Pilesgrove Township dates to 1798, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 76% of U.S. towns · #141 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Its Register listings are the Seven Stars Tavern, the Zaccheus Dunn House and the Salem County Insane Asylum. Below: maps from 1890 on and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1811.
History grade
What drives Pilesgrove Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Pilesgrove Township is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #141 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Pilesgrove 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 Pilesgrove Township’s 7.1 sits near the middle of its state (64% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 3 listings outnumber those of 65% 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 (±6.2 points). Two sources give 1798.
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 Pilesgrove Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost half of its people between 1870 and 1910, then more than doubled.
22 censuses, 1810–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pilesgrove Township’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Pilesgrove Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pilesgrove Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Pilesgrove Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 4,183, an increase of 167 (+4.2%) from the 2010 census count of 4,016, which in turn reflected an increase of 93 (+2.4%) from the 3,923 counted in the 2000 census. Pile's Grove was first mentioned in a deed dated April 15, 1701, through the date of the township's original corporation is unknown. Pilesgrove was incorporated as one of New Jersey's original group of 104 townships that were established on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township were taken on December 6, 1769, to form Pittsgrove Township and on July 26, 1882, to create Woodsto…
Pilesgrove Township was established in 1798. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,016 to 4,183 (+4%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Pilesgrove Township, 1782 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pilesgrove Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890Salem 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 Pilesgrove Township.
On the National Register
3 historic places in Pilesgrove Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1798, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pilesgrove Township’s post office opened in 1811, and the census of 1810 counted 1,756 people here.
How does Pilesgrove Township rank for history?
Pilesgrove Township is more historic than 76% of U.S. towns, #141 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 Pilesgrove Township?
Three places: the Seven Stars Tavern (listed 1976), the Zaccheus Dunn House (1977) and the Salem County Insane Asylum (2008).
How old are the homes in Pilesgrove Township?
14% of Pilesgrove Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.2 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1976.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), 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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