Founding

William Johnson (1817–1891) was a prime contributor to the incorporation of the town in 1853. He and his brother George (1815–1889) were successful merchants in the town beginning in 1839 when they began operating the W.L. & G.W Johnson dry good store. The two men were very active in community affairs. George was a member of First Presbyterian Church, a director of the Hackettstown National Bank, and a member of the Hackettstown Water Board. Both men were involved in the establishment of the Union Cemetery.[25]

Hackettstown was named after Samuel Hackett, an early settler and large landowner.[26][27] Hackett is said to have "contributed liberally to the liquid refreshments on the christening of a new hotel, in order to secure the name which, before this, had been Helms' Mills or Musconetcong."[28][29]

Tillie Smith murder case

In 1886, Tillie Smith, a 19-year-old kitchen worker from a poverty-stricken family, was raped, murdered and left lying in an open field near the campus of the Centenary Collegiate Institute, where she worked.[30][31][32] James Titus, a janitor at the school, was tried and convicted of the rape and murder, based on circumstantial evidence and public opinion shaped by yellow journalism. Titus was sentenced to hang, but he signed a confession to avoid the death penalty and served 19 years of hard labor. He lived from 1904 to 1952 in Hackettstown among many of the same residents who championed his conviction, the validity of which remains controversial.[33][34][35] The killing remains a popular local legend, inspiring several books, Weird NJ magazine articles,[36] theatrical performances and dark tourism ghost tours.[37][38]

20th century

The Hackettstown State Fish Hatchery, a popular tourist destination, was established in 1912.[39][40]

In 1925, a train wreck just outside of town killed about 50 people and injured about 50 others en route to Hoboken, New Jersey, from Chicago. The derailment involved a Lackawanna Railroad train and occurred at the Hazen Road grade crossing near Rockport Road at approximately 3:30 am, as a result of debris washed downhill by a storm fouling the road crossing. The event made national headlines and stands as the deadliest event in Warren County history.[41][42][43]

Fund-raising campaigns for a new hospital started as early as 1945, supported and organized by local civic and business groups including Kiwanis, Unico International, PTA and others, a large donation by the Seventh Day Adventists and a grant from the United States Public Health Service, the 106-bed Hackettstown Community Hospital was established in 1973.[44]

In 1977, a mass shooting occurred in the town when Emil Pierre Benoist, a 20-year-old graduate of Hackettstown High School and former U.S. Marine, took random shots at passing cars over the course of about four hours and shot and killed six people before turning his sniper rifle on himself.[45][46][47]

In 1994, a charity BBQ picnic organized by the "Tri-County Motorcycle Club" at the Elk's Lodge in Hackettstown was crashed by rival members of the outlaw Pagan's Motorcycle Club. "An altercation started that escalated into knives and guns being used", according to the Warren County Prosecutor.[48] Two Pagans were killed and three other bikers were injured.[49]

21st century

Hackettstown was named #72 of the top 100 towns in the United States to Live and Work In by Money Magazine in 2005; it has not been included since.[50]

In 2011, the town council proclaimed a sister city relationship with Hacketstown, Ireland.[51][52]