Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Egg Harbor Township

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
BHistory
History · Egg Harbor Township

Egg Harbor Township dates to 1693, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #235 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Egg Harbor Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. Its Register listing is the Jeffries, Capt. John, Burial Marker. Its Register listing is the Jeffries, Capt. John, Burial Marker. Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1810.

1693founded
1on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Egg Harbor Township began

When was Egg Harbor Township founded?

1693

Egg Harbor Township dates its founding to 1693 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 1,830 in 18102020 census: 47,842333 years

How historic is Egg Harbor Township?

B

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1804.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Egg Harbor Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Egg Harbor Township is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #235 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Egg Harbor Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1693, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19407.2% of homes (±2.1) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 0.2 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 63%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 50%

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 Egg Harbor Township’s 0.2 sits below most of its state (24% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1693.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share (±2.1 points) is firm at this size.

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 Egg Harbor Township’s past

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

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Egg Harbor Township, and 9 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Egg Harbor Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1870 and 1910, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1994. Watch Egg Harbor Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

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

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

Bargaintown
1804–1913
English Creek
1859–1908
Scullville
1887–1914
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BargaintownCardiffEnglish CreekEnglish Creek LandingJeffers LandingMorris BeachScull LandingScullvilleWest Atlantic City
Gone or out of use
Atlantic City SpeedwaylocaleNaval Air Station Atlantic CitymilitaryNordheim Flying K AirparkairportPine View Churchchurch
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Egg Harbor Township
Beth KehillahLaurel MemorialMount CalvaryMount CalvaryRodef Sholom

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

Help out

Start Egg Harbor Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Egg Harbor Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00018501900195020003,585 in 1870Low: 1,110

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1870 and 1910, then grew more than tenfold.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

The story

How Egg Harbor Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Egg Harbor Township.

Read it all →

The first residents of what would become Egg Harbor Township were the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who would spend their summers on the elevated land around the cedar swamp that is now Bargaintown Lake, as well as along the banks of Patcong Creek, where they made use of the abundant fish, shellfish, wild berries, and bird's eggs in the area and collected shells that could be carved to make wampum.

Great Egg Harbor was part of Gloucester County, West Jersey. On May 17, 1694 a law was passed that made this official, reading:

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Egg Harbor Township, 1693 to 2020

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

  1. 17th century
  2. 1693
    FoundingEgg Harbor Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1804Post officeThe Bargaintown post office opens
  5. 1859Post officeThe English Creek post office opens
  6. 1887Post officeThe Scullville post office opens
  7. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1908Post officeThe English Creek post office closes
  10. 1913Post officeThe Bargaintown post office closes
  11. 1914Post officeThe Scullville post office closes
  12. 1945Born hereChris Wheeler is born here
  13. 1948Born hereFrederick P. Nickles is born here
  14. 21st century
  15. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 47,842
By decade

Egg Harbor Township, decade by decade

Today24 recent
Great Egg Harbor River, NJ marshland from Jobs Point Road, Sept. 20242024Great Egg Harbor River, NJ marshland from Jobs Point …Former Beesley's Point Generating Station site from Morris Beach, NJ, Sept. 20242024Former Beesley's Point Generating Station site from M…RestDepot EHT NJ2023RestDepot EHT NJSeaview Harbor sign2018Seaview Harbor signMalibu Beach Wildlife Management Area2018Malibu Beach Wildlife Management AreaU.S. Navy VC-4 memorial marker restoration 160720-Z-YH452-0692016U.S. Navy VC-4 memorial marker restoration 160720-Z-Y…Shore Mall Golden Corral2013Shore Mall Golden CorralShore Mall Front2013Shore Mall FrontBoscov's Center Section 22013Boscov's Center Section 2Shore Mall Time Capsule2012Shore Mall Time CapsuleShore Mall Boscov's2012Shore Mall Boscov'sPathmark-Closing2012Pathmark-ClosingFormer Value City Shore Mall2012Former Value City Shore MallBoscov's Center2012Boscov's Center177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response Force 120122-F-AL508-0952012177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response For…177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response Force 120122-F-AL508-0832012177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response For…177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response Force 120122-F-AL508-0512012177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response For…177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response Force 120122-F-AL508-0402012177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response For…177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response Force 120122-F-AL508-0392012177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response For…177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response Force 120122-F-AL508-0292012177th Security Forces train for Homeland Response For…HamiltonmallFoodcourt2010HamiltonmallFoodcourtHamiltonmall2009HamiltonmallUntitled photo2009Untitled photoEgg harbor twp nj 0012005Egg harbor twp nj 001
On the map

Egg Harbor Township on the map, 1890 to 1994

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

Egg Harbor Township on the 1890 USGS mapEgg Harbor Township on the 1942 USGS mapEgg Harbor Township on the 1952 USGS mapEgg Harbor Township on the 1972 USGS mapEgg Harbor Township on the 1989 USGS mapEgg Harbor Township on the 1994 USGS map1890Great Egg Harbor 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 Egg Harbor Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Egg Harbor Township

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
1984
Jeffries, Capt. John, Burial Marker
Jeffries, Capt. John, Burial Marker
Objects
Jeffries, Capt. John, Burial MarkerObject

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 Egg Harbor Township

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

See all →
C
Chris WheelerBaseball broadcaster · b. 1945
F
Frederick P. NicklesAmerican politician · b. 1948
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Hamilton Township4 historic placesA−Galloway Township1 historic placeBEstell Manor3 historic placesC+Linwood2 historic placesBSomers Point2 historic placesAPomonaIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNorthfield1 historic placeC+BargaintownIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMargate City2 historic placesB+PleasantvilleIts storyC+

Questions about Egg Harbor Township’s history

What year was Egg Harbor Township founded?

In 1693, according to Wikidata. Egg Harbor Township’s post office opened in 1804, and the census of 1810 counted 1,830 people here.

How does Egg Harbor Township rank for history?

Egg Harbor Township is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #235 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 Egg Harbor Township?

One place: the Jeffries, Capt. John, Burial Marker (listed 1984).

How old are the homes in Egg Harbor Township?

7% of Egg Harbor Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.1 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1993.

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 (24), 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) 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.