Florham Park dates to 1899, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 34% of U.S. towns · #385 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Florham Park was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Its Register listings are the Little Red Schoolhouse, the Ford, Samuel, Jr.'s, Hammock Farm and the Rev. John Hancock House, Cider Mill and Cemetery. Its Register listings are the Little Red Schoolhouse, the Ford, Samuel, Jr.'s, Hammock Farm and the Rev. John Hancock House, Cider Mill and Cemetery. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1879.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Florham Park’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Florham Park is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #385 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Florham Park’s overall grade.
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 Florham Park’s 2.9 sits near the middle of its state (45% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 4 historic buildings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1899.
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 Florham Park’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
First occupied by the Lenape tribe of Native Americans, the area that is now Florham Park was first settled by European settlers of English and Dutch origin sometime between 1680 and 1700, and the community was long recognized as a prime farming area. The area was known for the manufacture of quality brooms, which was the source of one of its town names, Broomtown. At various times during its history, the area was known as Hoppingtown, Broomtown, Columbia, Afton, and finally Florham Park. It was part of Hanover Township, then Chatham Township before being incorporated as Florham Park in 1899.
Passages that mention Florham Park, cut from the printed page as they were published.
A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 141Read the page →
Read the text
The township as now constituted is bounded north and east by Hanover, on the east by Florham Park and Madison boroughs, south by Passaic and west by Mendham townships. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western railroad enters the township at Convent Station, passing through Morristown, leaving the township at Morris Plains. Convent is the only station in the township proper and is located at the very border, the township line passing through! the buildings of the College of Saint Elizabeth, from which the station derives its name. There are also located the hand-
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
Florham Park, 1866 to 1995
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1899, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Florham Park’s post office opened in 1879, and the census of 1900 counted 752 people here.
How does Florham Park rank for history?
Florham Park is more historic than 34% of U.S. towns, #385 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 Florham Park?
Three places: the Little Red Schoolhouse (listed 1986), the Ford, Samuel, Jr.'s, Hammock Farm (1974) and the Rev. John Hancock House, Cider Mill and Cemetery (1984).
How old are the homes in Florham Park?
4% of Florham Park’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1984.
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 (3), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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 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.
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