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A+History
History · Frenchtown

Frenchtown’s post office opened in 1839, and 51% of its homes were built before 1940

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 401 buildings. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and the census since 1870.

1839first post office
1on the National Register
51%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Frenchtown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Frenchtown began

When was Frenchtown founded?

1839

The Frenchtown post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1867. Another post office, Alexandria (1818), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 912 in 18702020 census: 1,370187 years

How historic is Frenchtown?

A+

Among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Frenchtown post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1867.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Frenchtown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Frenchtown is among the most historic 1% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Frenchtown’s overall grade.
Founding era1839, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194050.6% of homes (±8.4) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%A+National Register1 listing, 401 historic buildings, 2,289 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Among the top 1%
NewerOlder

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 Frenchtown’s 2,289 sits above most of its state (100% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 401 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1867.

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 Frenchtown’s past

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

A historic districtThe Frenchtown Historic District takes in 401 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1994. Watch Frenchtown change.Old housesHalf of Frenchtown’s homes were built before 1938.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 401 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
401
each building in a district counts
first listed
1994
Frenchtown Historic District
Frenchtown Historic District
Districts
Frenchtown Historic DistrictDistrict

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

Help out

Start Frenchtown’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFrenchtown (Village); Frenchtown Busine…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Frenchtown on the map, 1890 to 1994

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

Frenchtown on the 1890 USGS mapFrenchtown on the 1932 USGS mapFrenchtown on the 1943 USGS mapFrenchtown on the 1953 USGS mapFrenchtown on the 1970 USGS mapFrenchtown on the 1994 USGS map1890Easton 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 Frenchtown.

The story

How Frenchtown came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Frenchtown.

Read it all →

Various names have been applied to this settlement after the many ferry operators residing on both sides of the river. The community had variously been known as Alexandriaville, Sunbeam and Frenchtown over the years. The borough was formed by an Incorporation act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 4, 1867, from portions of Alexandria Township. Additional territory was acquired from Kingwood Township in 1876.

ChaptersNaming FrenchtownBridgesLenape and early European settlersThe canal, railroad, and industryFloods

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Frenchtown, 1818 to 1995

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1818Post officeThe Alexandria post office opens
  3. 1835Post officeThe Alexandria post office closes
  4. 1839Post officeThe Frenchtown post office opens
  5. 1868Born hereM. P. Randolph is born here
  6. 1873In the archiveFrenchtown (Village); Frenchtown Business Notices
  7. 1883Born hereHarvey Spencer Lewis is born here
  8. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1898Born hereJohn Linus McAtee is born here
  10. 20th century
  11. 1986In the archiveItalianate - Frenchtown, NJ - Worman-Agpar House (1)
  12. 1995In the archiveDelaware River Scenic Byway - Downtown Frenchtown Street
By decade

Frenchtown, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Frenchtown (Village); Frenchtown Business Notices1873Frenchtown (Village); Frenchtown Business Notices
1980s–1990s3 items
Italianate - Frenchtown, NJ - Worman-Agpar House (1)1986Italianate - Frenchtown, NJ - Worman-Agpar House (1)Italianate - Frenchtown, NJ - Worman-Agpar House (2)1986Italianate - Frenchtown, NJ - Worman-Agpar House (2)Delaware River Scenic Byway - Downtown Frenchtown Street1995Delaware River Scenic Byway - Downtown Frenchtown Str…
Today8 recent
Frenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown Cafe2010Frenchtown CafeFrenchtown 019 nj2005Frenchtown 019 nj
Every building

Frenchtown, building by building, 1885–1912

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Frenchtown fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

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.

Frenchtown (Village); Frenchtown Business Notices
Retake this viewFrenchtown (Village); Frenchtown Business Notices, 1873

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

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Frenchtown, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,60018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,573

Between 912 and 1,573 people in every census since 1870.

16 censuses, 1870–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Frenchtown

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

See all →
H
Harvey Spencer LewisAmerican occult writer · b. 1883
J
John Linus McAteeAmerican jockey · b. 1898
M. P. RandolphAmerican football player and coach · b. 1868
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Frenchtown’s post office has been open since 1839. Another post office, Alexandria, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Alexandria
1818–1835
Frenchtown
1839–today
18101920today

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Alexandria Township5 historic placesA+Kingwood Township3 historic placesA

Questions about Frenchtown’s history

What year was Frenchtown founded?

The Frenchtown post office opened in 1839, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1867.

How does Frenchtown rank for history?

Frenchtown is among the most historic 1% 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 Frenchtown?

One place: the Frenchtown Historic District (listed 1994).

How old are the homes in Frenchtown?

51% of Frenchtown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.4 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1938.

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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.