On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lawrence Township is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #368 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C+
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 0.0 sits below most of its state (12% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1885.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to B−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.5 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 Lawrence Township’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 Lawrence Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Bridgeton 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.
The story so far
Lawrence Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lawrence Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Lawrence Township is a township in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Vineland-Bridgeton metropolitan statistical area for statistical purposes. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 3,087, a decrease of 203 (−6.2%) from the 2010 census count of 3,290, which in turn reflected an increase of 569 (+20.9%) from the 2,721 counted in the 2000 census. Lawrence Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1885, from portions of Fairfield Township. The township was named in honor of Captain James Lawrence—commander of the frigate USS Chesapeake and one of the naval heroes of the War of…
Lawrence Township was established in 1885. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,290 to 3,087 (-6%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Lawrence Township, 1805 to 1890
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born 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 1885, according to Wikidata. Lawrence Township’s post office opened in 1805, and the census of 1890 counted 1,729 people here.
How does Lawrence Township rank for history?
Lawrence Township is more historic than 37% of U.S. towns, #368 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.
How old are the homes in Lawrence Township?
20% of Lawrence Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.5 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1977.
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), 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.
1880
1880
2024
2024
2004
