Maurice River Township
| Maurice River Township, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
| Township | |
| Township of Maurice River | |
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| Nickname(s): MRT | |
 Maurice River Township highlighted in Cumberland County. Inset map: Cumberland County highlighted in the State of New Jersey. |
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 Census Bureau map of Maurice River Township, New Jersey |
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| Coordinates: 39°17′44″N 74°55′44″W / 39.295626°N 74.928882°WCoordinates: 39°17′44″N 74°55′44″W / 39.295626°N 74.928882°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |
 New Jersey
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| County | Cumberland |
| Formed | January 19, 1748 |
| Incorporated | February 21, 1798 |
| Named for | Maurice, Prince of Orange |
| Government | |
| • Type | Township |
| • Body | Township Committee |
| • Mayor | Patricia "Patti" Gross (D, term ends December 31, 2017) |
| • Municipal clerk | Denise Peterson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 95.760 sq mi (248.018 km2) |
| • Land | 93.107 sq mi (241.146 km2) |
| • Water | 2.653 sq mi (6.872 km2) 2.77% |
| Area rank | 7th of 566 in state 1st of 14 in county |
| Elevation | 39 ft (12 m) |
| Population (2010 Census) | |
| • Total | 7,976 |
| • Estimate (2016) | 6,562 |
| • Rank | 290th of 566 in state 4th of 14 in county |
| • Density | 85.7/sq mi (33.1/km2) |
| • Density rank | 550th of 566 in state 11th of 14 in county |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (EDT) (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 08327 - Leesburg |
| Area code(s) | 856 exchange: 785 |
| FIPS code | 3401144580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0882063 |
| Website | www |
Maurice River Township is a township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the Vineland-Millville- Bridgeton Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area for statistical purposes. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 7,976, reflecting an increase of 1,048 (+15.1%) from the 6,928 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 280 (+4.2%) from the 6,648 counted in the 1990 Census.
Maurice River Township was first formed as a precinct on January 19, 1748, and was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township were taken to form Millville on March 1, 1866. The township derives its name from Maurice, Prince of Orange.
It is a dry town where alcohol cannot be sold.
Originally called Wahatquenak by the local Lenni Lenape Native Americans, the Maurice River is said to be named for a local legend, in which a Dutch ship on the river, the Prince Maurice, was sunk by the local Native Americans in 1657. The land was surveyed by John Worledge and Thomas Budd, and the community of Dorchester was laid out. However, it was not until 1798 on that the township itself was established.
Port Elizabeth was established as a port of delivery by an Act of Congress in 1789, and trade was done directly with the West Indies for several years, until the 1830s, when trading was done more with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and New York City. Dorchester and Leesburg were known for shipbuilding industry, and the A.J. Meerwald (the State Ship of New Jersey) was built in the shipyards of Dorchester. The settlement of Heislerville and its surroundings were known for their oystering industry until around 1957, when a parasitic disease called MSX crippled the oyster population of the river. The oystering industry has not recovered since.
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