Montville Township’s post office opened in 1827, and 11 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #211 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Montville Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1870.
From Montville Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Montville Township began
When was Montville Township founded?
1827
The Montville Township post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name. Two smaller post offices, Whitehall (1871) and Glenview (1887), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,403 in 18702020 census: 22,450199 years
How historic is Montville Township?
B+
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Montville Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Montville Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Montville Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #211 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 Montville 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 Montville Township’s 5.7 sits near the middle of its state (60% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 13 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
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. 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 Montville Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Montville Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Morristown 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 Montville Township.
Places that used to be
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Two other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Over 10,000 years ago, the area was part of the Lenapehoking. It was originally settled by the Lenape tribes of the Munsee dialect. The Lenape tribes maintained peace and no significant battles were recorded in the area.
On October 12, the Morris County Parks Commission holds Lenape Day at the Great Swamp to celebrate the culture and history of Ramapough Lenape people.
Dutch farmers from New Amsterdam (now part of New York City) entered the area in 1710. As part of New Netherland, the town was originally called "Uyle-Kill" (the Dutch spelling of "Owl-Kill"), a name given to the creek and valley, which ran through the area.
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.
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.
The Montville Township post office opened in 1827, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Montville Township rank for history?
Montville Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #211 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 Montville Township?
11 listings: 11 buildings, among them the Doremus House (listed 1972, the first). 13 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Montville Township?
6% of Montville 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 1979.
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 (10), the Library of Congress (6), Wikidata (8), the National Register of Historic Places (11), 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.
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1915
2022
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2019
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2005