Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Eatontown

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Fort Monmouth (US Army Materiel Command) - Closed Sept 2011- 005Photo: Fool4myCanon · CC BY 2.0
B−History
History · Eatontown

Eatontown’s post office opened in 1828, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #291 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Eatontown was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1971. Its Register listing is the St. James Memorial Church of Eatontown. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1886 on, and the census since 1880.

1828first post office
1on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Eatontown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Eatontown began

When was Eatontown founded?

1828

The Eatontown post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1873.

First census: 2,642 in 18802020 census: 13,597198 years

How historic is Eatontown?

B−

More historic than 52% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Eatontown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1873.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Eatontown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Eatontown is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #291 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 Eatontown’s overall grade.
Founding era1828, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 19407.0% of homes (±3.0) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 0.7 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 52%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 38%

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 Eatontown’s 0.7 sits below most of its state (29% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% 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 (±3.0 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1873.

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 Eatontown’s past

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

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 1900 and 1940, then grew 7-fold.On the map since 18886 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1981. Watch Eatontown change.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1886 to 1909, drew every building in Eatontown.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eatontown’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eatontown’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 viewEatontown Business Notices.; Eatontown …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Eatontown, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,000188019001920194019601980200020203,021 in 1900Low: 1,758

Lost a third of its people between 1900 and 1940, then grew 7-fold.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

On the map

Eatontown on the map, 1888 to 1981

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

Eatontown on the 1888 USGS mapEatontown on the 1893 USGS mapEatontown on the 1901 USGS mapEatontown on the 1954 USGS mapEatontown on the 1970 USGS mapEatontown on the 1981 USGS map1888Sandy Hook 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 Eatontown.

The story

How Eatontown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Eatontown.

Read it all →

Eatontown's history is documented in the book Eatontown and Fort Monmouth.

In 1670, Thomas Eaton (for which the town is named) surveyed the area and constructed a grist mill in present-day Wampum Lake Park.

By 1796, a village had developed across from Eaton's mill, with a tannery and general store on the east side of the Red Bank Turnpike [now State Route 35]. A tavern for the New York - Philadelphia stage coach trade was built on what would become the intersection of Main and Broad Streets. A second stage coach stop was established in Mechanicsville on the ocean-bound road. This village would later be called West Long Branch.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Eatontown in 1885

Passages that mention Eatontown, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Eaton, Thomas, settler in Monmouth prior to 1700, 82 mentioned in 1693 road records, 372,373 property of, on road laid out 1688, 755 settled in Eatontown, 1670, 876 erected a gristmill on stream which passes through Eatontown, 1670, 876 Eaton, Thomas, (second), son of John Eaton and Joanna (Wardell…
History of Monmouth county, New Jersey ..1885 · page 64Read the page →
Read the text

Eaton, Thomas, settler in Monmouth prior to 1700, 82 mentioned in 1693 road records, 372,373 property of, on road laid out 1688, 755 settled in Eatontown, 1670, 876 erected a gristmill on stream which passes through Eatontown, 1670, 876 Eaton, Thomas, (second), son of John Eaton and Joanna (Wardell) Eaton, settled at Elizabeth, 877

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
member of Scotch and Quaker factions, 1699, 97 abandonment of Quakerism by, 1702, 412 Barclay, Judge Joseph, went into mercantile business, Eatontown, 1833. 877 bought hotel property, Barclay's Corners, near Eatontown, 1857, 878 owned Samuel Harvey house, Shrewsbury Township, 882
History of Monmouth county, New Jersey ..1885 · page 11Read the page →
Read the text

member of Scotch and Quaker factions, 1699, 97 abandonment of Quakerism by, 1702, 412 Barclay, Judge Joseph, went into mercantile business, Eatontown, 1833. 877 bought hotel property, Barclay's Corners, near Eatontown, 1857, 878 owned Samuel Harvey house, Shrewsbury Township, 882

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Eatontown, 1828 to 1970

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1828Post officeThe Eatontown post office opens
  3. 1873In the archiveEatontown Business Notices.; Eatontown (Village)
  4. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  5. 20th century
  6. 1965Born hereKevin Ritz is born here
  7. 1967Born hereMelissa Reeves is born here
  8. 1970CensusPopulation peaks at 14,619
By decade

Eatontown, decade by decade

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

1870s1 item
Eatontown Business Notices.; Eatontown (Village)1873Eatontown Business Notices.; Eatontown (Village)
Today11 recent
Lunch, Eatontown, NJ Sawa Restaurant2008Lunch, Eatontown, NJ Sawa RestaurantLunch, Eatontown, NJ Sawa Restaurant2008Lunch, Eatontown, NJ Sawa RestaurantLunch, Eatontown, NJ Sawa Restaurant2008Lunch, Eatontown, NJ Sawa RestaurantDakilang Lahi Filipino Restaurant2008Dakilang Lahi Filipino RestaurantDakilang Lahi Filipino Restaurant2008Dakilang Lahi Filipino RestaurantDakilang Lahi Filipino Restaurant2008Dakilang Lahi Filipino RestaurantCensus Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMap80 acres park200780 acres parkPetco Gas Explosion2005Petco Gas ExplosionPetco Explosion - Flickr - Sister722005Petco Explosion - Flickr - Sister72Flying Too Low2005Flying Too Low
Every building

Eatontown, building by building, 1886–1909

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Eatontown fire insurance map, 1886, sheet 11886Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Eatontown Business Notices.; Eatontown (Village)
Retake this viewEatontown Business Notices.; Eatontown (Village), 1873

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Eatontown

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
St. James Memorial Church of Eatontown
St. James Memorial Church of Eatontown
Buildings
St. James Memorial Church of EatontownBuilding

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Eatontown

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

See all →
Melissa ReevesAmerican actress · b. 1967
K
Kevin RitzAmerican baseball player · b. 1965
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Eatontown’s post office has been open since 1828.

Gone or out of use
Eatontown Circlelocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Eatontown
FieldsWhite Ridge

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Ocean TownshipIts storyB−Tinton Falls2 historic placesBShrewsbury4 historic placesB+West Long Branch3 historic placesC+Oceanport1 historic placeB+

Questions about Eatontown’s history

What year was Eatontown founded?

The Eatontown post office opened in 1828, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1873.

How does Eatontown rank for history?

Eatontown is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #291 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 Eatontown?

One place: the St. James Memorial Church of Eatontown (listed 1978).

How old are the homes in Eatontown?

7% of Eatontown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.0 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 (12), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.