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History · South Dennis

South Dennis’ post office opened in 1873, and 15% of its homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and old-book passages.

1873first post office
2on the National Register
15%homes built before 1940
4old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From South Dennis’ archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How South Dennis began

When was South Dennis founded?

1873

The South Dennis post office opened in 1873, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 1,703153 years
Founding year: the first South Dennis post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about South Dennis’ past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 4 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18886 editions of the USGS map, 1888 to 1972. Watch South Dennis change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start South Dennis’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how South Dennis’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo2 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewCLOSER VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOK…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

South Dennis on the map, 1888 to 1972

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

South Dennis on the 1888 USGS mapSouth Dennis on the 1894 USGS mapSouth Dennis on the 1919 USGS mapSouth Dennis on the 1941 USGS mapSouth Dennis on the 1958 USGS mapSouth Dennis on the 1972 USGS map1888Dennisville 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 South Dennis.

The story so far

South Dennis, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of South Dennis yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

South Dennis is an unincorporated community located within Dennis Township in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 census, South Dennis had a population of 1,703. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its postal ZIP Code is 08245. The post office was established in 1873, with Robert Hutchinson as the first postmaster.

Its first post office opened in 1873.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about South Dennis in 1897

Passages that mention South Dennis, cut from the printed page as they were published.

February 24, 1873, the office at South Dennis was first opened. In 1872 the State Legislature passed a law authorizing' the building of life saving stations along the beaches.
The history of Cape May County, New Jersey1897 · page 364Read the page →
Read the text

February 24, 1873, the office at South Dennis was first opened. In 1872 the State Legislature passed a law authorizing' the building of life saving stations along the beaches.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

South Dennis, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s2 items
CLOSER VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOKING SOUTH - Trinity Union School Church, Mile 17 on State Route 47, South Dennis…1933CLOSER VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOKING SOUTH - Tr…DETAIL VIEW OF WEST FACADE - Trinity Union School Church, Mile 17 on State Route 47, South Dennis, Cape May County, NJ1933DETAIL VIEW OF WEST FACADE - Trinity Union School Chu…
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
Date unknown2 to date
GENERAL VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOKING SOUTH - Trinity Union School Church, Mile 17 on State Route 47, South Denni…Date?GENERAL VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOKING SOUTH - T…GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE AND YARD LOOKING WEST - Thomas Ludlam House, Delsea Drive, South of County Road 657, South Dennis…Date?GENERAL VIEW OF HOUSE AND YARD LOOKING WEST - Thomas …
Today2 recent
South Dennis Trinity United Methodist Church2021South Dennis Trinity United Methodist ChurchNJ 47 SB approaching NJ 832008NJ 47 SB approaching NJ 83
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.

CLOSER VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOKING SOUTH - Trinity Union School Church, Mile 17 on State Route 47, South Dennis…
Retake this viewCLOSER VIEW OF CEMETERY AND CHURCH LOOKING SOUTH - Trinity Union School Church, Mile 17 on State Route 47, South Dennis…, 1933

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in South Dennis

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts

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

Famous people

Famous people close to South Dennis

Nobody well known was born in South Dennis itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Gregory Goodwin PincusAmerican biochemist · b. 1903
Stedman GrahamAmerican educator and businessman · b. 1951
Matt SzczurAmerican baseball player for the San Diego Padr… · b. 1989
C
Calvin MurrayPlayer of American football · b. 1958
Julius H. TaylorAmerican physicist · b. 1914
A
Andy LapihuskaAmerican baseball player · b. 1922
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Dennis Township5 historic placesAMiddle Township7 historic placesB+South Seaville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about South Dennis’ history

What year was South Dennis founded?

The South Dennis post office opened in 1873, 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), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.