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Manalapanbrook1Photo: Tinton5 · CC BY-SA 3.0
CHistory
History · Manalapan Township

1 of Manalapan Township’s places is on the National Register

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns · #419 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Manalapan Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1985. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1850.

1on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
9famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

About Manalapan Township’s history

How historic is Manalapan Township?

C

More historic than 25% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Manalapan Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Manalapan Township is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #419 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Manalapan Township’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19403.2% of homes (±2.4) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C−National Register1 listing, 2 historic buildings, 0.5 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 25%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 10%

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 Manalapan Township’s 0.5 sits below most of its state (27% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 historic buildings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±2.4 points) is firm at this size.

Founding year: our sources. 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 Manalapan Township’s past

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

Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Manalapan Township, and 12 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18887 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1981. Watch Manalapan Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

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

Englishtown
1818–today
Black Mills
1840–1894
Fennent
1879–1879
Tennent
1879–today
Elton
1892–1905
Milhurst
1894–1907
18101920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Carrs CornerClarks MillsEltonGordons CornerLafayette MillsMillhurstMonmouth Heights at ManalapanOakland MillsTaylors MillsTennentWhittier OaksYorketown

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

Help out

Start Manalapan Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Manalapan Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,00025,00030,00035,00040,00045,00018501900195020002,374 in 1860Low: 1,080

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

18 censuses, 1850–2020.

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

The story

How Manalapan Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Manalapan Township.

Read it all →

The Battle of Monmouth was fought in 1778 on land that is now part of Manalapan and Freehold townships. Monmouth Battlefield State Park occupies 2,928 acres (1,185 ha) in the two townships.

Manalapan Township was formed by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1848, from portions of Freehold Township. Englishtown was formed as a borough from portions of Manalapan on January 4, 1888, based on the results of a referendum held the previous day.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Manalapan Township in 1885

Passages that mention Manalapan Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.

Township, 1839, Black's Mills, Manalapan Township, mentioned in Manalapan boundary, 1848, in Manalapan Township, school located at, 1826, School District No. 36, Manalapan Township, post village in Manalapan Township, account of.
History of Monmouth county, New Jersey ..1885 · page 17Read the page →
Read the text

Township, 1839, Black's Mills, Manalapan Township, mentioned in Manalapan boundary, 1848, in Manalapan Township, school located at, 1826, School District No. 36, Manalapan Township, post village in Manalapan Township, account of.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Manalapan Township, 1818 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1818Post officeThe Englishtown post office opens
  3. 1840Post officeThe Black Mills post office opens
  4. 1879Post officeThe Fennent post office opens
  5. 1879Post officeThe Fennent post office closes
  6. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1894Post officeThe Black Mills post office closes
  8. 20th century
  9. 1961LandmarkMonmouth Battlefield named a National Historic Landmark
  10. 1981Born hereDylan Dreyer is born here
  11. 1989Born hereDan Smith is born here
  12. 1991Born hereRobby Andrews is born here
  13. 1992Born hereKevin Boyle is born here
  14. 21st century
  15. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 40,905
By decade

Manalapan Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map of Manalapan Township, New JerseyDate?Census Bureau map of Manalapan Township, New JerseyMap
Today16 recent
Manalapan Township, NJ Municipal Complex, March 20252025Manalapan Township, NJ Municipal Complex, March 2025Englishtown - Manalapan, NJ post office, March 20252025Englishtown - Manalapan, NJ post office, March 2025The Trammps in 20232023The Trammps in 2023Headquarters for Monmouth County Library2021Headquarters for Monmouth County LibraryFlorence LaRue and the 5th Dimension performing outdoors 20182018Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension performing outdo…Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension 20182018Florence LaRue and the 5th Dimension 2018New Jersey Flea Market 2016 20161030 1031402016New Jersey Flea Market 2016 20161030 103140Wiki knob hill2015Wiki knob hillShaari Emeth 32012Shaari Emeth 3Tommy James and the Shondells 20102010Tommy James and the Shondells 2010Sarah Partridge and Trio - talking with others - Monmouth County Library2010Sarah Partridge and Trio - talking with others - Monm…Sarah Partridge and Trio - Great Vocal Jazz at the Monmouth County Library2010Sarah Partridge and Trio - Great Vocal Jazz at the Mo…Manalapan Under the Stars 20102010Manalapan Under the Stars 2010POWMIAFlagFlying20092009POWMIAFlagFlying2009Manalapan Township, NJ, USA2009Manalapan Township, NJ, USAManalapan twp nj 0252005Manalapan twp nj 025
On the map

Manalapan Township on the map, 1888 to 1981

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

Manalapan Township on the 1888 USGS mapManalapan Township on the 1893 USGS mapManalapan Township on the 1901 USGS mapManalapan Township on the 1947 USGS mapManalapan Township on the 1953 USGS mapManalapan Township on the 1970 USGS mapManalapan Township on the 1981 USGS map1888New Brunswick 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 Manalapan Township.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Manalapan Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmark
1
Monmouth Battlefield
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Monmouth Battlefield
Monmouth Battlefield★
Districts★ landmark
★ Landmark
Monmouth BattlefieldDistrict

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

Famous people

9 famous people were born in Manalapan Township

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

See all →
Robby AndrewsAmerican distance runner · b. 1991
Dan SmithAmerican poker player · b. 1989
Dylan DreyerAmerican meteorologist · b. 1981
Kevin BoyleAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1992
Anthony FirkserAmerican football player · b. 1995
I
Ishmael HymanAmerican football wide receiver · b. 1995
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Monroe Township1 historic placeC−Millstone Township2 historic placesB−Marlboro Township2 historic placesC+Freehold Township3 historic placesB+RobertsvilleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Manalapan Township’s history

How does Manalapan Township rank for history?

Manalapan Township is more historic than 25% of U.S. towns, #419 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 Manalapan Township?

One place: the Monmouth Battlefield (listed 1966).

How old are the homes in Manalapan Township?

3% of Manalapan Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.4 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1985.

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 (17), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.