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A−History
History · Mountain Lakes

Mountain Lakes’ post office opened in 1914, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns · #128 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 738 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1930.

1914first post office
2on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Mountain Lakes began

When was Mountain Lakes founded?

1914

The Mountain Lakes post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1924.

First census: 2,132 in 19302020 census: 4,472112 years

How historic is Mountain Lakes?

A−

More historic than 78% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Mountain Lakes post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1924.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Mountain Lakes’ History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Mountain Lakes is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #128 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Mountain Lakes’ overall grade.
Founding era1914, from the first post office: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 194038.9% of homes (±8.2) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%ANational Register2 listings, 739 historic buildings, 1,612 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 78%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 73%

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 Mountain Lakes’ 1,612 sits above most of its state (98% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 739 historic buildings outnumber those of 98% 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 is a Census survey estimate (±8.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata’s 1924 falls in the same era, so the grade doesn’t depend on which one is used.

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 Mountain Lakes’ past

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

A historic districtThe Mountain Lakes Historic District takes in 738 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 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Mountain Lakes change.Old housesHalf of Mountain Lakes’ homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

2 listings protect 739 historic buildings

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
739
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Grimes Homestead
Grimes HomesteadMountain Lakes Historic District
BuildingsDistricts
Grimes HomesteadBuilding
Mountain Lakes Historic DistrictDistrict

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

Help out

Start Mountain Lakes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Mountain Lakes’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

Mountain Lakes on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Mountain Lakes on the 1888 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1894 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1906 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1947 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1954 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1970 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1981 USGS mapMountain Lakes on the 1995 USGS map1888Morristown 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 Mountain Lakes.

The story

How Mountain Lakes came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Mountain Lakes.

Read it all →

Mountain Lakes was originally a planned community, founded in 1910 by Herbert Hapgood. The entire face of the community changed from a wilderness of Dutch and English properties to a planned suburban community of large stucco houses now affectionately known as "Hapgoods." During this single decade, the natural and architectural character of Mountain Lakes was developed. Hapgood was particularly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, at the height of its popularity in 1910 when he started building.

Lawrence W. Luellen, inventor of the Dixie Cup, became the community's first resident when he moved to his new home in March 1911.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Mountain Lakes, 1888 to 1988

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1914Post officeThe Mountain Lakes post office opens
  5. 1946Born hereFrederick Elmes is born here
  6. 1988Born hereBrittany Underwood is born here
By decade

Mountain Lakes, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map ofDate?Census Bureau map ofMap
Today16 recent
St. Catherine's Church, Mountain Lakes, NJ, Nov. 20242024St. Catherine's Church, Mountain Lakes, NJ, Nov. 2024Mountain Lake looking south, Mountain Lakes, NJ, Nov. 20242024Mountain Lake looking south, Mountain Lakes, NJ, Nov.…Mountain Lake looking north, Mountain Lakes, NJ, Nov. 20242024Mountain Lake looking north, Mountain Lakes, NJ, Nov.…Island Beach Park, Mountain Lakes, NJ (3), Nov. 20242024Island Beach Park, Mountain Lakes, NJ (3), Nov. 2024Island Beach Park, Mountain Lakes, NJ (2), Nov. 20242024Island Beach Park, Mountain Lakes, NJ (2), Nov. 2024Island Beach Park, Mountain Lakes, NJ (1), Nov. 20242024Island Beach Park, Mountain Lakes, NJ (1), Nov. 20242022-09-09 17 18 13 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of Randolph (lower left), Rockaway Borough (left center), Rockaway Township…20222022-09-09 17 18 13 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of Randol…2022-09-09 17 17 56 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of the municipalities of Parsippany-Troy Hills (bottom and right), Denville…20222022-09-09 17 17 56 UTC minus 4 Aerial view of the mu…2022-09-09 17 17 33 UTC minus 4 View of the interchange of Interstate 80 and Interstate 287, Lake Parsippany and Boonto…20222022-09-09 17 17 33 UTC minus 4 View of the interchan…MtnLakes 171Blvd2020MtnLakes 171BlvdHerbert Hapgood2020Herbert HapgoodMountain Lake at Night2016Mountain Lake at NightMountain Lake at Night2016Mountain Lake at NightMountain Lake at Night2016Mountain Lake at NightOld foundation along abandoned road2010Old foundation along abandoned roadMountain Lakes, Morris County, New Jersey2007Mountain Lakes, Morris County, New Jersey
People over time

Mountain Lakes, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,00019401960198020002020Peak: 4,739

Between 2,132 and 4,739 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

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

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Mountain Lakes

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

See all →
F
Frederick ElmesAmerican cinematographer · b. 1946
Brittany UnderwoodAmerican actress and singer · b. 1988
Judy PrescottActress and poet
Places that used to be

Old corners

Mountain Lakes’s post office has been open since 1914.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Fox Hill

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Parsippany-Troy Hills Township8 historic placesB+Boonton6 historic placesARainbow LakesIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townParsippany4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBoonton Township3 historic placesB

Questions about Mountain Lakes’ history

What year was Mountain Lakes founded?

The Mountain Lakes post office opened in 1914, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1924.

How does Mountain Lakes rank for history?

Mountain Lakes is more historic than 78% of U.S. towns, #128 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 Mountain Lakes?

Two places: the Grimes Homestead (listed 1977) and the Mountain Lakes Historic District (2005).

How old are the homes in Mountain Lakes?

39% of Mountain Lakes’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±8.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1949.

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 (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.