Walpack Township is a township in Sussex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 7, Walpack Township was the smallest municipality by population and one of only four municipalities in New Jersey with a population under 100 as of the 2020 Census;
The township is named from a corruption of the Lenape Native American content word "wahlpeck," which means "turn-hole," or an eddy or whirlpool, a compound of two Native American words, "woa-lac" (a hole), and "tuppeck" (a pool), though other sources attribute the name to mean "very deep water" or "sudden bend of a stream around the base of a rock".
History
thumb|Information sign in Wallpack Center
Walpack Township dates back to October 26, 1731, when it was first mentioned as Walpake in Hunterdon County. The area covered by the present-day township was set off to Morris County upon that county's creation in 1739, and became part of the newly formed Sussex County in 1753. As of April 15, 1754, Walpack's boundaries were defined as a "precinct". Walpack was formally incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken to form Montague Township (March 26, 1759), Sandyston Township (February 26, 1762) and the now-defunct Pahaquarry Township in Warren County (December 27, 1824). Territory was gained from Stillwater Township in 1935.
The Andrew Snable House was built in 1801 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 23, 1979. The Wallpack Center Historic District was added to the NRHP on July 17, 1980.
In 1962, following the devastation caused by Hurricanes Connie and Diane in 1955, a proposal was made by Congress for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to alleviate flooding on the Delaware River by constructing a dam at the site of Tocks Island. This dam, south of Walpack, would have created a lake roughly long and wide. Over the next 15 years, approximately of the surrounding land, including Walpack, were claimed under eminent domain by the government for this project, and many long-time area residents were forced to move out. However, the dam and lake were never actually built:
<blockquote>As the Vietnam War strained federal budgets, the dam project stalled due to persistent concerns about the stability of soil beneath it, rising costs, new environmental laws and local activism. In 1978, Congress protected sections of the Delaware River under the Wild and Scenic River Act, killing the project.</blockquote>
Judge Joseph Stamler of New Jersey Superior Court rejected a proposal for a six-day rock festival to be held in the summer of 1970 on a site in the township, leading to the passage of standards for similar events that requires planning for traffic and safety between the organizers and local authorities, and sets limits on duration. Stamler stated that any positive benefits from such an event must be weighed against the "health, safety and welfare of the young, and the potential harm to the public".
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 24.88 square miles (64.45 km<sup>2</sup>), including 24.24 square miles (62.77 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 0.65 square miles (1.68 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (2.60%).
The township is bordered by the municipalities of Sandyston Township and Stillwater Township in Sussex County; and by Hardwick Township in Warren County.