Cedar Grove Township’s post office opened in 1874, and 2 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 39% of U.S. towns · #357 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Cedar Grove Township was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1959. Its Register listings are the Jacobus House and the Canfield-Morgan House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Cedar Grove Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1892.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cedar Grove Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cedar Grove Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #357 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cedar Grove 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 Cedar Grove Township’s 1.5 sits near the middle of its state (38% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to C+. The pre-1940 share (±2.6 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1892 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Cedar Grove Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cedar Grove Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Paterson 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 Cedar Grove Township.
Cedar Grove was part of the Horseneck Tract, which was an area that consisted of what are now the municipalities of Caldwell, West Caldwell, North Caldwell, Fairfield, Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells, Roseland, and portions of Livingston and West Orange.
In 1702, settlers purchased the 14,000 acres (57 km2) Horseneck Tract—so-called because of its irregular shape that suggested a horse's neck and head from the Lenape Native Americans for goods equal to $325. This purchase encompassed much of western Essex County, from the First Mountain to the Passaic River.
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.
The Cedar Grove Township post office opened in 1874, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1892.
How does Cedar Grove Township rank for history?
Cedar Grove Township is more historic than 39% of U.S. towns, #357 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 Cedar Grove Township?
Two places: the Jacobus House (listed 1975) and the Canfield-Morgan House (1995).
How old are the homes in Cedar Grove Township?
9% of Cedar Grove Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.6 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1959.
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 (6), 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.
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