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BHistory
History · Haledon

Haledon’s post office opened in 1879, and 29% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 63% of U.S. towns · #236 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Pietro Botto House, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1910.

1879first post office
2on the National Register
29%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Haledon began

When was Haledon founded?

1879

The Haledon post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1908.

First census: 2,560 in 19102020 census: 9,052147 years

How historic is Haledon?

B

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

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Haledon post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1908.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Haledon’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Haledon is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #236 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Haledon’s overall grade.
Founding era1879, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194029.3% of homes (±8.3) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 2.2 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 63%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 50%

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 Haledon’s 2.2 sits near the middle of its state (42% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±8.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1908.

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 Haledon’s 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.On the map since 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Haledon change.A National Historic Landmark2 places on the National Register, including Pietro Botto House, a National Historic Landmark.Old housesHalf of Haledon’s homes were built before 1963.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Haledon’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Haledon on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Haledon on the 1888 USGS mapHaledon on the 1892 USGS mapHaledon on the 1900 USGS mapHaledon on the 1938 USGS mapHaledon on the 1955 USGS mapHaledon on the 1970 USGS mapHaledon on the 1981 USGS mapHaledon on the 1995 USGS map1888Paterson 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 Haledon.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Haledon

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmark
1
Pietro Botto House
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Pietro Botto House
Kossuth Street SchoolPietro Botto House★
Buildings★ landmark
★ Landmark
Pietro Botto HouseBuilding
Kossuth Street SchoolBuilding

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

The story

How Haledon came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Haledon.

Read it all →

Haledon developed along the northern side of the industrial city of Paterson. It was settled by farmers with colonial Dutch heritage including the Van Riper, Berdan, Banta, Post and Zabriskie families. Prior to the Civil War they were joined by the Roe, Leonhard and Stansfield families, who helped establish St. Mary's Episcopal Church and leading businesses including a general store and the Leonhard Wax Company.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Haledon, 1879 to 1982

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1879Post officeThe Haledon post office opens
  3. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 1899Born hereBennie Borgmann is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1903Post officeThe Haledon post office closes
  7. 1905Born hereEvelyn Reed is born here
  8. 1982LandmarkPietro Botto House named a National Historic Landmark
By decade

Haledon, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map ofDate?Census Bureau map ofMap
Today3 recent
Camp Veritans entrance, Haledon, NJ, Jan. 20252025Camp Veritans entrance, Haledon, NJ, Jan. 2025Kossuth Street School2011Kossuth Street SchoolHaledon nj2005Haledon nj
People over time

Haledon, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,0001920194019601980200020209,052

Grew from 2,560 people in 1910 to 9,052 in 2020, 3 times over.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Haledon

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

See all →
E
Evelyn ReedAmerican activist · b. 1905
B
Bennie BorgmannAmerican basketball player · b. 1899
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Haledon had its own post office from 1879 to 1903.

Haledon
1879–1903
18701950today
Gone or out of use
Kossuth Street Schoolschool

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.

Paterson19 historic placesA+Wayne Township4 historic placesC−Prospect ParkIts storyC+Preakness1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townTotowa1 historic placeCNorth HaledonIts storyC−William Paterson University of New Jersey1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Haledon’s history

What year was Haledon founded?

The Haledon post office opened in 1879, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1908.

How does Haledon rank for history?

Haledon is more historic than 63% of U.S. towns, #236 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 Haledon?

Two places: the Pietro Botto House (listed 1974) and the Kossuth Street School (1980).

How old are the homes in Haledon?

29% of Haledon’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1963.

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 (4), 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.