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Leesburg is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP)[5] located within Maurice River Township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[6][7] The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08327.
Leesburg, New Jersey | |
|---|---|
  Leesburg Location in Cumberland County  Leesburg Location in New Jersey  Leesburg Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 39°15′24″N 74°59′15″W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Cumberland |
| Township | Maurice River |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.97 sq mi (5.10 km2) |
| • Land | 1.76 sq mi (4.56 km2) |
| • Water | 0.21 sq mi (0.54 km2) |
| Elevation | 16 ft (5 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 601 |
| • Density | 341.48/sq mi (131.83/km2) |
| ZIP Code | 08327 |
| FIPS code | 34-39870[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0877730[4] |
The land that later became the town of Leesburg in the late eighteenth century also was surveyed by John Worledge and John Budd in 1691. Similar to Dorchester, the first settlers to the area were most likely Swedish, though a town was not established until 1795 when John Lee, an Egg Harbor shipwright, founded Leesburg. In doing so, he and his brothers opened the first shipyard—and with it established the industrial destiny of constructing coastal vessels. In 1850 James Ward built a marine railway here to facilitate the repair of larger ships, which were attracted to Maurice River site because it was only six miles from the Delaware Bay.
Though Leesburg's economic base was primarily shipbuilding, two successful early twentieth-century industries were the Leesburg Packing Company, a cannery that seasonally employed 100 persons, and J. C. Fifield and Son, a fertilizer works. Today the only evidence of these industries is WHIBCO Inc., a sandmining company whose administrative offices occupy the buildings of the former Del Bay Shipyard
Bayside State Prison is located in Leesburg.[8][9] In 1988 the prison was renamed from "Leesburg State Prison," though some Leesburg residents stated dissatisfaction with the renaming since it was the only widely known aspect of the Leesburg community.[10]
As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 601.[2]
People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Leesburg include:
- Thomas Lee (1780–1856), represented New Jersey at large in the United States House of Representatives from 1833 to 1837.[12]
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