The Oxford Township post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Oxford Furnace (1813), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,041 in 19502020 census: 2,444160 years
How historic is Oxford Township?
A
More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Oxford Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade
What drives Oxford Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Oxford Township is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Oxford 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 Oxford Township’s 1,448 sits above most of its state (98% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 386 historic buildings outnumber those of 96% 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 (±6.8 points). 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 Oxford 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 Oxford Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Hackettstown 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 Oxford Township.
The story so far
Oxford Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Oxford Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Oxford is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Oxford Township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States, that was created as part of the 2010 United States census. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP's population was 1,090.
Its first post office opened in 1866. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 2,514 to 2,444 (-3%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
From the old history books
What they wrote about Oxford Township in 1929
Passages that mention Oxford Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History and directory of Warren County, New Jersey1929 · page 71Read the page →
Read the text
Oxford is situated in Oxford Township, which was one of the parts into which Greenwich Township was divided in 1754, the others being Knowlton, Blairstown, Hope, Belvidere and part of Harmony Townships. Later the present White Township was set aside from Oxford Township.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Oxford Township, 1741 to 2000
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
The Oxford Township post office opened in 1866, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Oxford Township rank for history?
Oxford Township is more historic than 89% 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 Oxford Township?
Three places: the Oxford Furnace (listed 1977), the Shippen Manor (1984) and the Oxford Industrial Historic District (1992).
How old are the homes in Oxford Township?
41% of Oxford Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.8 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1956.
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 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
