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A+History
History · Milford

Milford’s post office opened in 1817, and 38% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns. What drives it

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 253 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1920.

1817first post office
1on the National Register
38%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Milford began

When was Milford founded?

1817

The Milford post office opened in 1817, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1911.

First census: 656 in 19202020 census: 1,232209 years

How historic is Milford?

A+

More historic than 98% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Milford post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1911.
History grade

What drives Milford’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Milford is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its age lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Milford’s overall grade.
Founding era1817, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194037.9% of homes (±10.1) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register1 listing, 253 historic buildings, 2,170 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 98%
NewerOlder

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 Milford’s 2,170 sits above most of its state (100% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 253 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 (±10.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1911.

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 Milford’s past

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

A historic districtThe Milford Historic District takes in 253 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1994. Watch Milford change.Mapped building by building3 fire insurance maps, 1897 to 1912, drew every building in Milford.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 253 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
253
each building in a district counts
first listed
2025
Milford Historic District
Milford Historic District
Districts
Milford Historic DistrictDistrict

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

Help out

Start Milford’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Milford’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
On the map

Milford on the map, 1890 to 1994

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

Milford on the 1890 USGS mapMilford on the 1932 USGS mapMilford on the 1943 USGS mapMilford on the 1953 USGS mapMilford on the 1970 USGS mapMilford on the 1994 USGS map1890Easton 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 Milford.

The story so far

Milford, in brief

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

Milford is a borough located in western Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 1,232, a decrease of one person (−0.1%) from the 2010 census count of 1,233, which in turn reflected an increase of 38 (+3.2%) from the 1,195 counted in the 2000 census. Milford was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 15, 1911, from portions of Holland Township, based on the results of a referendum held on May 8, 1911. The borough's incorporation was confirmed on March 13, 1925. The borough is located on the Delaware River in the western portion of Hunterdon County, known as the Hunterdon Plateau. …

Its first post office opened in 1817. Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 1,233 in 2010, 1,232 in 2020.

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

Timeline

Milford, 1817 to 1890

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1817Post officeThe Milford post office opens
  3. 1830Born hereGeorge C. Ludlow is born here
  4. 1839Born hereJohn L. Gihon is born here
  5. 1841Born hereGeorge V. Forman is born here
  6. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Milford, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map ofDate?Census Bureau map ofMap
Today8 recent
St. Edward the Confessor Roman Catholic Church, Milford, NJ, May 20252025St. Edward the Confessor Roman Catholic Church, Milfo…Milford, NJ Borough Hall, May 20252025Milford, NJ Borough Hall, May 2025Milford, NJ public library, Nov. 20242024Milford, NJ public library, Nov. 2024Milford, NJ fire department, Nov. 20242024Milford, NJ fire department, Nov. 2024Milford, NJ Presbyterian Church, Nov. 20242024Milford, NJ Presbyterian Church, Nov. 2024Hakihokake Creek2017Hakihokake CreekMilford, NJ 08848, USA2013Milford, NJ 08848, USAMilford 019 nj2005Milford 019 nj
Every building

Milford, building by building, 1897–1912

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.

Milford fire insurance map, 1897, sheet 11897Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

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

People over time

Milford, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,400192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,368

Between 656 and 1,368 people in every census since 1920.

11 censuses, 1920–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Milford

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

See all →
George C. LudlowAmerican politician · b. 1830
George V. FormanAmerican lawyer · b. 1841
J
John L. GihonAmerican photographer · b. 1839
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Holland Township4 historic placesB+Alexandria Township5 historic placesA+

Questions about Milford’s history

What year was Milford founded?

The Milford post office opened in 1817, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1911.

How does Milford rank for history?

Milford is more historic than 98% of U.S. towns. 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 Milford?

One place: the Milford Historic District (listed 2025).

How old are the homes in Milford?

38% of Milford’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±10.1 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1953.

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 (9), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 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.