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–Not graded
History · Port Norris

Port Norris’ post office opened in 1870, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1950.

1870first post office
2on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Port Norris’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Port Norris began

When was Port Norris founded?

1870

The Port Norris post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,735 in 19502020 census: 1,111156 years
Founding year: the first Port Norris post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Port Norris’ past

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

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 18905 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1986. Watch Port Norris change.Old housesHalf of Port Norris’ homes were built before 1946.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Port Norris’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Port Norris’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.+2Retake an old viewTown of Port Norris: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Port Norris on the map, 1890 to 1986

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

Port Norris on the 1890 USGS mapPort Norris on the 1942 USGS mapPort Norris on the 1956 USGS mapPort Norris on the 1972 USGS mapPort Norris on the 1986 USGS map1890Bridgeton 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 Port Norris.

The story

How Port Norris came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Port Norris.

Read it all →

On a late night in September 2007, an undercover operation to put a halt to the drag racing was commenced, and up to 62 people were caught participating in a major drag race gathering. About 208 summonses were issued and several cars were impounded.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Port Norris, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Town of Port NorrisDate?Town of Port Norris
Today1 recent
New Jersey State Police2024New Jersey State Police
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Town of Port Norris
Retake this viewTown of Port Norris

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Port Norris’ page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Port Norris

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts

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

People over time

Port Norris, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001960198020002020Peak: 1,955

Between 1,111 and 1,955 people in every census since 1950.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Commercial Township4 historic placesA−Maurice River Township2 historic placesADowne TownshipIts storyA−

Questions about Port Norris’ history

What year was Port Norris founded?

The Port Norris post office opened in 1870, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (1), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.