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B−History
History · Shamong Township

Shamong Township dates to 1852, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

More historic than 47% of U.S. towns · #321 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Shamong Township was built recently: 6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 7 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1860.

1852founded
1on the National Register
6%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD · CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answers

How Shamong Township began

When was Shamong Township founded?

1852

Shamong Township dates its founding to 1852 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 1,008 in 18602020 census: 6,460174 years

How historic is Shamong Township?

B−

More historic than 47% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1797.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Shamong Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Shamong Township is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #321 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Shamong Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1852, from Wikidata: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 19406.3% of homes (±6.0) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register1 listing, 7 historic buildings, 10.8 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 47%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 31%

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 Shamong Township’s 10.8 sits above most of its state (69% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 7 historic buildings outnumber those of 73% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.0 points). Two sources give 1852.

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 Shamong Township’s 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.Shrank, then grewLost two-thirds of its people between 1870 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Shamong Township, and 5 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18885 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Shamong Township change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Shamong Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shamong Township’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
People over time

Shamong Township, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0001900195020001,149 in 1870Low: 414

Lost two-thirds of its people between 1870 and 1920, then grew more than tenfold.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Shamong Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Atsion
1797–1930
Indian Mills
1861–1920
Fruitland
1866–1871
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AtsionDelletteFlyatHampton FurnaceIndian Mills

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

The story

How Shamong Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Shamong Township.

Read it all →

This area, along with much of present-day southern New Jersey, was inhabited by Lenape Native Americans at the time of European encounter. They spoke Unami, one of the three major dialects of the Lenape language, which belonged to the Algonquian language family. The Lenape territory ranged from the New York metropolitan area and western Long Island, extending into New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania along the Delaware River, and Delaware.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Shamong Township, 1797 to 2010

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1797Post officeThe Atsion post office opens
  3. 19th century
  4. 1852
    FoundingShamong Township is established
  5. 1861Post officeThe Indian Mills post office opens
  6. 1866Post officeThe Fruitland post office opens
  7. 1871Post officeThe Fruitland post office closes
  8. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1920Post officeThe Indian Mills post office closes
  11. 1930Post officeThe Atsion post office closes
  12. 1992Born hereKevin Comer is born here
  13. 1993Born hereDaria Rae is born here
  14. 21st century
  15. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 6,490
By decade

Shamong Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map of Shamong Township, New JerseyDate?Census Bureau map of Shamong Township, New JerseyMap
Today5 recent
Mullica River downstream west of Atsion (1), June 20242024Mullica River downstream west of Atsion (1), June 2024Shamong Township, NJ muncipal building, Sept 20222022Shamong Township, NJ muncipal building, Sept 2022Pic-a-Lilli Inn2021Pic-a-Lilli InnMighty Joe the Gorilla at a gas station2017Mighty Joe the Gorilla at a gas stationMap of Burlington County highlighting Shamong Township2004Map of Burlington County highlighting Shamong TownshipMap
On the map

Shamong Township on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Shamong Township on the 1888 USGS mapShamong Township on the 1894 USGS mapShamong Township on the 1942 USGS mapShamong Township on the 1951 USGS mapShamong Township on the 1995 USGS map1888Pemberton 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 Shamong Township.

On the National Register

1 listing protects 7 historic buildings

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
7
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
Atsion Village
Atsion Village
Districts
All 1 listings
Atsion VillageDistrict · listed 1974

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Shamong Township

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

See all →
Daria RaeAmerican professional wrestler and mixed martia… · b. 1993
K
Kevin ComerAmerican baseball player · b. 1992
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Waterford TownshipIts storyBTabernacle TownshipIts storyDMedford Township3 historic placesB−Hammonton1 historic placeB+

Questions about Shamong Township’s history

What year was Shamong Township founded?

In 1852, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Shamong Township’s post office opened in 1797, and the census of 1860 counted 1,008 people here.

How does Shamong Township rank for history?

Shamong Township is more historic than 47% of U.S. towns, #321 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 Shamong Township?

One place: the Atsion Village (listed 1974).

How old are the homes in Shamong Township?

6% of Shamong Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1979.

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 (5), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.