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History · Finesville

Finesville’s post office opened in 1845, and 76% of its homes were built before 1940

3 places in town are on the National Register. Below: old-book passages.

1845first post office
3on the National Register
76%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Finesville began

When was Finesville founded?

1845

The Finesville post office opened in 1845, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 364181 years
Founding year: the first Finesville post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Finesville’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Finesville are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Finesville’s homes were built before 1938.Deep rootsA post office since 1845: 181 years of Finesville.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Finesville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Finesville’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
The story

How Finesville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Finesville.

Read it all →

The community is located along the Musconetcong River between Pohatcong Mountain and Musconetcong Mountain, about a mile east of the Delaware River in a section of the Musconetcong Valley called the Musconetcong Gorge. The settlement was named for Philip and John Fein (often misspelled Fine by locals) who settled in the area from Germany. They built a dam and ran an oil mill, gristmill, sawmill, hotel and a store.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Finesville in 1929

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

Finesville is one mile from the mouth of the Musconetcong, and takes its name from the Fine family, who settled there upon their arrival from Germany. Many families of that name still live in the vicinity. Here, in Colonial times, the Chelsea forge was situated, obtaining its pig iron from the famo…
History and directory of Warren County, New Jersey1929 · page 38Read the page →
Read the text

Finesville is one mile from the mouth of the Musconetcong, and takes its name from the Fine family, who settled there upon their arrival from Germany. Many families of that name still live in the vicinity. Here, in Colonial times, the Chelsea forge was situated, obtaining its pig iron from the famous Durham furnace. ‘The Methodists built a church here as early as 1835. It was used at various times by Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists and Christians. The Methodists took over the church for their own use in 1879, after the Christian church had been built in 1877.

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.

By decade

Finesville, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Finesville, New Jersey2012Finesville, New JerseyFinesville, New Jersey2012Finesville, New JerseyFinesville, New Jersey2012Finesville, New JerseyFinesville, New Jersey2012Finesville, New JerseyFinesville, New Jersey2012Finesville, New JerseyFinesville, New Jersey (2012)2012Finesville, New Jersey (2012)
On the National Register

3 listings protect 100 historic buildings

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

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
100
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Finesville

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

See all →
James McKeen CattellAmerican psychologist · b. 1860
Jack ColemanAmerican actor and screenwriter · b. 1958
R
Randall MunroeAmerican cartoonist, author and engineer · b. 1984
Y
Yvonne ZimaAmerican actress · b. 1989
Courtney HenggelerAmerican actress · b. 1978
Florence Barbara SeibertAmerican biochemist · b. 1897
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Pohatcong Township5 historic placesA−Holland Township4 historic placesB+

Questions about Finesville’s history

What year was Finesville founded?

The Finesville post office opened in 1845, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia 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.