Union Township dates to 1853, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 66% of U.S. towns · #209 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 53 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1809.
History grade
What drives Union Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Union Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #209 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Union 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 Union Township’s 101 sits above most of its state (87% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 65 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.9 points). Two sources give 1853.
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 Union Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost a third of its people between 1860 and 1920, then grew 7-fold.
17 censuses, 1860–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Union Township’s Wikipedia page.
The story so far
Union Township, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Union Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Union Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The southwest half of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau, the northwest corner consists of the Musconetcong Ridge and the northeast section is part of the lower-lying Newark Basin around Spruce Run Reservoir. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,507, its highest ever decennial count and an increase of 599 (+10.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,908, which in turn reflected a decline of 252 (−4.1%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 census. Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1853, from portions o…
Union Township was established in 1853. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,908 to 6,507 (+10%).
Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
Union Township, 1809 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 Union Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1890High Bridge 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 Union Township.
On the National Register
6 listings protect 65 historic buildings
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1853, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Union Township’s post office opened in 1809, and the census of 1860 counted 1,217 people here.
How does Union Township rank for history?
Union Township is more historic than 66% of U.S. towns, #209 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 Union Township?
6 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Mechlins Corner Tavern (listed 1974, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Van Syckel Corner District and the Rockhill Agricultural Historic District, with 53 contributing buildings. 65 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Union Township?
13% of Union Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.9 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1978.
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 (8), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (6), 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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2025
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2021
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