Franklin Township dates to 1845, and 18% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #55 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
4 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 153 buildings between them. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1795.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Franklin Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Franklin Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #55 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Township’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 Franklin Township’s 472 sits above most of its state (95% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 155 historic buildings outnumber those of 92% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1845.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 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 Franklin Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Franklin Township
Cherryville BaptistLocust Grove
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
People over time
Franklin Township, census by census
Lost a third of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew 3-fold.
18 censuses, 1850–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Franklin Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Franklin Township on the map, 1890 to 1970
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Franklin Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890High Bridge 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 Franklin Township.
Long populated by the Lenape (Delaware) Native Americans, the first European settlement of present-day Franklin was around 1700, when it became a Quaker community of settlers who came from Burlington County. The most reliable records that are available about the early days of the Township are found in the minutes of the Friends' Meeting in Quakertown.
Franklin Township was established by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1845, when it was created from portions of Kingwood Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day. Portions of the township were taken to form Clinton town on April 5, 1865. The township was named for Benjamin Franklin.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1845, according to Wikidata. Franklin Township’s post office opened in 1795, and the census of 1850 counted 1,454 people here.
How does Franklin Township rank for history?
Franklin Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #55 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 Franklin Township?
4 listings: 1 building, 2 historic districts, the Quaker Meeting and the Pittstown Historic District, with 153 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 155 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Franklin Township?
18% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1974.
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 (5), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, 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.
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