Pennsauken Township dates to 1892, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 52% of U.S. towns · #293 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Griffith Morgan House, the Burrough-Dover House and the McGuire, Peter J., Memorial and Gravesite. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1891 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1886.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Pennsauken Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pennsauken Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #293 of 468 in New Jersey. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pennsauken 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 Pennsauken 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 1892.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share (±2.2 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 Pennsauken 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 Pennsauken Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1891Philadelphia 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 Pennsauken Township.
Pennsauken Township was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 18, 1892, from portions of the now-defunct Stockton Township.
The exact origin of the name Pennsauken is unclear, but it probably derives from the language of the Lenni Lenape Native Americans, who once occupied the area from "Pindasenauken", the Lenape language term for tobacco pouch. Alternatively, the "Penn" in the township's name refers to William Penn, while "sauk" is a water inlet or outlet.
Pennsauken was home to America's first drive-in movie theater, created in 1933 with the opening of the Camden Drive-In in Pennsauken. It featured the comedy Wives Beware, released in the theaters as Two White Arms.
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.
In 1892, according to Wikidata. Pennsauken Township’s post office opened in 1886, and the census of 1900 counted 3,145 people here.
How does Pennsauken Township rank for history?
Pennsauken Township is more historic than 52% of U.S. towns, #293 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 Pennsauken Township?
Three places: the Griffith Morgan House (listed 1973), the Burrough-Dover House (1973) and the McGuire, Peter J., Memorial and Gravesite (2019).
How old are the homes in Pennsauken Township?
19% of Pennsauken Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1958.
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 (11), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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