Blackwells Mills, New Jersey

History

Blackwells Mills is on the east side of the Millstone River in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. A mill was built in 1746 by Peter Schenk. His daughter married a Mercer and the mill passed to her family. The mill was purchased by William Blackwell in 1804 with his uncle Capt. Jacob Blackwell. These men were from nearby Hopewell Township. William Blackwell built a fine Federal period house on the land across the road on the Hillsborough side. Following Hurricane Floyd, the house was moved westward to higher ground. It is still standing. Following the death of William Blackwell in the 1850s, his son John came into possession of the mill. John Blackwell died early in life, and his widow sold the mill to Augustus VanZant in 1872. On May 31, 1771 the west bank of the Millstone River became Hillsborough Township.

The mill burned down in 1885 and was rebuilt. A major restoration was done in 1943.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Blackwells Mills had a total area of 1.296 square miles (3.356 km2), including 1.222 square miles (3.165 km2) of land and 0.074 square miles (0.191 km2) of water (5.70%).

Demographics

2010 2020

Blackwells Mills first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. census.

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 803 people, 238 households, and 218 families in the CDP. The population density was 657.1 /sqmi. There were 241 housing units at an average density of 197.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 69.12% (555) White, 10.96% (88) Black or African American, 0.12% (1) Native American, 17.93% (144) Asian, 0.37% (3) Pacific Islander, 0.00% (0) from other races, and 1.49% (12) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.48% (36) of the population.

Of the 238 households, 61.3% had children under the age of 18; 85.7% were married couples living together; 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present and 8.4% were non-families. Of all households, 3.8% were made up of individuals and 0.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.34 and the average family size was 3.43.

32.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 34.4% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.9 years. For every 100 females, the population had 94.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 96.0 males.

Blackwells Mills Canal House

The Blackwells Mills Canal House, located at Blackwells Mills Road and Canal Road along the Delaware and Raritan Canal, was built , at the same time as the canal. It was constructed to house the bridge tender, who would open the swing bridge when canal boats came through, then close it to allow traffic to cross over the canal. It is a contributing property of the Delaware and Raritan Canal historic district, added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 11, 1973.

References

References

1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau.
2. [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/blackwellsmillscdpnewjersey/ QuickFacts Blackwells Mills CDP, New Jersey], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed June 17, 2023.
3. {{Gnis. 2583968. Blackwells Mills Census Designated Place, [[Geographic Names Information System]]. Accessed August 23, 2012.
4. [http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2010_place_list_34.txt Gazetteer of New Jersey Places], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed July 21, 2016.
5. [https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed September 4, 2014.
6. [https://mcdc.missouri.edu/applications/geocodes/?state=34 Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey], Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
7. [https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/tab20/tigerweb_tab20_cdp_2020_nj.html State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed December 1, 2022.
8. [http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY10/0500000US34035 GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Somerset County, New Jersey] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-02-12 , [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed February 11, 2013.)
9. [http://www2.census.gov/acs2010_5yr/summaryfile/UserTools/Geography/NJ.xls 2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey], [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed February 11, 2013.
10. [https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-32.pdf New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32)], [[United States Census Bureau]], August 2012. Accessed February 11, 2013.
11. [http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US3406025 DP-1 - Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data for Blackwells Mills CDP, New Jersey] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-02-12 , [[United States Census Bureau]]. Accessed August 23, 2012.)
12. "Blackwells Mills". [[Hillsborough Township, Somerset County, New Jersey.
13. "2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - New Jersey".
14. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Blackwells Mills CDP, New Jersey".
15. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Blackwells Mills CDP, New Jersey".
16. (May 11, 1973). ["NRHP Nomination: Delaware and Raritan Canal"]({{NRHP url). National Park Service.