The Sussex Railroad was a short-line railroad in northwestern New Jersey. It replaced its predecessor, the Sussex Mine Railroad, in 1853 and operated under the Sussex Railroad Company until 1945 when it was fully merged into the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) system. The Sussex Railroad was important in the economic development of Sussex County as it supplied a route for early local industries, such as dairy farms and ore mines, to export their products. It was the last independently operated New Jersey railroad to be incorporated into the DL&W system. The last train travelled on the Sussex Railroad tracks on October 2, 1966. The tracks were removed soon after and the right-of-way was transformed into a rail trail known as the Sussex Branch Trail.
Newton station, built 1873, was one of the first stations
Branchville station, built in 1869
Branchville station, c. 1917
Newton station site in May 2015
Sussex County, New Jersey
Sussex County is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. It is part of the New York metropolitan area and is part of New Jersey's Skylands Region. As of the 2020 census, the county was the state's 17th-most-populous county, with a population of 144,221, a decrease of 5,044 (−3.4%) from the 2010 census count of 149,265, which in turn reflected an increase of 5,099 (+3.5%) over the 144,166 persons at the 2000 census. Based on 2020 census data, Vernon Township was the county's largest in both population and area, with a population of 22,358 and covering an area of 70.59 square miles (182.8 km2). The county is part of the North Jersey region of the state.
High Point Monument, situated at the highest point in the U.S. state of New Jersey
The Westbrook-Bell House in Sandyston Township is the oldest house still-standing in Sussex County, built by Dutch settler Johannes Westbrook in the early 18th century.
A 1905 postcard view from "Jefferson Dunn's Farm" along the Paulins Kill in the Baleville section of Hampton Township. The Kittatinny Valley supported significant agriculture including dairy farms, and the Paulins Kill powered many grist mills.
The Franklin Furnace mines and processing plant of the New Jersey Zinc Company in Franklin Borough (circa 1890–1901). Zinc mining brought thousands of Irish, South American, and Eastern European immigrants to Sussex County in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.