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B−History
History · Barnegat Township

Barnegat Township dates to 1846, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns · #305 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Barnegat Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Its Register listing is the Mary Etta Cox House. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1850.

1846founded
1on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Barnegat Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Barnegat Township began

When was Barnegat Township founded?

1846

Barnegat Township dates its founding to 1846 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1850.

First census: 1,759 in 18502020 census: 24,296180 years

How historic is Barnegat Township?

B−

More historic than 51% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1826.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Barnegat Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Barnegat Township is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #305 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Barnegat Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1846, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19403.7% of homes (±1.7) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register1 listing, 3 historic buildings, 1.2 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 51%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 35%

New Jersey towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New Jersey town has 3.7 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Barnegat Township’s 1.2 sits below most of its state (34% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 3 historic buildings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±1.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1846.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Barnegat Township’s past

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

On the map since 18844 editions of the USGS map, 1884 to 1972. Watch Barnegat Township change.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1870 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Barnegat Township, and 7 old place names are still on the map.A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers, 1855–1991.
★ What stands out · On the map

Barnegat Township on the map, 1884 to 1972

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Barnegat Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Barnegat Township on the 1884 USGS mapBarnegat Township on the 1942 USGS mapBarnegat Township on the 1951 USGS mapBarnegat Township on the 1972 USGS map1884Whitings sheet · 1:62,500

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

People over time

Barnegat Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00018501900195020001,923 in 1870Low: 803

Lost half of its people between 1870 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Another post office, Barnagat, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Barnagat
1826–1850
Barnegat
1850–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BarnegatBarnegat BayBarnegat EstatesBrighton at Barnegat Mobile Home ParkHowardsvilleLincoln ParkPinewood Estates Mobile Home Park
Gone or out of use
Lentine South Airportairport
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Barnegat Township
Barnegat MemorialFriends MeetingReevestown

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Barnegat Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Barnegat Township.

Read it all →

Barnegat's name can be traced back to Dutch explorers who, in 1614, mapped the coastline of the nearby Barnegat Bay and Barnegat Inlet. The original name for the inlet was "Barendegat" or "Barnde Gat," which translates to "inlet of the breakers" or "surf cove". These names were given due to the turbulent channel of the inlet, which is characterized by strong currents and choppy waters. An alternative theory suggests that "Barndegat" is a Dutch term meaning "a pool created from a dike breach".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Barnegat Township, 1826 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1826Post officeThe Barnagat post office opens
  3. 1829BuiltMary Etta Cox House is built
  4. 1836Born hereHenry R. Tilton is born here
  5. 1846
    FoundingBarnegat Township is established
  6. 1850Post officeThe Barnagat post office closes
  7. 1850Post officeThe Barnegat post office opens
  8. 1855In the archiveNew Jersey
  9. 1884On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 20th century
  11. 1900In the archiveBarnegat Light
  12. 1925In the archiveLight house at Barnegat, N.J
  13. 1988Born hereFrank Molinaro is born here
  14. 1991In the archive1st National Antiques Barnegat NJ HABS
  15. 1998Born hereJason Groome is born here
  16. 21st century
  17. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 24,296
By decade

Barnegat Township, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s8 items
New Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New JerseyNew Jersey1855New Jersey
1900s–1920s4 items
Barnegat Light1900Barnegat LightI don't want you to go, she said1906I don't want you to go, she saidThe Captain started up the dune with the bedraggled body of the unconscious man1906The Captain started up the dune with the bedraggled b…Light house at Barnegat, N.J1925Light house at Barnegat, N.J
1930s–1980snothing 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
1990s1 item
1st National Antiques Barnegat NJ HABS19911st National Antiques Barnegat NJ HABS
Date unknown2 to date
Barnegat, N.J., Nov. 26, 2012 -- A Humane Society of the U.S. worker checks on the animals in the kennel that is servin…Date?Barnegat, N.J., Nov. 26, 2012 -- A Humane Society of …PERSPECTIVE VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST - First National Bank of Barnegat, 708 West Bay AvenueDate?PERSPECTIVE VIEW LOOKING NORTHWEST - First National B…
Today8 recent
Mount Zion Baptist Church, Barnegat Township, NJ, Nov. 20252025Mount Zion Baptist Church, Barnegat Township, NJ, Nov…Barnegat Township, NJ Municipal Complex, Nov. 20252025Barnegat Township, NJ Municipal Complex, Nov. 2025Aerial view of Manahawkin, New Jersey2021Aerial view of Manahawkin, New JerseyBarnegat Sunset2010Barnegat SunsetBarnegat Lighthouse-Fall 20082008Barnegat Lighthouse-Fall 2008Barnegat Bay, NJ - March 20082008Barnegat Bay, NJ - March 2008Barnegat Bay - Summer 20082008Barnegat Bay - Summer 2008Census Bureau map of Barnegat Township, New Jersey2008Census Bureau map of Barnegat Township, New JerseyMap
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.

New Jersey
Retake this viewNew Jersey, 1855

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Barnegat Township

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
2005
Mary Etta Cox House
Mary Etta Cox House, built 1829
Buildings
Mary Etta Cox HouseBuilt 1829

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Barnegat Township

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

See all →
Frank MolinaroAmerican wrestler and coach · b. 1988
Henry R. TiltonUnited States Army Medal of Honor recipient · b. 1836
J
Jason GroomeBaseball player · b. 1998
Help out

Finish Barnegat Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewNew Jersey: 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.

Stafford Township2 historic placesBOcean Township1 historic placeCLacey TownshipIts storyDHarvey CedarsIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLong Beach TownshipIts storyC−Woodland Township3 historic placesB−

Questions about Barnegat Township’s history

What year was Barnegat Township founded?

In 1846, according to Wikidata. Barnegat Township’s post office opened in 1826, and the census of 1850 counted 1,759 people here.

How does Barnegat Township rank for history?

Barnegat Township is more historic than 51% of U.S. towns, #305 of 468 in New Jersey. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Barnegat Township?

One place: the Mary Etta Cox House (listed 2005).

How old are the homes in Barnegat Township?

4% of Barnegat Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.7 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1998.

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).

From Wikimedia Commons (19), the Library of Congress (4), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.