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AHistory
History · Mansfield Township

Mansfield Township dates to 1754, and 5 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns · #75 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Mansfield Township was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. 5 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 122 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1810.

1754founded
5on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Mansfield Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Mansfield Township began

When was Mansfield Township founded?

1754

Mansfield Township dates its founding to 1754 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 2,058 in 18102020 census: 7,781272 years

How historic is Mansfield Township?

A

More historic than 88% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1821.
History grade

What drives Mansfield Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mansfield Township is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Mansfield Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1754, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19407.4% of homes (±4.2) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register5 listings, 125 historic buildings, 161 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 88%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 84%

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 Mansfield Township’s 161 sits above most of its state (89% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 125 historic buildings outnumber those of 91% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1754.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points).

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 Mansfield Township’s past

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

Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Mansfield Township, and 6 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1830 and 1920, then grew 6-fold.On the map since 18886 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1971. Watch Mansfield Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

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

Anderson
1821–1905
Beatyestown
1840–1931
Karrsville
1855–1901
Mount Bethel
1855–1869
Port Murry
1867–today
Rockport
1887–1907
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AndersonBeattystownKarrsvilleMount BethelPort MurrayRockport

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

Help out

Start Mansfield Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewSummer 1980, Easter Seals Camp Merry He…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Mansfield Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00018501900195020003,310 in 1830Low: 1,133

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1830 and 1920, then grew 6-fold.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

The story so far

Mansfield Township, in brief

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

Mansfield Township is a township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 7,781, its highest decennial census count ever, and an increase of 56 (+0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 7,725, which in turn reflected an increase of 1,072 (+16.1%) from the 6,653 counted in the 2000 census. What is now Mansfield Township was formed on May 30, 1754, as Mansfield-Woodhouse Township from portions of Greenwich Township, while the area was still part of Sussex County, and was incorporated as Mansfield Township on February 21, 1798, as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature. …

Mansfield Township was established in 1754. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 7,725 in 2010, 7,781 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Mansfield Township, 1754 to 2020

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1754
    FoundingMansfield Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1821Post officeThe Anderson post office opens
  5. 1840Post officeThe Beatyestown post office opens
  6. 1855Post officeThe Karrsville post office opens
  7. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 20th century
  9. 1901Post officeThe Karrsville post office closes
  10. 1905Post officeThe Anderson post office closes
  11. 1931Post officeThe Beatyestown post office closes
  12. 1980In the archiveSummer 1980, Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart
  13. 21st century
  14. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 7,781
By decade

Mansfield Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s1 item
Summer 1980, Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart1980Summer 1980, Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map of Mansfield Township, Warren County, New JerseyDate?Census Bureau map of Mansfield Township, Warren Count…Map
Today10 recent
Farm and hills from Warren CR 628, Mansfield Township, NJ, Dec. 20252025Farm and hills from Warren CR 628, Mansfield Township…Butler Park, NJ Fire Company, Dec. 20252025Butler Park, NJ Fire Company, Dec. 20252022-09-11 19 22 20 View of sunset over Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey, viewed from an airplane heading …20222022-09-11 19 22 20 View of sunset over Mansfield Tow…Summer Camp - panoramio (1)2013Summer Camp - panoramio (1)Warren County, New Jersey2012Warren County, New JerseyWarren County, New Jersey2012Warren County, New JerseyWarren County, New Jersey2012Warren County, New JerseyWarren County, New Jersey2012Warren County, New JerseyMansfield twp nj2011Mansfield twp njPERRY-PETTY FARMSTEAD, WARREN COUNTY, NJ2007PERRY-PETTY FARMSTEAD, WARREN COUNTY, NJ
On the map

Mansfield Township on the map, 1888 to 1971

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

Mansfield Township on the 1888 USGS mapMansfield Township on the 1894 USGS mapMansfield Township on the 1905 USGS mapMansfield Township on the 1943 USGS mapMansfield Township on the 1954 USGS mapMansfield Township on the 1971 USGS map1888Hackettstown 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 Mansfield Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Summer 1980, Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart
Retake this viewSummer 1980, Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart, 1980

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Mansfield Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

5 listings protect 125 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
125
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
Mount Bethel Methodist Church
Mount Bethel Methodist ChurchMiller FarmsteadBeattystownPort Murray Historic DistrictPerry-Petty Farmstead
BuildingsDistricts
Mount Bethel Methodist ChurchBuilding
Miller FarmsteadDistrict
BeattystownDistrict
Port Murray Historic DistrictDistrict
Perry-Petty FarmsteadBuilding

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Mansfield Township

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

See all →
Jimmi SimpsonAmerican film and television actor · b. 1975
Eric MilleganAmerican actor · b. 1974
W
Walt AderRacecar driver · b. 1912
Chris WyldeAmerican actor · b. 1976
Ernest SchellingAmerican conductor · b. 1876
M
Michele Mary SmithSoftball player · b. 1967
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Beattystown1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWashington Township13 historic placesA−Lebanon Township2 historic placesB−Hackettstown3 historic placesA−Washington Township4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townAndersonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townIndependence Township1 historic placeA−Oxford Township3 historic placesALiberty TownshipIts storyC−

Questions about Mansfield Township’s history

What year was Mansfield Township founded?

In 1754, according to Wikidata. Mansfield Township’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1810 counted 2,058 people here.

How does Mansfield Township rank for history?

Mansfield Township is more historic than 88% of U.S. towns, #75 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 Mansfield Township?

5 listings: 2 buildings, among them the Mount Bethel Methodist Church (listed 1980, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Miller Farmstead, the Beattystown and the Port Murray Historic District, with 122 contributing buildings. 125 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Mansfield Township?

7% of Mansfield Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1981.

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 (12), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (5), 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.