Bedminster Township dates to 1710, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 62% of U.S. towns · #241 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Bedminster Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. 3 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 46 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1800. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
History grade
What drives Bedminster Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Bedminster Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #241 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Bedminster Township’s overall grade.
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 Bedminster Township’s 56.7 sits above most of its state (82% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 47 historic buildings outnumber those of 84% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1710.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (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 Bedminster Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost half of its people between 1910 and 1920, then grew 7-fold.
23 censuses, 1790–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bedminster Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Bedminster Township on the map, 1891 to 1995
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bedminster Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Somerville 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 Bedminster Township.
The story so far
Bedminster Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bedminster Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Bedminster is a township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 8,272, an increase of 107 (+1.3%) from the 2010 census count of 8,165, which in turn reflected a decline of 137 (−1.7%) from the 8,302 counted in the 2000 census. Located within the Raritan Valley region, Bedminster is part of the Somerset Hills of northern Somerset County, bordering both Hunterdon and Morris counties. Bedminster was settled in 1710 by Dutch, German, and Scots-Irish immigrants. It was named after Bedminster, then in Somerset, England, and now a district of Bristol. Bedminster Township was created by Royal charter on April 4, 1749, …
Bedminster Township was established in 1710. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 8,165 in 2010, 8,272 in 2020.
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Bedminster Township, 1710 to 2000
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1710, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Bedminster Township’s post office opened in 1800, and the first U.S. census counted 1,197 people here in 1790.
How does Bedminster Township rank for history?
Bedminster Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns, #241 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 Bedminster Township?
Three places: the Pluckemin Village Historic District (listed 1982), the Lamington Historic District (1984) and the Jacobus Vanderveer House (1995).
How old are the homes in Bedminster Township?
5% of Bedminster Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1985.
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 Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
