Glassboro dates to 1779, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 55% of U.S. towns · #276 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Glassboro was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Its Register listings are the Whitney Mansion, the St. Thomas Episcopal Church and the West Jersey Rail Road Glassboro Depot. Below: 11 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1880.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1822.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glassboro’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glassboro is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #276 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glassboro’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 Glassboro’s 1.3 sits near the middle of its state (35% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to B+. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1779.
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 Glassboro’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Glassboro. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Glassboro 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 Glassboro.
Every building
Glassboro, building by building, 1895–1923
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.
Glassboro's early industrial history was built on the manufacturing of glass. The town was first established in 1779 by Solomon Stanger as Glass Works in the Woods. Glass manufacturers over the years since include Heston-Carpenter Glass Works, Olive Glass Works, Harmony Glass Works, Temperanceville Glass Works, Whitney Brothers Glass Works, Owens Bottle Company, Owens Illinois Glass Company, and Anchor Hocking.
Rowan University, formerly Glassboro State College, was founded in 1923. The university was the site of the Glassboro Summit Conference in 1967 between U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin.
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.
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 1779, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Glassboro’s post office opened in 1822, and the census of 1880 counted 2,088 people here.
How does Glassboro rank for history?
Glassboro is more historic than 55% of U.S. towns, #276 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 Glassboro?
Three places: the Whitney Mansion (listed 1972), the St. Thomas Episcopal Church (1975) and the West Jersey Rail Road Glassboro Depot (2020).
How old are the homes in Glassboro?
6% of Glassboro’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1986.
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 (3), the Library of Congress (8), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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