Mendham’s post office opened in 1804, and 17% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 90% of U.S. towns · #62 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 208 buildings. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1910.
Founding year: the first Mendham post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Mendham’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mendham is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #62 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mendham’s overall grade.
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 Mendham’s 428 sits above most of its state (94% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 213 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Mendham’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Mendham Borough was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 15, 1906, from portions of Mendham Township, because residents of what became the borough wanted sidewalks and street lights constructed while those that lived in what remained the township (including the communities of Brookside and Ralston) felt it was cost prohibitive in their more rural areas.
The formation of Mendham Borough from Mendham Township in 1906 began a series of new municipalities that were created in the Somerset Hills region.
Passages that mention Mendham, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 19Read the page →
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In 1 7 13 James Wills, an Englishman, bought of the proprietors of East Jersey a large tract of land of what is now called Ralstonville, west of Mendham, and the actual settlement of the Mendham neighborhood probably soon followed. In the same year the site of the village of Chester is said to have been laid out in lots for settlement.
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History of Morris County, New Jersey1882 · page 213Read the page →
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Black River were Presbyterians from Easthampton, Long Island. Previous to 1740 a Presbyterian house of worship had been erected between Black River and Mendham, one and one half miles west of Mendham. In 1745 the church building was erected in Mendham village, and the Presbyterians of Black River soon after were organized into a church, under the name of the First Presbyterian Congregation of Roxbury, and erected an edifice
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A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 152Read the page →
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best townships in Morris county. But with the decline of iron ore mining, the closing down of its furnaces and forges, and the setting off of the town of Dover and borough of Wharton, much of its glory departed. It is located in the central part of the county ; was erected from Mendham township in 1805, and named in honor of Hartshorn Fitz Randolph, an eminent citizen of the township. The Morris canal passes through the township, as does the D., L. & W. railroad, and the High Bridge branch of the Central railroad of New Jersey. The country is uneven and hilly, the soil not
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A history of Morris County, New Jersey1914 · page 243Read the page →
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The parish was unable to support a pastor for several years, priests from Madison supplying them with religious services. Finally a priest was stationed there, also having charge of the churches at Mendham and Baskingridge. In 1871 the congregation had grown so large that these churches were given to others and Father James Sheeran was appointed to the sole care of the parish. The wooden church was converted into a school room, when the present church was erected in 1872 at a cost of $40,000. The parish members maintain a parish school and all the institutions of the
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
Mendham, 1758 to 1986
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
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 year, then a sheet.
The Mendham post office opened in 1804, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Mendham rank for history?
Mendham is more historic than 90% of U.S. towns, #62 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 Mendham?
Three places: the David Thompson House (listed 1973), the Stephen Cary House (1989) and the Mendham Historic District (1985).
How old are the homes in Mendham?
17% of Mendham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 (7), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) 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.
1986
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2018
2014