2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 74 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1796.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Frelinghuysen Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Frelinghuysen Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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 Frelinghuysen 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 Frelinghuysen Township’s 351 sits above most of its state (94% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 75 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1848.
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 (±5.4 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 Frelinghuysen Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost half 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 Frelinghuysen Township’s Wikipedia page.
On the map
Frelinghuysen Township on the map, 1888 to 1971
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Frelinghuysen Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Hackettstown 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 Frelinghuysen Township.
The story
How Frelinghuysen Township came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Frelinghuysen Township.
Frelinghuysen Township was incorporated from portions of Hardwick Township on March 7, 1848. According to the book Historical Sites of Warren County, the township was named for Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen, a minister and theologian of the Dutch Reformed Church who came to New Jersey in 1720. Theodorus was the grandfather of Theodore Frelinghuysen, the noted statesman, educator and running mate of presidential candidate Henry Clay on the Whig Party ticket in the 1844 election, who is also credited as the inspiration for the township's name.
In 1848, according to Wikidata. Frelinghuysen Township’s post office opened in 1796, and the census of 1850 counted 1,277 people here.
How does Frelinghuysen Township rank for history?
Frelinghuysen Township is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns. 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 Frelinghuysen Township?
Two places: the Johnsonburg Historic District (listed 1992) and the Allamuchy Freight House (2002).
How old are the homes in Frelinghuysen Township?
19% of Frelinghuysen Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.4 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1983.
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 (7), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.
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