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History · Packanack Lake

Packanack Lake’s post office opened in 1936, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940

1936first post office
0on the National Register
17%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page, my Commons user talk page, or my English Wikipedia user talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Packanack Lake began

When was Packanack Lake founded?

1936

The Packanack Lake post office opened in 1936, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 6,26190 years
Founding year: the first Packanack Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Packanack Lake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Packanack Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Packanack Lake’s homes were built before 1955.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Packanack Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Packanack Lake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story

How Packanack Lake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Packanack Lake.

Read it all →

The Packanack community began long ago when Native Americans farmed, fished and hunted in the area. One tribe, the Pacquanacs, are still remembered in the very name Packanack which is said to mean appropriately "land made clear for cultivation".

In 1780, it was farming country and marshlands not far from the Continental Army encampment of French and American soldiers. Close by were the headquarters of General George Washington at the Dey Mansion and Major-General Marquis de Lafayette at the Van Saun House. They still can be seen today.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Packanack Lake, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Packanack Lake, NJ Fire Company No. 5, Nov. 20252025Packanack Lake, NJ Fire Company No. 5, Nov. 2025Osbourne Terrace wb at Packanack Lake dam, Wayne, NJ, Nov. 20252025Osbourne Terrace wb at Packanack Lake dam, Wayne, NJ,…Osbourne Terrace wb approaching Packanack Lake, Wayne, NJ, Nov. 20252025Osbourne Terrace wb approaching Packanack Lake, Wayne…Packanacklake32006Packanacklake3Packanacklake22006Packanacklake2Packanacklake2006Packanacklake
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Preakness1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Packanack Lake’s history

What year was Packanack Lake founded?

The Packanack Lake post office opened in 1936, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6) and Wikipedia. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.