The village of Flatbrookville was once a thriving settlement located in the extreme southern end of Walpack Township, situated on the north side of the inside curve of Walpack Bend.

The village of Flatbrookville was once a thriving settlement located in the extreme southern end of Walpack Township, situated on the north side of the inside curve of Walpack Bend.

The first mill was built here in the last quarter of the 1700s, probably by Benjamin Barton, and served as the nexus around which the village ultimately developed. The mill, located on the west side of the Flatbrook, derived its power by diverting water from the river. Barton conveyed the property to George Overpeck in 1797, which in turn was sold to Jonas Smith in 1803. Smith and his son operated the mill for several years before selling it to John Gariss, of Bucks County, Pa. Gariss also operated a small factory that made spinning wheels. The mill passed through several other owners, during which time it sustained a fire and was rebuilt.

Thomas Durling erected and operated the first store here. Shortly thereafter, Crynus Bloom erected and operated the first hotel in the growing hamlet. John Decker built a blacksmith shop around 1818. On Nov. 21, 1828, the U.S. Post Office Department authorized the opening of a post office in the hamlet, and was serviced from Columbia (Warren County). Jacob Smith was appointed the first postmaster. The village lost postal services when the office was finally closed down on Feb. 28, 1959.

In 1835, Jacob Smith and Benjamin Hull constructed a clover-mill and sawmill. Smith also served as the first postmaster. In 1854, the hamlet took on the appearance of a village when Elijah Rosenkrans erected a new store and leased it to Anson Rosenkrans, and proceeded to build a number of new dwellings. Around 1860, Elijah Rosenkrans also acquired the old mill and ultimately tore it down and built a new mill close by.

By 1860, the hamlet included a wheelwright shop, two cooper shops, a blacksmith shop, a cabinetmaker's shop, a sawmill, two gristmills, three stores, the American Hotel, and 10 residences. Just prior to the turn of the 20th century, Flatbrookville had an estimated population of 150. Flatbrookville, like more than 80 other small hamlets and communities in Sussex County, had a one-room schoolhouse.

In 1868, John W. Barber and Henry Howe issued a new edition of their book �Historical Collections of New Jersey.� Their book referred to Flatbrookville as a small village located at the junction of the Flatkill (Flatbrook) and the Delaware River, which contained a store, gristmill, sawmill and about 20 dwellings. Obviously, this was not an inclusive description of the village.

F. Killenberger's 1887 �Pocket Gazetteer of the State of New Jersey� referred to Flatbrookville as a �post hamlet� that was connected by stage to Newton (12 miles away), being the nearest town with banking establishments and a railroad connection. The community was reputed to have a church, a store and a flour mill, along with a population of about 150.

The village continued to thrive as a rural center of community activity into the early part of the 20th century. It was during this time that Flatbrookville also became the point of destination for families seeking vacations in a rural area within a reasonable distance of the greater New York City region. Several boarding houses supplemented the facilities of the hotel in accommodating these vacationers. Easy access to the Flatbrook and the Delaware River for fishing and other recreational adventures was a strong attraction to the area.

The hamlet ultimately experienced a decline in its economic fortunes, and, like almost all of the properties in the township, the landowners were bought out by the federal government in the 1970s as a part of the failed Tocks Island Dam Project. The former village of Flatbrookville now lies within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which is administered by the National Park Service.