Mount Holly is a township that is the county seat of Burlington County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is an eastern suburb of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth largest city as of 2020. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 9,981, an increase of 445 (+4.7%) from the 2010 census count of 9,536, which in turn reflected a decline of 1,192 (-11.1%) from the 10,728 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023. The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area.New Jersey: 2020 Core Based Statistical Areas and Counties, United States Census Bureau. Accessed February 1, 2023.
What is now Mount Holly was originally formed as Northampton on November 6, 1688. Northampton was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships created by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Little Egg Harbor Township (February 13, 1740, now part of Ocean County), Washington Township (November 19, 1802), Pemberton borough (December 15, 1826), Coaxen Township (March 10, 1845, now known as Southampton Township), Pemberton Township (March 10, 1846), Westampton Township (March 6, 1850) and Lumberton Township (March 14, 1860). There had been a Mount Holly post office since before the 1870 U.S. Census. The township was renamed Mount Holly as of November 6, 1931, based on the results of a referendum held three days earlier.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606–1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 96. Accessed May 30, 2024. The township was named for the prominent hill just north of downtown partially covered with holly trees.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed September 8, 2015.Gannett, Henry. The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States, p. 216. United States Government Printing Office, 1905. Accessed September 8, 2015. Some areas of today's Mount Holly were known as Bridgetown.Gordon, Thomas Francis. A Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey: Comprehending a General View of Its Physical and Moral Condition, Together with a Topographical and Statistical Account of Its Counties, Towns, Villages, Canals, Rail Roads, &c., Accompanied by a Map, p. 134. Daniel Fenton, 1834. Accessed June 20, 2017. "Mount Holly, p-t., Northampton t-ship, and seat of justice of Burlington co., on the road from Camden to Freehold, and at the head of tide and navigation, on the north branch of Rancocas creek, 20 miles N.E. from the city of Camden, 6 S.E. from Burlington, 21 from Trenton, 156 from W.C., and 18 from Philadelphia, has its present name from a mount of sand and sandstone near it and some holly trees about its base. It was formerly called Bridgetown; and this name was recognized in a charter for a library company here, so early as 1765."Comegno, Carol. "Historic Burlington sites getting facelifts", Courier-Post, January 30, 2017. Accessed June 20, 2017. "King George III of England chartered the library in 1765 before the Revolutionary War when Colonial Mount Holly was known as Bridgetown."
Mount Holly gives its name to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office for the Philadelphia metropolitan area, serving most of New Jersey, Southeastern Pennsylvania, all of Delaware and Eastern Maryland, though the office is actually located in adjacent Westampton.Weather Forecast Office Philadelphia / Mount Holly, National Weather Service. Accessed April 14, 2022.Weather Forecast Office for Philadelphia / Mount Holly, National Weather Service. Accessed April 14, 2022.
History Colonial era The first European settlement in what is now Mount Holly began in 1677 when Walter Reeves colonized the land from the Lenape (Delaware) Native Americans living in the area. He constructed a dam on Rancocas Creek to channel water through a raceway to power a gristmill and sawmill.History , Mount Holly Township. Accessed June 21, 2012. Edward Gaskill and his sons dug the mill race on their property between 1720 and 1723.Shinn, Henry. The History of Mount Holly 1957. After the mills were established, more settlers were attracted to the area and built houses and commercial buildings on High, Church, White, Mill, and Pine streets, including the Shinn Curtis Log House (1712). By 1800, over 250 dwellings had been built.U.S. Census data 1820
Today no mills remain on the raceway, which still flows in its original course from the Rancocas just above the dam. The raceway proved a way for herring to make their way above the dam and was the scene of an annual fish run in the spring, which provided fresh herring for salting and eating. The former mill land has been preserved as the Mill Dam Park. It marks the importance of mills to the early settlements.
Revolutionary War On December 17, 1776, Colonel Samuel Griffin of the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River with 600 men, mostly untrained men and boys with little equipment, who marched to Mount Holly where they set up a few 3-pounder artillery pieces on Iron Works Hill. Hessian commanders von Block and Carl von Donop were told that there were 3,000 American troops at Mount Holly.
By December 23, 1776, 2,000 Hessians were moved from Bordentown and positioned at The Mount in Mount Holly, where they engaged in a three-day-long artillery exchange, known as the Battle of Iron Works Hill or Battle of Mount Holly, with the Americans on Iron Works Hill. The Americans slipped away that night., Battle of Iron Works Hill. Accessed October 19, 2013.
After George Washington crossed the Delaware River on December 25, 1776, the fact that thousands of Hessian troops had been drawn to Mount Holly aided in the Continental Army's success in the Battle of Trenton the next day, a surprising American victory that helped turn the Army's fading morale after the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Fort Washington just weeks before and the ignominious retreat through New Jersey.Diversionary Battleground of December, 1776, Burlington County Library. Accessed December 29, 2006.
19th century The 1793 state legislature approved the relocation of the Burlington County seat from Burlington City to Mount Holly, which was approved by voters in a 1796 referendum.Staff. "Burlington County is one of oldest in the state", Courier-Post, February 5, 2000. Accessed November 27, 2013. "It was the first county seat until voters chose Mount Holly as the center of government in 1796."Shinn, Henry. The History of Mount Holly. 1957. Several important municipal buildings were constructed, including the courthouse in 1796 and the county prison built . The Burlington County Prison was designed by Robert Mills, a nationally known architect who designed the Washington Monument. The town has numerous 18th and 19th-century buildings, most of which are included in the Mount Holly Historic District."Walking Tour of Mount Holly" , Mount Holly website. Accessed November 27, 2013. Commercial buildings were constructed primarily along High Street.
In 1849, the Burlington and Mount Holly Railroad was established, connecting communities along the Delaware River to Philadelphia, the major city of the area. The railroad supported industrialization along its route. The Camden and Mount Holly Railroad constructed a station 20 years later near the intersection of Washington and King streets.
20th century A trolley station was built in 1904 for passengers making connections to Burlington City and Moorestown. New municipal buildings were constructed during the 20th century, including the Town Hall on Washington Street (1930) and the U.S. Post Office (1935) located across the street (1935), both federally funded and constructed as Works Progress Administration projects under President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.
In the late 1950s, Mount Holly began to have economic difficulties due to industrial restructuring and the loss of working-class jobs. In the post-World War II period, numerous blue collar, family wage jobs disappeared as the community's traditional employers, the mills and dye factories, were shut down. At first, these job losses were offset in part by gains at the nearby military bases, Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base, especially during the Vietnam War. In 1970, the residential vacancy rate in Mount Holly was 4.3%.
By 1980, however, the vacancy rate had climbed to 8.7% as a result of the nearby military installations' downsizing after the end of the Vietnam War. During this same period, 1970–1980, shopping malls proliferated in the suburban Philadelphia area, and retail business in Mount Holly suffered."History of the Mount Holly UEZ", Make It Mount Holly. Accessed October 22, 2007.
Historic district
The Mount Holly Historic District is a historic district encompassing downtown Mount Holly. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 1973, for its significance in architecture, education, landscape architecture, politics/government, and transportation. The district includes 39 contributing buildings. The individually listed Old Schoolhouse, also known as the Brainerd School, was built in 1759 and contributes to the district. The Burlington County Prison is also listed individually and was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The Burlington County Courthouse was designed by architect Samuel Lewis and constructed by Michael Rush in 1796. With Staff. , Burlington County Times, May 29, 2012. Accessed November 27, 2013. "John Shaw with Buck Construction of West Berlin repairs the 9-foot doors at the entrance of the Historic Burlington County Court House in Mount Holly. The Samuel Lewis designed court house was built in 1796."
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 2.87 square miles (7.43 km2), including 2.82 square miles (7.31 km2) of land and 0.05 square miles (0.12 km2) of water (1.60%). The township borders the Burlington County municipalities of Eastampton, Hainesport, Lumberton, and Westampton.Areas touching Mount Holly Township, MapIt. Accessed February 29, 2020.Burlington County Map, Coalition for a Healthy NJ. Accessed February 29, 2020.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019. Clermont is an unincorporated community located within Mount Holly Township.
Climate
Demographics
2020 census The 2020 United States census counted 9,981 people, 3,762 households. The racial makeup was 54.7% (5,458) White, 22.8% (2,273) Black or African American, 0.4% (39) Native American, 2.7% (266) Asian, 0.2% (17) Pacific Islander, 7.5% (745) from other races, and 11.9% (1,183) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.3% (1,722) of the population.
2010 census
The 2010 United States census counted 9,536 people, 3,456 households, and 2,264 families in the township. The population density was . There were 3,861 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 65.57% (6,253) White, 23.10% (2,203) Black or African American, 0.37% (35) Native American, 1.47% (140) Asian, 0.07% (7) Pacific Islander, 4.29% (409) from other races, and 5.13% (489) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.69% (1,210) of the population.
Of the 3,456 households, 28.7% had children under the age of 18; 42.6% were married couples living together; 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 34.5% were non-families. Of all households, 27.4% were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.19.