Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Lower Township

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
A−History
History · Lower Township

Lower Township dates to 1723, and 14 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #139 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Lower Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1975. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1810.

1723founded
14on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Lower Township began

When was Lower Township founded?

1723

Lower Township dates its founding to 1723 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 862 in 18102020 census: 22,057303 years

How historic is Lower Township?

A−

More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Lower Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Lower Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #139 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 Lower Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1723, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19405.5% of homes (±1.6) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register14 listings, 6.4 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 77%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 70%

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 Lower Township’s 6.4 sits near the middle of its state (62% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 14 listings outnumber those of 78% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1723.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.6 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 Lower Township’s past

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

Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Lower Township, and 20 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Lower Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18887 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Lower Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and places now gone

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Cold Spring
1802–1934
Fishing Creek
1818–1918
Erma
1893–1921
Villas
1931–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
BennettBowman ManorBuck LandingCold SpringDiamond BeachErmaErma ParkFishing CreekKimseytownMiami BeachNorth Cape MayNorth Highlands BeachSally Marshall CrossingSchellenger LandingShawcrestTabernacleTown BankVillasWeeks LandingWildwood Highlands Beach
Gone or out of use
Naval Air Station Wildwoodmilitary

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Start Lower Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lower Township’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
People over time

Lower Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00018501900195020001,865 in 1860Low: 1,096

Lost a third of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

The story

How Lower Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lower Township.

Read it all →

Before European settlement, the Kechemeche, a tribe of the Lenape Native Americans, inhabited South Jersey and traveled to the barrier islands during the summer to hunt and fish. On August 28, 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson entered the Delaware Bay and spent one day ashore, north of what is now Cape May Point. In 1630, representatives of the Dutch West India Company purchased a 16 mi2 (41 km2) tract of land along the Delaware from indigenous people, with additional land in the county acquired 11 years later. Due to the large population of whales off of the Cape May coast, Dutch explorers founded Town Bank around 1640 as a whaling village in what is now Lower Township. It was the first European settlement in Cape May County. The village later served as the county court house, along with Coxehall, built by Dr. Daniel Coxe as the center of a manorial style of government. The only surv…

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lower Township, 1723 to 2000

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1723
    FoundingLower Township is established
  3. 1727BuiltJudge Nathaniel Foster House is built
  4. 19th century
  5. 1802Post officeThe Cold Spring post office opens
  6. 1818Post officeThe Fishing Creek post office opens
  7. 1823BuiltCape May Lighthouse is built
  8. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1893Post officeThe Erma post office opens
  10. 20th century
  11. 1918Post officeThe Fishing Creek post office closes
  12. 1921Post officeThe Erma post office closes
  13. 1934Post officeThe Cold Spring post office closes
  14. 1943BuiltHangar No. 1-United States Naval Air Station Wildwood is built
  15. 1943BuiltBattery 223 is built
  16. 21st century
  17. 2000CensusPopulation peaks at 22,945
By decade

Lower Township, decade by decade

Today27 recent
Flock of gulls in Cape May (20662)2024Flock of gulls in Cape May (20662)Flock of gulls in Cape May (20657p)2024Flock of gulls in Cape May (20657p)Flock of gulls in Cape May (20615)2024Flock of gulls in Cape May (20615)Flock of gulls in Cape May (20610)2024Flock of gulls in Cape May (20610)Cape May Public Works, Water and Sewer, and Recycling Center 072023Cape May Public Works, Water and Sewer, and Recycling…Cape May Public Works, Water and Sewer, and Recycling Center 062023Cape May Public Works, Water and Sewer, and Recycling…Nature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows Preserve2021Nature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows PreserveNature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows Preserve B2021Nature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows Preserve BNature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows Preserve A2021Nature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows Preserve ALower Township direction signs2021Lower Township direction signsLower Township Public Works2021Lower Township Public WorksLower Township Public Safety Building A2021Lower Township Public Safety Building AHigbee Beach WMA sign2021Higbee Beach WMA signCavalry Church Cape May in Lower Township2021Cavalry Church Cape May in Lower TownshipLowertwpsocialservices02020Lowertwpsocialservices0FreemandouglassparkinlowertownshipNJ2020FreemandouglassparkinlowertownshipNJ2018-10-09 08 28 55 View west along the beach in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey20182018-10-09 08 28 55 View west along the beach in Cape…2018-10-09 08 25 41 View east along the beach in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey20182018-10-09 08 25 41 View east along the beach in Cape…2018-10-09 08 24 39 View south from the beach in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey20182018-10-09 08 24 39 View south from the beach in Cape…2018-10-09 08 24 05 View west along the beach in Cape May Point State Park, Lower Township, Cape May County, New Jersey20182018-10-09 08 24 05 View west along the beach in Cape…Townbank Cape May NJ Property Owners Association2016Townbank Cape May NJ Property Owners AssociationSunset over the Delaware Bay2016Sunset over the Delaware BayMiami Beach, New Jersey looking south from Miami St2016Miami Beach, New Jersey looking south from Miami StShips at Sea2012Ships at SeaOwen Coachman House2010Owen Coachman HouseLine4258 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library2008Line4258 - Flickr - NOAA Photo LibraryMap of Cape May County highlighting Lower Township2004Map of Cape May County highlighting Lower TownshipMap
On the map

Lower Township on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Lower Township on the 1888 USGS mapLower Township on the 1893 USGS mapLower Township on the 1925 USGS mapLower Township on the 1944 USGS mapLower Township on the 1954 USGS mapLower Township on the 1972 USGS mapLower Township on the 1995 USGS map1888Cape May 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 Lower Township.

On the National Register

14 historic places in Lower Township

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

places listed
14
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
14
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Cape May Lighthouse
Cape May Lighthouse, built 1823Fishing Creek SchoolhouseCold Spring Presbyterian ChurchJonathan Pyne HouseHangar No. 1-United States Naval Air Station Wildwood, built 1943Cold Spring Grange HallGeorge Hildreth HouseTBM-3E "Avenger" Torpedo Bomber WarplaneFire Control Tower No. 23Owen Coachman HouseRio Grande StationOctagonal Poultry HouseBattery 223, built 1943Judge Nathaniel Foster House, built 1727
BuildingsStructures
Cape May LighthouseBuilt 1823
Fishing Creek SchoolhouseBuilding
Cold Spring Presbyterian ChurchBuilding
Jonathan Pyne HouseBuilding
Hangar No. 1-United States Naval Air Station WildwoodBuilt 1943
Cold Spring Grange HallBuilding
George Hildreth HouseBuilding
TBM-3E "Avenger" Torpedo Bomber WarplaneStructure
All 14 listings
Fire Control Tower No. 23Building · listed 2003Owen Coachman HouseBuilding · listed 2005Rio Grande StationBuilding · listed 2007Octagonal Poultry HouseBuilding · listed 2008Battery 223Building · listed 2008Judge Nathaniel Foster HouseBuilding · listed 2014

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Lower Township

Nobody well known was born in Lower Township itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Paul VolckerAmerican economist · b. 1927
Gregory Goodwin PincusAmerican biochemist · b. 1903
Frank VogelAmerican basketball coach · b. 1973
Stedman GrahamAmerican educator and businessman · b. 1951
Frederick B. DentAmerican politician · b. 1922
Daniel RodneyAmerican politician · b. 1764
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Cape May1 historic placeA−Villas2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMiddle Township7 historic placesB+North Cape MayIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWildwood Crest1 historic placeC+West Cape May1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCape May Point1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWildwood4 historic placesADiamond BeachIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lower Township’s history

What year was Lower Township founded?

In 1723, according to Wikidata. Lower Township’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1810 counted 862 people here.

How does Lower Township rank for history?

Lower Township is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #139 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 Lower Township?

14 listings: 12 buildings and 2 structures.

How old are the homes in Lower Township?

6% of Lower Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.6 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1975.

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 (27), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (14), 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.