Byram History Overview

Background: In 1797, the inhabitants in the southern portion of Newtown Township petitioned the New Jersey State Legislature to allow an area to be set off from Newtown and be officially known as Byram Township. The name of Byram Township was chosen in honor of the Byram Family who were early settlers of the area.

The New Jersey Legislature approved the incorporation of Byram Township on February 5, 1798. The first election of municipal officials took place on April 9, 1798 at the business of Adam Turner, an innkeeper in the village of Stanhope. This election formally consummated the establishment of Byram Township which included what today is known as Hopatcong and Stanhope Boroughs.

Beginning in the 18th century, iron mining was the major industry in the municipality. Family farms began to thrive with the support of grist and saw mills, blacksmith and wheelwright shops and cooperages. Byram was then and still is the main southern access into Sussex County. Commercial transportation was first improved with the advent of the Morris Turnpike, followed by the creation of the Morris Canal that connected with the southern end of the township in 1832. The year 1854 witnessed the arrival of the Sussex Railroad, the first railroad to pass into the county through Byram.

In the early 20th century, Byram Township transitioned to tourism and became a popular destination for New York City dwellers with summer housing and outdoor activities being developed around numerous lakes.