the 2022 American Community Survey, the racial makeup of Lake Hiawatha was 4,891 (48.6%) White, 185 (1.8%) African American, 35 (0.3%) Native American, 3,309 (32.9%) Asian, 0 (0%) Pacific Islander, 33 (0.3%) from other races, and 184 (1.8%) from two or more races.   Hispanic or Latino of any race were 998 persons (9.9%). ^[21] Among the Asian population, largest ancestry groups were Indian, 2,422 (24%), followed by Chinese, 266 (2.6%), and Filipinos, 255 (2.5%). ^[22] Among Hispanics and Latinos, the largest ancestry groups were Colombian, 193 (1.9%), followed by Chilean, 171 (1.7%), and Dominican, 147 (1.5%). ^[23]

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lake Hiawatha include:

See also: Category:People from Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey

• Hector A. Cafferata Jr. (1929–2016), United States Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for his service at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. ^[24]
• Bobby Darin (1936–1973), singer, who purchased a house in Lake Hiawatha with income from his 1959 rock and roll single "Dream Lover." ^[25]
• Phebe Ann Jacobs (1785–1850), devout Congregationalist and free woman born on the Beverwyck plantation in Lake Hiawatha. ^[13] Her biography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin . ^[14]
• Al Krevis (born 1952), former American football player who played at offensive tackle in the NFL for the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals ^[26]
• Garrett Reisman (born 1968), physics professor, former NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station, author, and former SpaceX executive; he spent a combined 107 days in space and performed three space walks. ^[27]

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
2. QuickFacts Lake Hiawatha CDP, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 21, 2023.
3. Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
4. "Lake Hiawatha". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved September 24, 2012.
5. State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 1, 2022.
6. Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016.
7. DP-1Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010- 2010 Demographic Profile Data for ZCTA5 07034 Archived 2020-02-10 at archive.today , United States Census Bureau. Accessed March 15, 2013.
8. "Parsippany Mayor Announces $4 Million in Investments for North Beverwyck Road and Lake Hiawatha". Insider NJ. December 1, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
9. "Parsippany Not Quite the Same as Gen. Washington or Gov. Livingston Would Have Remembered It". Parsippany, NJ Patch. April 13, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
10. "NJDEP-News Release 04/32 - DEP's Historic Preservation Office Names the Beverwyck Site to the New Jersey Register of Historic Places". www.nj.gov. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
11. National Park Service. "National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet". United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on November 25, 2021.
12. "The New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury, No. 855". March 21, 1768.
13. "Mrs. T. C. Upham Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
14. "Summary of Narrative of Phebe Ann Jacobs". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
15. Cahill, Frank L. (May 18, 2015). "Lake Hiawatha Fire Department Holds Annual Boot Drive | Parsippany Focus" . Retrieved February 10, 2022.
16. "Blackface: the Sad History of Minstrel Shows". AMERICAN HERITAGE. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
17. A bronze plaque within the library reads "LAKE HIAWATHA PUBLIC LIBRARY - Donated by Benjamin J. Kline - 1948 - "
18. Fagan, David M. Zimmer, Dave Sheingold, Svetlana Shkolnikova and Matt. "Sorry, your New Jersey hometown may not be a town at all". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
19. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
20. "Census of Population and Housing, 2000 [United States]: Race and Hispanic or Latino Summary File". ICPSR Data Holdings. January 22, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
21. "Grid View: Table B03002 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
22. "Census Reporter: Making Census Data Easy to Use". censusreporter.org. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
23. "Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter". censusreporter.org. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
24. "Ex-Morris vet's name to grace Florida school". Daily Record . February 25, 2005. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2008. Cafferata was born in New York City, but moved to Morris County with his family when he was 9 years old and lived in Lake Hiawatha and Montville. He graduated from Boonton High School in 1949, and was one of the first inductees to the school's Hall of Fame in 1996.
25. "The Small World Of Mr. Big", BobbyDarin.net. Accessed February 10, 2022. "Bobby Darin's been called the most conceited guy in show business. Is he really? C'mon along with us to a humble little cottage on Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, and be the first to meet the real BD!"
26. Castellano, Dan. "Al Krevis Awaits NFL Call", Daily Record , January 5, 1975. Accessed March 28, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "And it was only six years ago that opposing high school coaches were waiting to meet Morris Catholic and its star two-way lineman who most thought was overrated and getting by on size alone.... And the highly articulate 22-year-old from Lake Hiawatha is certainly aware of his prowess."
27. "Campus Life: Penn; 'Tigers' Attacked, And Princeton Gets an Apology", The New York Times , November 12, 1989. Accessed February 10, 2022. "Penn officials found the heads with the help of the university's Interfraternity Council president, Garrett Reisman, a senior in Penn's management and technology program from Lake Hiawatha, N.J."