Rockaway Township

By: Eleanor C. Mason and Patricia A. White

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Synopsis: Rockaway Township has been blessed with two significant natural resources: a rich deposit of magnetite iron ore and an abundance of water. Both played a major role in the history of the township. In the early 1700s, iron ore was discovered at Mount Hope and Hibernia. The area's mines provided iron ore from Colonial times to the 20th century, and products made from it contributed to the success of the Continental army during the Revolutionary War. Farms in Marcella, Lyonsville, Beach Glen, and Meriden provided agricultural products for the mining villages. In Rockaway Township, photographs tell the story of the township's rich mining history and its history as a vacation area. Vacation communities flourished into the 1950s and attracted an influx of people from various ethnic backgrounds, adding to the township's diversity. In the 1970s, the last segment of Route 80 was completed, beginning Rockaway's transformation into a flourishing suburban community.