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B+History
History · Middle Township

Middle Township dates to 1723, and 7 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns · #159 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Middle Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1810.

1723founded
7on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Middle Township began

When was Middle Township founded?

1723

Middle Township dates its founding to 1723 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 1,106 in 18102020 census: 20,380303 years

How historic is Middle Township?

B+

More historic than 73% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Middle Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middle Township is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #159 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middle Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1723, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19405.3% of homes (±1.8) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%CNational Register7 listings, 8 historic buildings, 3.9 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 73%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 66%

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 Middle Township’s 3.9 sits near the middle of its state (51% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1723.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.8 points) is firm at this size.

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 Middle Township’s past

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

Lost villages7 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Middle Township, and 29 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.On the map since 18886 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1972. Watch Middle Township change.Older than the countryEstablished in 1723, 53 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

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

Cape May Court House
1802–today
Goshen
1818–today
Dias Creek
1824–1924
Townsend
1826–1827
Green Creek
1829–today
Rio Grande
1849–today
Burleigh
1886–1909
Swainton
1896–1919
Pierces
1897–1916
Grassy Sound
1902–1935
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Bennys LandingBurleighCape May Court HouseDel HavenDias CreekGoshenGoshen CrossingGrassy SoundGreen CreekHighs BeachKimbles BeachKing Crab LandingMarlyn ManorMayvilleNorburys LandingNummytownPiercesPierces PointPotato IslandReeds BeachRio GrandeScotch BonnetShellbed LandingStone Harbor Manor
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Middle Township
Cape May County Veteran'sFairview MemorialGoshen MethodistJohn Wesley

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

Help out

Start Middle Township’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDETAIL, EAST FRONT, ENTRANCE, FROM THE …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Middle Township on the map, 1888 to 1972

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

Middle Township on the 1888 USGS mapMiddle Township on the 1894 USGS mapMiddle Township on the 1919 USGS mapMiddle Township on the 1944 USGS mapMiddle Township on the 1955 USGS mapMiddle Township on the 1972 USGS map1888Dennisville 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 Middle Township.

The story

How Middle Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Middle Township.

Read it all →

Middle Township was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723, and was incorporated by Township Act of 1798 of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798 as one of New Jersey's initial group of 104 townships. Portions of the township have been taken to form Anglesea Borough (on June 13, 1885; now North Wildwood), Avalon (April 18, 1892), Wildwood (May 1, 1895), Stone Harbor (April 3, 1914) and West Wildwood (April 21, 1920). The township's name came from its location when Cape May was split into three townships in 1723 at the same time that Lower Township and Upper Township were created.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Middle Township, 1723 to 1958

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1723
    FoundingMiddle Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1802Post officeThe Cape May Court House post office opens
  5. 1818Post officeThe Goshen post office opens
  6. 1824Post officeThe Dias Creek post office opens
  7. 1850BuiltOld Cape May County Courthouse Building is built
  8. 1872BuiltGoshen School is built
  9. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  10. 20th century
  11. 1924Post officeThe Dias Creek post office closes
  12. 1933In the archiveDETAIL, EAST FRONT, ENTRANCE, FROM THE NORTHEAST - James Ludlam House, Delsea Drive (Stat…
  13. 1958Born hereCalvin Murray is born here
By decade

Middle Township, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s2 items
DETAIL, EAST FRONT, ENTRANCE, FROM THE NORTHEAST - James Ludlam House, Delsea Drive (State Route 47), Goshen, Cape May …1933DETAIL, EAST FRONT, ENTRANCE, FROM THE NORTHEAST - Ja…EAST FRONT FROM THE SOUTH EAST - James Ludlam House, Delsea Drive (State Route 47), Goshen, Cape May County, NJ1933EAST FRONT FROM THE SOUTH EAST - James Ludlam House, …
1940s–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
Today14 recent
NJ Department of Children and Families Rio Grande2020NJ Department of Children and Families Rio Grande2020-07-11 12 37 57 Tidal salt marsh southeast of the New Jersey State Route 444 (Garden State Parkway) and southwest o…20202020-07-11 12 37 57 Tidal salt marsh southeast of the…Middle Township Police CMCH NJ2017Middle Township Police CMCH NJMiddle Township Municipal Building CMCH NJ2017Middle Township Municipal Building CMCH NJRubber-tracked dump truck hauls sand at Kimbles Beach2014Rubber-tracked dump truck hauls sand at Kimbles BeachBeesley House 18702010Beesley House 1870Red-Shouldered Hawk2008Red-Shouldered HawkNJ Transit bus 7998 US 9 Rio Grande2008NJ Transit bus 7998 US 9 Rio GrandeStarling scares ratsnake from nest2007Starling scares ratsnake from nestRed-Breasted Nuthatch2007Red-Breasted NuthatchRed-Bellied Woodpecker2007Red-Bellied WoodpeckerRed-Bellied Woodpecker2007Red-Bellied WoodpeckerGulls, Red Knots and Ruddy Turnstones2004Gulls, Red Knots and Ruddy TurnstonesMap of Cape May County highlighting2004Map of Cape May County highlightingMap
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.

DETAIL, EAST FRONT, ENTRANCE, FROM THE NORTHEAST - James Ludlam House, Delsea Drive (State Route 47), Goshen, Cape May …
Retake this viewDETAIL, EAST FRONT, ENTRANCE, FROM THE NORTHEAST - James Ludlam House, Delsea Drive (State Route 47), Goshen, Cape May …, 1933

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

7 historic places in Middle Township

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
8
each building in a district counts
first listed
1980
New Asbury Methodist Episcopal Meetinghouse
New Asbury Methodist Episcopal MeetinghouseOld Cape May County Courthouse Building, built 1850Thomas Leaming HouseThomas Beesley Jr. HouseGoshen School, built 1872Cresse-Holmes House Historic DistrictColonial Knitting Mills
Buildings
New Asbury Methodist Episcopal MeetinghouseBuilding
Old Cape May County Courthouse BuildingBuilt 1850
Thomas Leaming HouseBuilding
Thomas Beesley Jr. HouseBuilding
Goshen SchoolBuilt 1872
Cresse-Holmes House Historic DistrictBuilding
Colonial Knitting MillsBuilding

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

People over time

Middle Township, census by census

05,00010,00015,00020,000185019001950200020,380

Grew from 1,106 people in 1810 to 20,380 in 2020, more than tenfold.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Dennis Township5 historic placesAAvalon1 historic placeB+North Wildwood2 historic placesB−South Dennis2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLower Township14 historic placesA−Villas2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWest WildwoodIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStone Harbor2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWildwood4 historic placesASea Isle CityIts storyC−

Questions about Middle Township’s history

What year was Middle Township founded?

In 1723, according to Wikidata. Middle Township’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1810 counted 1,106 people here.

How does Middle Township rank for history?

Middle Township is more historic than 73% of U.S. towns, #159 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 Middle Township?

7 listings: 7 buildings, among them the New Asbury Methodist Episcopal Meetinghouse (listed 1980, the first). 8 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Middle Township?

5% of Middle Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.8 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1986.

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 (16), Wikidata (2), the National Register of Historic Places (7), 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) 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.