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History · Long Valley

Long Valley’s post office opened in 1918, and 23% of its homes were built before 1940

5 places in town are on the National Register.

1918first post office
5on the National Register
23%homes built before 1940
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Long Valley began

When was Long Valley founded?

1918

The Long Valley post office opened in 1918, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,827108 years
Founding year: the first Long Valley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Long Valley’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Long Valley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Landmarks on the Register5 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Long Valley’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

5 listings protect 83 historic buildings

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

places listed
5
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
83
each building in a district counts

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

The story

How Long Valley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Long Valley.

Read it all →

In 1705, a number of German Reformed, residing between Wolfenbüttel and Halberstadt, fled to Neuwied, a town of Rhenish Prussia, where they remained for two years before proceeding on to Holland. In 1707, they embarked for the British colony of New York. Before arriving, their ship was blown off-course to the south, where they were carried into Delaware Bay and landed in Philadelphia. From there, they embarked by land eastward to what became known as the "German Valley" in what was then called "Nova Caesaria" (New Jersey), located in today's Morris County.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Long Valley, 1909 to 1992

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

  1. 20th century
  2. 1909Born hereEdward C. Welsh is born here
  3. 1912Born hereWalt Ader is born here
  4. 1954Born hereLinda Chatman Thomsen is born here
  5. 1992Born hereMichael Burton is born here
By decade

Long Valley, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Palmer Playground2009Palmer PlaygroundCpl. Jamie Smith Memorial2009Cpl. Jamie Smith MemorialCataract Park - Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey2009Cataract Park - Schooley's Mountain, New JerseyTRIMMER-DUFFORD FARMSTEAD2007TRIMMER-DUFFORD FARMSTEADCounty Route 517 - New Jersey2007County Route 517 - New JerseyLong valley cdp nj 0272005Long valley cdp nj 027
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Long Valley

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

See all →
W
Walt AderRacecar driver · b. 1912
Linda Chatman ThomsenAmerican bureaucrat · b. 1954
Michael BurtonAmerican football player · b. 1992
Edward C. WelshExecutive Secretary to the National Aeronautics… · b. 1909

Questions about Long Valley’s history

What year was Long Valley founded?

The Long Valley post office opened in 1918, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia and Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.