The Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey makes available the Recorders Document Reference Manual.

How Homeowners Can Protect Themselves

When homeowners are contacted about foreclosure options by a third party, homeowners should:

• Contact their lender. They may be able to work a re-payment plan (forbearance agreement) that is within a homeowners budget;
• Seek legal advice through a trusted attorney, not one appointed by the company or individual soliciting them.
• Never sign away ownership of the home by a quitclaim deed or otherwise without consulting a trusted attorney;
• Be especially suspicious of offers to lease back the home, in order to buy it back over time. These offers may sound good but often make it impossible to re-purchase the home;
• Never make mortgage payments to anyone other than the lender;
• Never listen to anyone other than the lender regarding the mortgage payments or due dates;
• Beware of any home-sales contract in which the homeowner is not formally released from liability for their mortgage;
• Do not sign any document with bank lines or spaces; information could be added later without your knowledge and consent.
• Call the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General , Division of Consumer Affairs, and Office of Consumer Protection at 1-800 242-5846 (calls within New Jersey) email: AskConsumerAffairs@lps.state.nj.us.
• Call the Department of Banking and Insurance toll-free hot line (1-800-446-7467) for guidance, direction and schedules or locations of foreclosure seminars.
• For brochures on Foreclosure Scams visit http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/News/Consumer%20Briefs/foreclosure-scams%E2%80%93how-to-avoid-them.pdf and http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/News/Consumer%20Briefs/surplus-funds-scam.pdf

Is Foreclosure Mediation Right for You?

Foreclosure mediation provides homeowners who are dealing with the threat of foreclosure to receive help from housing counselors, attorneys, and a neutral mediator to resolve their loan delinquency matters. The program is free for qualified homeowners.

Visit http://www.judiciary.state.nj.us/superior/foreclosure.htm for more information or call toll free at 1-888-9989-5277.

Dear Student,

Greetings from the Sussex County Clerk’s Office! We receive many requests from both local and out-of-county students who are interested in learning more about New Jersey’s northernmost county.

In an attempt to provide our students with quick and easy access to information about Sussex County, we have assembled this “virtual student packet” which puts data and other valuable resources literally at your fingertips.

Simply choose from the list of available links below to begin learning more about our wonderful county. If you need further assistance with your project, please don’t hesitate to contact the Sussex County Clerk, and we’ll help in whatever way we can.

Please note that this area of our Web site is “UNDER CONSTRUCTION” and that all links may not yet be operational. We appreciate your patience.

Sussex County:

County Flag & County Seal
A Profile of Sussex County
Sussex County Then and Now

Departments & Agencies:

Sussex County Surrogate Court
Sussex County Sheriff’s Office

County Data:

About Our County’s Government
Some County Facts & Figures
Sussex County “Notables” (Historical Figures)
History of Sussex County (including incorporations, maps, boundary changes)
Present Day County Map
Physical Location, Elevations, and Climate
Population Trends 

Sussex County Tourism —
Things To Do in the Area:

Sussex Skylands — New Jersey’s Great Northwest
Sussex County Tourism Guide
Sussex County Chamber’s Calendar of Events
Sussex County Chamber of Commerce (home page)
Sussex County Fairgrounds
Space Farms Zoo and Museum
Heaven Hill Farm
Westfall Winery

Museums:

Vernon Township Historical Society Museum: Sponsored by the Vernon Township Historic Society, the museum is filled with artifacts and antiques showing life in the 19th Century and features seasonal displays. Address: 293 Route 94 in Vernon, NJ; Phone: 973-764-6545

DAR Elias Van Bunschooten Museum: A restored 1787 Colonial Dutch house with outbuildings, containing period furnishings and a genealogy library. Address: 1097 Route 23 North, Sussex, NJ; Phone: 973-875-4058

Franklin Mineral Museum

Monroe Stone Schoolhouse: Complete restoration of an early 19th century one-room schoolhouse. Group tours by appointment. Parking & picnic facilities available. Address: 3145 Route 94, Hardyston, NJ; Phone: 973-663-0075

Neldon-Roberts Stonehouse: A state historic register site within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, with displays reflecting use as a schoolhouse in the 1820s. Group tours by appointment. Address: 501 Route 206N, Montague, NJ; Phone: 973-293-3106

Newton Fire Museum: Located in the historic Spring Street Firehouse, this 1891 building houses a collection of fascinating firefighting equipment dating back to the days when horses were used to pull the fire apparatus. Free to all visitors. Group tours by appointment only. Address: 150 Spring St.,Newton, NJ 07860; Phone: 973-383-0396

Old Schoolhouse/Firehouse Museum: P.O. Box 24, Ogdensburg, NJ 07439; Phone: 973-209-7443

Roseville School House Museum: Restored 1850 wooden school house operated by the Byram Township Historical Society. Open for tours by school children. Address: Beatrice Johnson Way, Byram Municipal Complex, Byram, NJ; Phone: 973-347-4585

Sterling Hill Mining Museum: New Jersey’s only underground mine tour; features gift shop. Address: 30 Plant St., Ogdensburg, NJ 07439; Phone: 973-209-7212

Stillwater Township Historical Museum: Home of the historical society of Stillwater Township and features various exhibits, local artifacts, a genealogical library and interpretive displays. Address: P.O. Box 238, Stillwater, NJ 07875

Sussex County Historical Society: Contains a collection of Sussex County memorabilia and a library of local histories, genealogies, ledgers and maps. Address: 82 Main St., P.O. Box 913, Newton, NJ 07860; Phone: 973-383-6010

State Parks & Forests:

Allamuchy Mountain & Stephens State Park: Largely in Hackettstown, this 9,200-acre park offers fishing, hiking, cross country skiing, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, boating, and rock climbing. Address: 800 Willow Grove, Hackettstown, NJ; Phone: 908-852-3790

High Point State Park: Located in the extreme northwest corner of Sussex County along the Kittatinny Mountain Ridge, this 15,000+ acre park includes the highest elevation in New Jersey (1,803 ft above sea level). A memorial at the top affords panoramic views of three states. Park boasts swimming beach, camp sites, cabins, trails for hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling, picnic areas, non-motorized boat launches and fishing areas. Address: 1480 State Route 23, Sussex, NJ; Phone: 973-875-4800; Email: highpointsp@earthlink.net

Hopatcong State Park: Located on Lake Hopatcong, at the southernmost end of Sussex County. The 112-acre park provides facilities for picnicking, bathing, fishing and boating. Address: Landing, NJ; Phone: 973-398-7010

Kittatinny Valley State Park: Includes 3,650 acres primarily located in Andover Borough and Andover Township. The State Park includes the Andover-Aeroflex Airport, which is operated by the NJ Forest Fire Service. There are facilities for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding on the park’s dirt roads and old logging trails. There also is fishing and hunting. The Paulinskill Valley Trail and the Sussex Branch Trail are part of the park and the NJ State Trails System. Phone: 973-786-6445; Email: kittatinnyvalley@embarqmail.com

Stokes State Forest: Located on the famous Kittatinny Ridge, this 16,000+ acre forest is typical of the finest mountain country that New Jersey has to offer. There are facilities for swimming, picnicking, hiking (Appalachian Trail and others), camping, fishing and hunting. Address: One Coursen Rd., Branchville, NJ; Phone: 973-948-3820

Swartswood State Park: A large portion of this 2,473-acre State Park located in Sussex County comprises two lakes that offer great recreational opportunities in a natural environment. The park is well known for its excellent fishing, boating, picnicking, and camping facilities. In addition to several miles of natural trails, there is a one-mile long handicap accessible paved trail through a mature forest. Address: Swartswood NJ; Phone: 973-383-5230

Wawayanda State Park: Located in the northeast corner of Sussex and Passaic counties, in Vernon and West Milford townships, this 20,000 acre mountain woodland tract has excellent fishing and may be enjoyed in the 255-acre Lake Wawayanda. Canoes, kayaks and rowboats are available for rent, and facilities for picnicking, hiking, mountain biking and bathing are open to the public, as well as the Wawayanda Iron Furnace and the Appalachian Trail. Swimming Memorial Day to Labor Day in guarded swimming area and fishing and hunting with NJ licenses. Address: 885 Warwick Tpke, Hewitt, NJ; Phone: 973-853-4462.

Miscellaneous:

Sussex County Magazine