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History · Short Hills

Short Hills’ post office opened in 1880, and 25% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1990.

1880first post office
1on the National Register
25%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Short Hills’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Short Hills began

When was Short Hills founded?

1880

The Short Hills post office opened in 1880, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 12,541 in 19902020 census: 14,422146 years
Founding year: the first Short Hills post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓

What stands out about Short Hills’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18888 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1995. Watch Short Hills change.Old housesHalf of Short Hills’ homes were built before 1958.Famous sons and daughtersDavid Levithan, Lisa Taddeo and 9 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Short Hills’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Short Hills’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewHouse at: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Short Hills on the map, 1888 to 1995

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

Short Hills on the 1888 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1893 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1905 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1921 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1955 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1970 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1981 USGS mapShort Hills on the 1995 USGS map1888Plainfield 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 Short Hills.

The story

How Short Hills came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Short Hills.

Read it all →

The area that became Short Hills was initially part of Springfield Township, and its eponymous hills are thought to have played a role in the movement of the Continental Army under George Washington during the Battle of Springfield (June 23, 1780). While troops may have been present in the area, the Battle of Short Hills (June 26, 1777) took place in Scotch Plains and Metuchen.

Chapters18th century19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Short Hills, 1888 to 1991

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1888On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  3. 20th century
  4. 1914In the archiveHouse at
  5. 1939In the archiveSketch for Mural in Post Office in Short Hills, New Jersey by Ernest Lawson
  6. 1961Born herePatti Stanger is born here
  7. 1972Born hereDavid Levithan is born here
  8. 1980Born hereLisa Taddeo is born here
  9. 1991Born hereAlex Rosenberg is born here
By decade

Short Hills, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1910s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1910s–1930s2 items
House at1914House atSketch for Mural in Post Office in Short Hills, New Jersey by Ernest Lawson1939Sketch for Mural in Post Office in Short Hills, New J…
1940s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
Today4 recent
Essex CR 608 nb at CR 606, Short Hills, NJ, Nov. 20252025Essex CR 608 nb at CR 606, Short Hills, NJ, Nov. 202520190403 105458 Burst01 (2)201920190403 105458 Burst01 (2)Waterfall garden at arborteum in2013Waterfall garden at arborteum inMall at Short Hills interior2006Mall at Short Hills interior
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.

House at
Retake this viewHouse at, 1914

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 listing protects 125 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
125
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

Short Hills, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00016,00020002020Peak: 14,422

Between 12,541 and 14,422 people in every census since 1990.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

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

Famous people

11 famous people were born in Short Hills

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

See all →
D
David LevithanAmerican author and editor · b. 1972
Lisa TaddeoAmerican writer and journalist · b. 1980
Patti StangerAmerican businesswoman · b. 1961
Alex RosenbergAmerican basketball player · b. 1991
K
Kip KayAmerican writer · b. 1957
B
Bess RousAmerican actress
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Millburn Township1 historic placeA−Summit5 historic placesA+Livingston Township1 historic placeBSpringfield Township4 historic placesB+

Questions about Short Hills’ history

What year was Short Hills founded?

The Short Hills post office opened in 1880, 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 (6), 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.