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CHistory
History · Elk Township

Elk Township dates to 1891, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 28% of U.S. towns · #412 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1900.

1891founded
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Elk Township began

When was Elk Township founded?

1891

Elk Township dates its founding to 1891 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 997 in 19002020 census: 4,424135 years

How historic is Elk Township?

C

More historic than 28% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1833.
History grade

What drives Elk Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Elk Township is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #412 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Elk Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1891, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194012.0% of homes (±6.8) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical NJ town 3.7 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 28%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 12%

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 Elk Township’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1891.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.8 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 Elk Township’s past

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

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Elk Township, and 5 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.On the map since 18905 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1994. Watch Elk Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

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

Hardingville
1833–1903
Unionville
1863–1892
Ferrell
1890–1902
Aura
1892–1942
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AuraFerrellHardingHardingvilleWrights Mill
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Elk Township
Land Of CanaanMonroeville

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

Help out

Start Elk Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Elk Township on the map, 1890 to 1994

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

Elk Township on the 1890 USGS mapElk Township on the 1948 USGS mapElk Township on the 1953 USGS mapElk Township on the 1967 USGS mapElk Township on the 1994 USGS map1890Glassboro 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 Elk Township.

The story so far

Elk Township, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Elk Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Elk Township is a township in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,424, an increase of 208 (+4.9%) from the 2010 census count of 4,216, which in turn reflected an increase of 702 (+20.0%) from the 3,514 counted in the 2000 census. Elk Township was formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 17, 1891, from portions of Clayton Township, Glassboro Township, and South Harrison Township.} The township was named for elk hunted in the area. Until 2016, Elk Township had been a dry township where alcohol could not be sold. That year, the township sold a package goods license for $300,000 whi…

Elk Township was established in 1891. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,216 to 4,424 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Elk Township, 1833 to 1903

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1833Post officeThe Hardingville post office opens
  3. 1863Post officeThe Unionville post office opens
  4. 1890Post officeThe Ferrell post office opens
  5. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1891
    FoundingElk Township is established
  7. 1892Post officeThe Unionville post office closes
  8. 20th century
  9. 1902Post officeThe Ferrell post office closes
  10. 1903Post officeThe Hardingville post office closes
By decade

Elk Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map of Elk Township, New JerseyDate?Census Bureau map of Elk Township, New JerseyMap
Today6 recent
2020-10-27 11 17 17 Field along Gloucester County Route 553 (Buck Road) near Gloucester County Route 610 (Whig Lane) in…20202020-10-27 11 17 17 Field along Gloucester County Rou…2020-10-27 11 17 14 Field along Gloucester County Route 553 (Buck Road) near Gloucester County Route 610 (Whig Lane) in…20202020-10-27 11 17 14 Field along Gloucester County Rou…IREDELL HOUSE NO.2, ELK TOWNSHIP, GLOUCESTER COUNTY2007IREDELL HOUSE NO.2, ELK TOWNSHIP, GLOUCESTER COUNTYIREDELL HOUSE NO. 1, GLOUCESTER COUNTY2007IREDELL HOUSE NO. 1, GLOUCESTER COUNTYIREDELL HOUSE NO. 1, ELK TOWNSHIP, GLOUCESTER COUNTY2007IREDELL HOUSE NO. 1, ELK TOWNSHIP, GLOUCESTER COUNTYMap of Gloucester County highlighting Elk Township2004Map of Gloucester County highlighting Elk TownshipMap
People over time

Elk Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,50019001920194019601980200020204,424

Grew from 997 people in 1900 to 4,424 in 2020, 4 times over.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Elk Township

Nobody well known was born in Elk Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
M
Madeline BrewerAmerican actress · b. 1992
Emma BellAmerican actress · b. 1986
Roscoe LockwoodAmerican rower · b. 1875
Everett ShinnAmerican artist · b. 1876
Anthony DeAngeloAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1995
Tim SquyresAmerican film editor · b. 1959
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

ClaytonIts storyCHarrison Township3 historic placesA−Richwood2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townUpper Pittsgrove Township1 historic placeA−Glassboro3 historic placesBSouth Harrison TownshipIts storyC−Franklin TownshipIts storyC

Questions about Elk Township’s history

What year was Elk Township founded?

In 1891, according to Wikidata. Elk Township’s post office opened in 1833, and the census of 1900 counted 997 people here.

How does Elk Township rank for history?

Elk Township is more historic than 28% of U.S. towns, #412 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.

How old are the homes in Elk Township?

12% of Elk Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1985.

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 (7), 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.