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History · Lyons

Lyons’ post office opened in 1873, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Lyons was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1984. Below: maps from 1891 on.

1873first post office
2on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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Photo: Zeete · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Lyons began

When was Lyons founded?

1873

The Lyons post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 5,345153 years
Founding year: the first Lyons post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Lyons’ 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 Lyons are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18916 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1981. Watch Lyons change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lyons’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Lyons on the map, 1891 to 1981

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

Lyons on the 1891 USGS mapLyons on the 1905 USGS mapLyons on the 1947 USGS mapLyons on the 1954 USGS mapLyons on the 1970 USGS mapLyons on the 1981 USGS map1891Somerville 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 Lyons.

The story

How Lyons came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lyons.

Read it all →

The area called Lyons is remembered for the David Lyon farm which was a large part of the area.

Lyons Depot - This one-story Tudor Revival and Mission Revival style structure was built in 1931. It is faced with stucco and brick and has limestone trim with carved rosette ornamentation at the gable ends. It was designed by Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W) architect D.T. Mack or one of his staff. It was built largely to accommodate the growing number of visitors to Veterans Hospital. It was the last station built on the Gladstone Branch. Is now owned by Bernards Township.

Lyons Train Station state and national historic registry - NR 6-22-84 SR 3-17-84

Groundbreaking started on the Lyons VA Hospital on July 11, 1929.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Lyons, decade by decade

Today1 recent
07930 Zip Code Lyons NJ2202107930 Zip Code Lyons NJ2
On the National Register

2 listings protect 32 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
32
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Lyons

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

See all →
Laura PreponAmerican actress and director · b. 1980
John DiMaggioAmerican actor · b. 1968
M
Molly PriceAmerican actress · b. 1966
Casey MurphyAmerican soccer player · b. 1996
B
Bernice LappAmerican swimmer, Olympic bronze medalist · b. 1917
Samuel Lewis SouthardAmerican senator, Secretary of the Navy, and Go… · b. 1787
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Millington3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBernards Township11 historic placesA−Long Hill Township3 historic placesBLiberty Corner1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBasking Ridge6 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lyons’ history

What year was Lyons founded?

The Lyons post office opened in 1873, 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 (1), Wikipedia and U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.