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History · Manahawkin

Manahawkin’s post office opened in 1819, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Manahawkin was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: maps from 1888 on and the census since 1970.

1819first post office
2on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: LancerE · CC BY 2.0
Quick answers

How Manahawkin began

When was Manahawkin founded?

1819

The Manahawkin post office opened in 1819, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,278 in 19702020 census: 2,413207 years
Founding year: the first Manahawkin post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Manahawkin’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 Manahawkin are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18885 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1972. Watch Manahawkin change.Deep rootsA post office since 1819: 207 years of Manahawkin.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Manahawkin’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Manahawkin’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 map

Manahawkin on the map, 1888 to 1972

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

Manahawkin on the 1888 USGS mapManahawkin on the 1893 USGS mapManahawkin on the 1941 USGS mapManahawkin on the 1952 USGS mapManahawkin on the 1972 USGS map1888Long Beach 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 Manahawkin.

Timeline

Manahawkin, 1888 to 1994

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1984Born hereClark Harris is born here
  5. 1990Born hereGlenn Carson is born here
  6. 1994Born hereEthan Vanacore-Decker is born here
The story so far

Manahawkin, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Manahawkin yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Manahawkin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Stafford Township, in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the CDP's population was 2,413, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 110 (+4.8%) from the 2,303 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn had reflected an increase of 299 (+14.9%) from the 2,004 counted at the 2000 census. Manahawkin has been thought to be a Lenape word meaning "land of good corn", although this has been disputed by recent scholars claiming that it translates to "fertile land sloping into the water." Manahawkin is the gateway to the resort communities on Long Beach…

Its first post office opened in 1819. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,303 to 2,413 (+5%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Manahawkin, decade by decade

Today6 recent
Manahawkin Baptist Church plaque2012Manahawkin Baptist Church plaqueManahawkin Baptist Church front2012Manahawkin Baptist Church frontCavalry Cottage2012Cavalry CottageCavalry Cottage interior2012Cavalry Cottage interiorStafford performing arts center2009Stafford performing arts centerManahawkinTarget2008ManahawkinTarget
Every building

Manahawkin, building by building, 1918

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Manahawkin fire insurance map, 1918, sheet 11918Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Manahawkin

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

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

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

People over time

Manahawkin, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,500198020002020Peak: 2,413

Between 1,278 and 2,413 people in every census since 1970.

6 censuses, 1970–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Manahawkin

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

See all →
Clark HarrisPlayer of American football · b. 1984
Glenn CarsonAmerican football player · b. 1990
E
Ethan Vanacore-DeckerAmerican soccer player · b. 1994
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Beach Haven WestIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Manahawkin’s history

What year was Manahawkin founded?

The Manahawkin post office opened in 1819, 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 →
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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.