Chesterfield Township’s post office opened in 1888, and 7 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns · #254 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
7 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 155 buildings between them. Most of Chesterfield Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2004. Below: maps from 1888 on.
The Chesterfield Township post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Recklesstown (1830), Sykesville (1857) and Chesterfield (1888), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
2020 census: 9,422138 years
How historic is Chesterfield Township?
B
More historic than 59% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Chesterfield Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Chesterfield Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chesterfield Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #254 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chesterfield 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 Chesterfield Township’s 185 sits above most of its state (91% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 169 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
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 Chesterfield Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
In the 1830s, the village had a store, hotel, church, and post office. The village was originally named after Joseph Reckless, who had bought a mill here in 1712. His grandsons, Anthony and Robert, served in the American Revolutionary War. The name of the community was changed to Chesterfield in 1888 by congressman Anthony Bullock. The oldest part of the Recklesstown Tavern, now the Chesterfield Inn, was built c. 1710. The tavern was expanded in 1774.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chesterfield Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Bordentown 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 Chesterfield Township.
Famous people
Famous people close to Chesterfield Township
Nobody well known was born in Chesterfield Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
The Chesterfield Township post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Chesterfield Township rank for history?
Chesterfield Township is more historic than 59% of U.S. towns, #254 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 Chesterfield Township?
7 listings: 4 buildings and 3 historic districts, the Recklesstown, the Crosswicks and the Fernbrook Historic District, with 155 contributing buildings. 169 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Chesterfield Township?
7% of Chesterfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 2004.
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 (1), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, 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.
2015
