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History · Allenhurst

Allenhurst’s post office opened in 1897, and 61% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 412 buildings. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1943 on, and the census since 1900.

1897first post office
2on the National Register
61%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Allenhurst’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Allenhurst began

When was Allenhurst founded?

1897

The Allenhurst post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 165 in 19002020 census: 472129 years
Founding year: the first Allenhurst post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Allenhurst’s past

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

A historic districtThe Allenhurst Residential Historic District takes in 412 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Allenhurst’s homes were built before 1938.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,012 in 1970; 472 people lived here in 2020.Mystery photos6 old photos have no date. Neighbors can guess the decade.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 413 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
413
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Allenhurst Railroad Station
Allenhurst Railroad Station, built 1897Allenhurst Residential Historic District
BuildingsDistricts
Allenhurst Railroad StationBuilt 1897
Allenhurst Residential Historic DistrictDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Allenhurst came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Allenhurst.

Read it all →

Allenhurst "reflects the history of development from a rural area to a suburb and resort town of New York City. In 1895, the 120-acre (49 ha) Allen farm was bought by the Coast Land Improvement Company in order to build an exclusive resort community to attract upper class summer residents. The proximity of Allenhurst to the rail line was significant in the growth and popularity of Allenhurst, allowing residents of New York City easier access to the community."

ChaptersHistoric district

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

People over time

Allenhurst, census by census

02004006008001,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,012

Peaked at 1,012 in 1970; 472 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Allenhurst’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Allenhurst, 1897 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1897BuiltAllenhurst Railroad Station is built
  3. 1897Post officeThe Allenhurst post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900In the archiveAllenhurst Club
  6. 1905Born hereDorothy Fields is born here
  7. 1920Born hereJames B. Murray is born here
  8. 1921Born hereGloria Monty is born here
  9. 1943On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 1,012
By decade

Allenhurst, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s2 items
Allenhurst Club1900Allenhurst ClubCottages at Allenhurst, N.J1900Cottages at Allenhurst, N.J
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown6 to date
Census Bureau map ofDate?Census Bureau map ofMapTowns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lake, adjacent to State Route 71Date?Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lak…Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lake, adjacent to State Route 71Date?Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lak…Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lake, adjacent to State Route 71Date?Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lak…Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lake, adjacent to State Route 71Date?Towns of Allenhurst and Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lak…Towns of Allenhurst & Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lake, adjacent to State Route 71Date?Towns of Allenhurst & Loch Arbour, East of Deal Lake,…
Today1 recent
Allenhurst, NJ municipal building, Dec. 20242024Allenhurst, NJ municipal building, Dec. 2024
On the map

Allenhurst on the map in 1943

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Allenhurst.

Allenhurst on the 1943 USGS map1943Asbury Park sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Allenhurst.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Allenhurst Club
Retake this viewAllenhurst Club, 1900

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Allenhurst’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Allenhurst

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Dorothy FieldsAmerican librettist and lyricist · b. 1905
G
Gloria MontyAmerican soap opera writer · b. 1921
J
James B. MurrayAmerican politician and businessman · b. 1920
Help out

Start Allenhurst’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo6 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewAllenhurst Club: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

InterlakenIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOcean TownshipIts storyB−Loch ArbourIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDealIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Allenhurst’s history

What year was Allenhurst founded?

The Allenhurst post office opened in 1897, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Allenhurst?

Two places: the Allenhurst Railroad Station (listed 1980) and the Allenhurst Residential Historic District (2010).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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), the Library of Congress (3), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.