Cool Fact: Pompton Plains, NJ Name Comes from Lenape "Land Among the Falls"

Pompton Plains (in Pequannock Township, Morris County) derives its name from the Lenape word Pahaquarra (or Pompton), meaning "land among the falls" or "place of many waterfalls."

Context

• The Pompton River and its tributaries (Pequannock, Wanaque, Ramapo) create numerous rapids and falls in the area.
• Lenape (Munsee dialect) were the original inhabitants; many NJ place names are Lenape-derived (Hackensack, Passaic, Watchung, Musconetcong).
• European settlers adopted the name for the river, then the plains, then the community.

Today

Suburban community; historic sites (Pompton Plains Railroad Station, 1872; Martin Berry House). The "falls" are mostly dammed or subdued, but the name preserves the indigenous geography.