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Lumberton Township, New Jersey

Lumberton Township, New Jersey
Township
Township of Lumberton
Center of Lumberton
Center of Lumberton
Lumberton Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Lumberton Township highlighted in Burlington County. Inset map: Burlington County highlighted in the State of New Jersey.
Census Bureau map of Lumberton Township, New Jersey
Census Bureau map of Lumberton Township, New Jersey
Coordinates: 39°57′32″N 74°48′09″W / 39.958855°N 74.802478°W / 39.958855; -74.802478Coordinates: 39°57′32″N 74°48′09″W / 39.958855°N 74.802478°W / 39.958855; -74.802478
Country  United States
State  New Jersey
County Burlington
Incorporated March 14, 1860
Government
 • Type Township
 • Body Township Committee
 • Mayor Sean Earlen (R, term ends December 31, 2016)
 • Administrator Brandon Umba
 • Clerk Vacant
Area
 • Total 13.056 sq mi (33.817 km2)
 • Land 12.924 sq mi (33.474 km2)
 • Water 0.132 sq mi (0.343 km2)  1.01%
Elevation 10 ft (3 m)
Population (2010 Census)
 • Total 12,559
 • Estimate (2015) 12,428
 • Rank 193rd of 566 in state
11th of 40 in county
 • Density 971.7/sq mi (375.2/km2)
 • Density rank 386th of 566 in state
24th of 40 in county
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4)
ZIP code 08048
Area code(s) 609
FIPS code 3400542060
GNIS feature ID 0882091
Website www.lumbertontwp.com

Lumberton Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 12,559, reflecting an increase of 2,098 (+20.1%) from the 10,461 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 3,756 (+56.0%) from the 6,705 counted in the 1990 Census.

Lumberton was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1860, from portions of Medford Township, Southampton Township and Eastampton Township. Portions of the township were taken on March 12, 1924, to form Hainesport. The township was named for its early lumber industry, with pine trees cut down to supply wood used in Philadelphia.

In March 2007, Lumberton was identified as having the most active community of EBay buyers and sellers on a per-capita basis in the United States, with 46,000 items posted on the site over a three-week period by members based in the Lumberton ZIP code 08048.

The original 17th century farms in the township's southwest revolved around the unincorporated community of Fostertown. The farms had been formed following removal of forest. The village of Lumberton grew out of two bordering towns. Eayrestown, settled by Richard and Elizabeth Eayres in the late 1600s. Eayrestown was the first substantial settlement in this area and became the center for commerce because of its sawmill. The history of some of the homes in Lumberton date back to the times of slavery. Each generation of descendants removed from the first settlers differed in opinion about slavery. The spectrum changed from advocacy and tolerance, to passive and active resistance. Many locals began to advocate for its abolition in New Jersey then nationwide. One home, still located on Creek Road in the township, has been documented as having been a site on the underground railroad. The home was originally built in 1824 by D.B. Cole, a descendant of the founders of old Colestown, New Jersey. The deed to the land where the home sits dates back to 1806 when the Coles purchased the land from the Moores of Moorestown. The story goes, and has been documented Charles Blockson's Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad, that a fake well that once rested in the backyard of the house served as a chute for slaves to slide down in order to hide from their slavemasters as they fled to Canada. The town was also a site for Project Nike during the Cold War. In the event of a nuclear war, Nike Ajax and Hercules missiles were to be launched from bases in Lumberton and other neighboring bases in order to prevent the Soviet Union from bombing greater Philadelphia.


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