Lawrence Township dates to 1697, and 8 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 85% of U.S. towns · #89 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
8 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Lawrenceville School, a National Historic Landmark, and two historic districts with 58 buildings between them. Most of Lawrence Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1827.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Lawrence Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lawrence Township is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #89 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Lawrence 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 Lawrence Township’s 21.0 sits above most of its state (75% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 68 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1697.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.
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 Lawrence Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Lawrenceville
1827–1966
Port Mercer
1849–1910
Baker's Basin
1858–1870
Lawrence Station
1870–1908
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BakersvilleClarksvilleColonial Lake LandsEldridge ParkFranklin CornerHarneys CornerLawrenceLawrencevilleLewisvillePort MercerPrincessvilleRosedaleSlackwoodsSturwood Hamlet
Gone or out of use
Rosedale Chapelchurch
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lawrence Township
LawrencevilleMorris Hall
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Help out
Start Lawrence Township’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lawrence Township’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
What is now Lawrence Township was originally formed as Maidenhead Township on February 20, 1697, while the area was still part of Burlington County in West Jersey on the eastern boundary of the Province Line (on the other side of which was East Jersey). The township was named by the early Quaker settlers after Maidenhead, a Thames River village west of London.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lawrence Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Princeton 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 Lawrence Township.
On the National Register
8 listings protect 68 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.
In 1697, according to Wikidata. Lawrence Township’s post office opened in 1827, and the first U.S. census counted 1,032 people here in 1790.
How does Lawrence Township rank for history?
Lawrence Township is more historic than 85% of U.S. towns, #89 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 Lawrence Township?
8 listings: 6 buildings and 2 historic districts, the Lawrenceville School and the Lawrence Township Historic District, with 58 contributing buildings. 68 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Lawrence Township?
8% of Lawrence Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1979.
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 (6), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, 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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