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C−History
History · Franklin Lakes

Franklin Lakes’ post office opened in 1951, and 14 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns · #428 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Franklin Lakes was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1910 on, and the census since 1900.

1951first post office
14on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
8famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Franklin Lakes’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Franklin Lakes began

When was Franklin Lakes founded?

1951

The Franklin Lakes post office opened in 1951, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Crystal Lake (1894) and Campgaw (1898), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 375 in 19002020 census: 11,07975 years

How historic is Franklin Lakes?

C−

More historic than 23% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Franklin Lakes post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Franklin Lakes’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Franklin Lakes is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #428 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Lakes’ overall grade.
Founding era1951, from the first post office: founded 1945 or later, an older era than 2% of U.S. townsD−Homes built before 19402.1% of homes (±1.3) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register14 listings, 16 historic buildings, 14.4 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 23%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 9%

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 Lakes’ 14.4 sits above most of its state (72% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 16 historic buildings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to B−. The pre-1940 share (±1.3 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

Founding year: the first post office (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 Lakes’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages2 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Franklin Lakes, and 4 old place names are still on the map.Landmarks on the Register14 places on the National Register.On the map since 19105 editions of the USGS map, 1910 to 1995. Watch Franklin Lakes change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Franklin Lakes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Franklin Lakes’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewBecton Dickinson HQ by USGS: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Franklin Lakes’s post office has been open since 1951. Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Crystal Lake
1894–1926
Campgaw
1898–1951
Franklin Lakes
1951–today
18901960today
Hamlets and corners on the map
CampgawCrystal LakeFerdinands MillsPulis Mills
1cemetery inside Franklin Lakes
Van Houten

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

On the National Register

14 historic places in Franklin Lakes

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

places listed
14
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
16
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Reaction Motors Rocket Test Facility
Reaction Motors Rocket Test Facility, built 1942Ackerman-Boyd House, built 1785Albert Pulis HouseDe Gray HousePacker HouseVan Houten HouseVan Houten-Ackerman HouseWinters-Courter HouseAaron Winters HouseStorms HouseVan Blarcom HouseVan Koert-Winters HouseVan Winkle HouseBlauvelt House
Buildings
Reaction Motors Rocket Test FacilityBuilt 1942
Ackerman-Boyd HouseBuilt 1785
Albert Pulis HouseBuilding
De Gray HouseBuilding
Packer HouseBuilding
Van Houten HouseBuilding
Van Houten-Ackerman HouseBuilding
Winters-Courter HouseBuilding
All 14 listings
Aaron Winters HouseBuilding · listed 1984Storms HouseBuilding · listed 1984Van Blarcom HouseBuilding · listed 1984Van Koert-Winters HouseBuilding · listed 1984Van Winkle HouseBuilding · listed 1984Blauvelt HouseBuilding · listed 1985

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

The story so far

Franklin Lakes, in brief

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

Franklin Lakes is a borough in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,079, an increase of 489 (+4.6%) from the 2010 census count of 10,590, which in turn reflected an increase of 168 (+1.6%) from the 10,422 counted in the 2000 census. Becton Dickinson, a Fortune 500 company, is headquartered in Franklin Lakes. Franklin Lakes was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 11, 1922, from portions of Franklin Township, based on the results of a referendum held on April 11, 1922. The borough was named for William Franklin, the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin, a steadfast Loyalist who served as the l…

Its first post office opened in 1951. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 10,590 to 11,079 (+5%).

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

Timeline

Franklin Lakes, 1785 to 1996

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1785BuiltAckerman-Boyd House is built
  3. 19th century
  4. 1894Post officeThe Crystal Lake post office opens
  5. 1898Post officeThe Campgaw post office opens
  6. 20th century
  7. 1910On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1926Post officeThe Crystal Lake post office closes
  9. 1942BuiltReaction Motors Rocket Test Facility is built
  10. 1951Post officeThe Campgaw post office closes
  11. 1951Post officeThe Franklin Lakes post office opens
  12. 1980Born hereChris Simms is born here
  13. 1984Born hereDan Grunfeld is born here
  14. 1989Born hereMorgan Hoffmann is born here
  15. 1995In the archiveBecton Dickinson HQ by USGS
  16. 1996Born hereJeremy Zucker is born here
By decade

Franklin Lakes, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1990s1 item
Becton Dickinson HQ by USGS1995Becton Dickinson HQ by USGS
Today4 recent
FLNP View of High Mountain2011FLNP View of High MountainFLNP Ancient Lava2011FLNP Ancient LavaCampgaw Station2011Campgaw StationCensus Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMap
On the map

Franklin Lakes on the map, 1910 to 1995

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

Franklin Lakes on the 1910 USGS mapFranklin Lakes on the 1936 USGS mapFranklin Lakes on the 1943 USGS mapFranklin Lakes on the 1955 USGS mapFranklin Lakes on the 1995 USGS map1910Ramapo 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 Lakes.

People over time

Franklin Lakes, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,000190019201940196019802000202011,079

Grew from 375 people in 1900 to 11,079 in 2020, more than tenfold.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Franklin Lakes’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

8 famous people were born in Franklin Lakes

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

See all →
Jeremy ZuckerAmerican singer-songwriter · b. 1996
D
Dan GrunfeldAmerican basketball player · b. 1984
Chris SimmsAmerican football player and commentator · b. 1980
Morgan HoffmannProfessional golfer · b. 1989
T
Tanya KalyvasGreek-American soccer player · b. 1979
Matt SimmsAmerican football player · b. 1988
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Mahwah Township10 historic placesB−Oakland5 historic placesB−Wyckoff Township14 historic placesAWayne Township4 historic placesC−North HaledonIts storyC−Pines LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Franklin Lakes’ history

What year was Franklin Lakes founded?

The Franklin Lakes post office opened in 1951, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Franklin Lakes rank for history?

Franklin Lakes is more historic than 23% of U.S. towns, #428 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 Lakes?

14 listings: 14 buildings, among them the Reaction Motors Rocket Test Facility (listed 1979, the first). 16 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Franklin Lakes?

2% of Franklin Lakes’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1982.

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 (5), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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.