Monroe Township dates to 1859, and 3 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 31% of U.S. towns · #401 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Monroe Township was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Its Register listings are the Free Library and Reading Room-Williamstown Memorial Library, the Hall Street School and the Downer Methodist Episcopal Church. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1860.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Monroe Township is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #401 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 Monroe Township’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 Monroe Township’s 0.8 sits below most of its state (30% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1859.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 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 Monroe Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Monroe Township on the map, 1890 to 1981
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Monroe Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Hammonton 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 Monroe Township.
The story so far
Monroe Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Monroe Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Monroe Township is a township in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 37,117, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 988 (+2.7%) from the 36,129 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 7,162 (+24.7%) from the 28,967 counted in the 2000 census. The township is part of the South Jersey region of the state and a suburb of Philadelphia, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Monroe Township was originally formed as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 3, 1859, from portions of Washington Township while the area was still part of Camden County. Mon…
Monroe Township was established in 1859. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 36,129 to 37,117 (+3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Monroe Township, 1850 to 1936
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.
In 1859, according to Wikidata. Monroe Township’s post office opened in 1855, and the census of 1860 counted 1,417 people here.
How does Monroe Township rank for history?
Monroe Township is more historic than 31% of U.S. towns, #401 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 Monroe Township?
Three places: the Free Library and Reading Room-Williamstown Memorial Library (listed 1987), the Hall Street School (2006) and the Downer Methodist Episcopal Church (2010).
How old are the homes in Monroe Township?
5% of Monroe Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1986.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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.
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