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A+History
History · East Amwell Township

East Amwell Township dates to 1846, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 96% of U.S. towns · #32 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

6 places in town are on the National Register, among them four historic districts with 204 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1954 on, and the census since 1850.

1846founded
6on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From East Amwell Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How East Amwell Township began

When was East Amwell Township founded?

1846

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

First census: 1,330 in 18502020 census: 3,917180 years

How historic is East Amwell Township?

A+

More historic than 96% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives East Amwell Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, East Amwell Township is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #32 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of East Amwell Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1846, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194029.2% of homes (±9.6) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register6 listings, 205 historic buildings, 520 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 96%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 93%

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 East Amwell Township’s 520 sits above most of its state (96% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 205 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1846.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±9.6 points).

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 East Amwell Township’s past

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

A historic districtThe Ringoes Historic District takes in 134 historic buildings.Lost villages6 post offices opened and closed inside today’s East Amwell Township, and 10 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew 3-fold.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

6 listings protect 205 historic buildings

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

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
205
each building in a district counts
first listed
1994
Highfields
Highfields, built 1931New Market-Linvale-Snydertown Historic DistrictRingoes Historic DistrictWertsville Historic DistrictDawlis Mill-Spring Mill Historic DistrictBowne Station Road stone-arch bridge over tributary of the Alexauken Creek, built 1837
BuildingsDistrictsStructures
HighfieldsBuilt 1931
New Market-Linvale-Snydertown Historic DistrictDistrict
Ringoes Historic DistrictDistrict
Wertsville Historic DistrictDistrict
Dawlis Mill-Spring Mill Historic DistrictDistrict
Bowne Station Road stone-arch bridge over tributary of the Alexauken CreekBuilt 1837

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

Places that used to be

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

Six other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Ringo's
1802–1834
Amwell
1814–1823
Ringoes
1834–today
Wertsville
1854–1905
Amwell
1885–1900
Linvale
1889–1906
Rileyville
1889–1907
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AmwellBowneFurmans CornerLarisons CornersLinvaleRileyvilleRingoesSnydertownUnionvilleWertsville
Gone or out of use
Thompson Landingairport
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside East Amwell Township
Amwell RidgeUnionUnion Cemetery of WertsvilleWertsville Baptist Church Yard

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

Help out

Start East Amwell Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how East Amwell Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewEast Amwell (Township); Wertsville (Vil…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story

How East Amwell Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of East Amwell Township.

Read it all →

Amwell Township was established by a royal patent from Queen Anne in 1708. Its territory comprised 200 square miles (520 km2) and included present day Delaware Township, Raritan Township, Readington Township, East Amwell Township and West Amwell Township and portions of Clinton, Lebanon and Tewksbury Townships. Both East Amwell Township and West Amwell Township were formed on April 6, 1846, when Amwell Township was split in two. Territory was gained in 1854 from Delaware Township, Raritan Township and West Amwell Township, and again from those same three townships in 1897. The township was named for Amwell Township, which in turn was named for Great Amwell/Little Amwell, Hertfordshire in England.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

East Amwell Township, 1802 to 2000

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1802Post officeThe Ringo's post office opens
  3. 1808Born hereDavid Stout Manners is born here
  4. 1814Post officeThe Amwell post office opens
  5. 1823Post officeThe Amwell post office closes
  6. 1834Post officeThe Ringo's post office closes
  7. 1834Post officeThe Ringoes post office opens
  8. 1837BuiltBowne Station Road stone-arch bridge over tributary of the Alexauken Creek is built
  9. 1846
    FoundingEast Amwell Township is established
  10. 1873In the archiveEast Amwell (Township); Wertsville (Village)
  11. 20th century
  12. 1931BuiltHighfields is built
  13. 1954On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 21st century
  15. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 4,455
By decade

East Amwell Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1870s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
East Amwell (Township); Wertsville (Village)1873East Amwell (Township); Wertsville (Village)
Today15 recent
Neshanic River, East Amwell, NJ - panoramio (3)2015Neshanic River, East Amwell, NJ - panoramio (3)Neshanic River, East Amwell, NJ - panoramio (2)2015Neshanic River, East Amwell, NJ - panoramio (2)Furmans Corners, NJ2015Furmans Corners, NJJohn Hart's cave marker2014John Hart's cave markerAmwell Militia monument, Raritan Township, NJ2014Amwell Militia monument, Raritan Township, NJCornet Francis Geary monument, NJ2013Cornet Francis Geary monument, NJ60 switching cars201360 switching carsWm. Chamberlain House2012Wm. Chamberlain HouseWilliam Chamberlain House2011William Chamberlain HouseBlack River & Western 602011Black River & Western 60TabbysPlaceLobby12010TabbysPlaceLobby1US 202-NJ 179-CR 514 intersection-22009US 202-NJ 179-CR 514 intersection-2HIGHFIELDS, EAST AMWELL TOWNSHIP, HUNTERDON COUNTY2007HIGHFIELDS, EAST AMWELL TOWNSHIP, HUNTERDON COUNTYHIGHFIELDS, EAST AMWELL TOWNSHIP, HUNTERDON COUNTY (cropped)2007HIGHFIELDS, EAST AMWELL TOWNSHIP, HUNTERDON COUNTY (c…East amwell twp 019 nj2005East amwell twp 019 nj
On the map

East Amwell Township on the map, 1954 to 1970

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

East Amwell Township on the 1954 USGS mapEast Amwell Township on the 1970 USGS map1954Hopewell 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 East Amwell Township.

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.

East Amwell (Township); Wertsville (Village)
Retake this viewEast Amwell (Township); Wertsville (Village), 1873

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

East Amwell Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,50018501900195020001,865 in 1860Low: 1,102

Lost a third of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew 3-fold.

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

West Amwell Township1 historic placeARaritan Township4 historic placesB−Delaware Township20 historic placesA+Hopewell Township16 historic placesB+Ringoes1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHillsborough Township10 historic placesA−

Questions about East Amwell Township’s history

What year was East Amwell Township founded?

In 1846, according to Wikidata. East Amwell Township’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1850 counted 1,330 people here.

How does East Amwell Township rank for history?

East Amwell Township is more historic than 96% of U.S. towns, #32 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 East Amwell Township?

6 listings: 1 building, among them the Highfields (listed 1994, the first), 4 historic districts with 204 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 205 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in East Amwell Township?

29% of East Amwell Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±9.6 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1971.

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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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.