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BHistory
History · Franklin Township

10 of Franklin Township’s places are on the National Register

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #227 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Franklin Township was built recently: 4% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1790.

10on the National Register
4%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Franklin Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Franklin Township’s history

How historic is Franklin Township?

B

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
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 63% of U.S. towns, #227 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Franklin Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraWithout a firm founding date for Franklin Township, this grade rests on its old homes and Register listings–Homes built before 19403.5% of homes (±1.0) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register10 listings, 511 historic buildings, 74.2 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 63%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 52%

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 74.2 sits above most of its state (84% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 511 historic buildings outnumber those of 97% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±1.0 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. 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.

A historic districtThe Six Mile Run Historic District takes in 149 historic buildings.Lost villages8 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Franklin Township, and 17 old place names are still on the map.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1870 and 1910, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18887 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1981. Watch Franklin Township change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

10 listings protect 511 historic buildings

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

places listed
10
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
511
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Rockingham
Rockingham, built 1710Meadows, The, built 1722East Millstone Historic DistrictGriggstown Historic DistrictKingston Village Historic DistrictRiver Road Historic Rural DistrictSix Mile Run Historic DistrictTulipwoodMiddlebush Village Historic DistrictSix Mile Run Reformed Church
BuildingsDistrictsSites
RockinghamBuilt 1710
Meadows, TheBuilt 1722
East Millstone Historic DistrictDistrict
Griggstown Historic DistrictDistrict
Kingston Village Historic DistrictDistrict
River Road Historic Rural DistrictDistrict
Six Mile Run Historic DistrictDistrict
TulipwoodSite
All 10 listings
Middlebush Village Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2007Six Mile Run Reformed ChurchBuilding · listed 2009

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Somerset
1800–1827
Griggstown
1837–1920
Middlebush
1849–1961
Blackwells Mills
1872–1910
Voorhees Station
1872–1874
Clyde
1874–1875
East Millstone
1878–1961
Zarephath
1913–1982
Somerset
1961–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Blackwells MillsClydeEast MillstoneFranklin ParkGriggstownLittle Rocky HillMettlerMiddlebushPleasant PlainsRockinghamSixmile RunSomersetSunset Hill GardenTen Mile RunUkrainian VillageVoorheesZarephath
Gone or out of use
Alma White CollegeschoolKingston QuarrymineRay B White Memorial ChapelchurchReformed Church of East Millstonechurch
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Franklin Township
Cedar GroveCedar HillKingston PresbyterianSouth MiddlebushTen Mile Run

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

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00050,00055,00060,00065,00070,00075,000180018501900195020003,912 in 1870Low: 2,395

Lost a third of its people between 1870 and 1910, then grew more than tenfold.

23 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

The story

How Franklin Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Franklin Township.

Read it all →

It has been unclear if the township was named for founding father Benjamin Franklin or for his illegitimate son William Franklin, a Loyalist and the last Royal Governor of New Jersey (from 1763 to 1776). In 2000, after considering the evidence set forth by William B. Brahms in his books Images of America: Franklin Township (1997) and Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History, and The Case for William Franklin and The Case for Benjamin Franklin, the Township Council chose the theory that the township was indeed named for Benjamin Franklin.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Franklin Township, 1710 to 2020

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1710BuiltRockingham is built
  3. 1722BuiltMeadows, The is built
  4. 1787Born hereTheodore Frelinghuysen is born here
  5. 19th century
  6. 1800Post officeThe Somerset post office opens
  7. 1827Post officeThe Somerset post office closes
  8. 1837Post officeThe Griggstown post office opens
  9. 1849Post officeThe Middlebush post office opens
  10. 1880In the archive1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (NJ) - Somerset County - Franklin - ED…
  11. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1890In the archiveNear Franklin, N.J
  13. 20th century
  14. 1906In the archiveBuckwheat mine - Franklin, N.J
  15. 1918In the archiveRefugee garments ready for packing. Atlantic Div
  16. 1920Post officeThe Griggstown post office closes
  17. 1961Post officeThe Middlebush post office closes
  18. 1970In the archiveWooden church in Negro section near Lincoln Highway near Franklin Township, New Jersey. B…
  19. 1994Born hereCarlton Agudosi is born here
  20. 21st century
  21. 2002Born hereMaleah Joi Moon is born here
  22. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 68,364
By decade

Franklin Township, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1880s to the 1970s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1880s–1890s6 items
1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (NJ) - Somerset County - Franklin - ED 18-35 to 41, 18-10818801950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (N…Near Franklin, N.J1890Near Franklin, N.JZinc mines1890Zinc minesZinc mines1890Zinc minesNear Franklin, N.J1890Near Franklin, N.JNear Franklin, N.J1890Near Franklin, N.J
1900s–1910s3 items
Buckwheat mine - Franklin, N.J1906Buckwheat mine - Franklin, N.JRefugee garments ready for packing. Atlantic Div1918Refugee garments ready for packing. Atlantic DivRefugee garments ready for packing. Atlantic Div1918Refugee garments ready for packing. Atlantic Div
1920s–1960snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
1970s1 item
Wooden church in Negro section near Lincoln Highway near Franklin Township, New Jersey. Bound Brook, New Jersey1970Wooden church in Negro section near Lincoln Highway n…
1980s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today25 recent
Franklin Township (Somerset County, New Jersey) Police and Municipal Court sign2023Franklin Township (Somerset County, New Jersey) Polic…2023-10-01 16 16 46 View south up the Delaware and Raritan Canal from the New Jersey State Route 27 bridge in Franklin …20232023-10-01 16 16 46 View south up the Delaware and Ra…2023-10-01 16 15 44 View north down the Delaware and Raritan Canal from the Old Lincoln Highway bridge in Franklin Town…20232023-10-01 16 15 44 View north down the Delaware and …2023-10-01 16 08 38 View north down the Millstone River from the Old Lincoln Highway Bridge on the border of Princeton,…20232023-10-01 16 08 38 View north down the Millstone Riv…2023-10-01 16 04 26 View north down the Millstone River from the New Jersey State Route 27 bridge on the border of Prin…20232023-10-01 16 04 26 View north down the Millstone Riv…2023-10-01 16 02 43 View north down the Delaware and Raritan Canal from the New Jersey State Route 27 bridge in Frankli…20232023-10-01 16 02 43 View north down the Delaware and …Example of a Millstone2020Example of a MillstoneColonial.Park.NJ.20202020Colonial.Park.NJ.2020Franklin High School, Somerset, NJ2016Franklin High School, Somerset, NJHendrick Fisher House, Franklin Township, NJ - east view2014Hendrick Fisher House, Franklin Township, NJ - east v…Franklin High School2014Franklin High SchoolMillstone Branch at Clyde Road2011Millstone Branch at Clyde RoadDelaware and Raritan Canal, Franklin, NJ, USA January 12th, 20112011Delaware and Raritan Canal, Franklin, NJ, USA January…Delaware and Raritan Canal, Franklin, NJ, USA January 12th, 2011 - panoramio (1)2011Delaware and Raritan Canal, Franklin, NJ, USA January…Old graveyard2010Old graveyardMB at South Middlebush Road2010MB at South Middlebush RoadMB at Blackwells Mills Road2010MB at Blackwells Mills RoadMB at Bennets Lane2010MB at Bennets LaneThrowing a boomerang2008Throwing a boomerangHENDRICK FISHER HOME, SOUTH BOUND BROOK, SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ2007HENDRICK FISHER HOME, SOUTH BOUND BROOK, SOMERSET COU…Six Mile Run Reservoir sign (2006)2006Six Mile Run Reservoir sign (2006)Colonial Park Arboretum and Gardens - Hamamelis2006Colonial Park Arboretum and Gardens - HamamelisHendrick Fisher gravestone, Franklin Township, NJ2005Hendrick Fisher gravestone, Franklin Township, NJFranklin twp nj 0352005Franklin twp nj 035Millstone River Rocky Hill2004Millstone River Rocky Hill
On the map

Franklin Township on the map, 1888 to 1981

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

Franklin Township on the 1888 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1894 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1906 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1947 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1954 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1970 USGS mapFranklin Township on the 1981 USGS map1888Princeton 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.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (NJ) - Somerset County - Franklin - ED 18-35 to 41, 18-108
Retake this view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - New Jersey (NJ) - Somerset County - Franklin - ED 18-35 to 41, 18-108, 1880

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Franklin Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Franklin Township

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

See all →
Theodore Frelinghuysen(1787-1862) American politician · b. 1787
Maleah Joi MoonAmerican singer and actress · b. 2002
C
Carlton AgudosiAmerican gridiron football player · b. 1994
Help out

Finish Franklin Township’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
3 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District Maps -…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Montgomery Township9 historic placesB+East Rocky Hill2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHillsborough Township10 historic placesA−New Brunswick21 historic placesA+South Brunswick Township4 historic placesBGriggstown1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast FranklinIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWestonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townKingston3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSomerset2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Franklin Township’s history

How does Franklin Township rank for history?

Franklin Township is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #227 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?

10 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Rockingham (listed 1970, the first), 6 historic districts with 506 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 511 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Franklin Township?

4% of Franklin Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1986.

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 (27), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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) 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.