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AHistory
History · Upper Township

Upper Township dates to 1723, and 6 of its places are on the National Register

More historic than 87% of U.S. towns · #81 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Most of Upper Township was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1982. 6 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 53 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1810.

1723founded
6on the National Register
9%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Upper Township began

When was Upper Township founded?

1723

Upper Township dates its founding to 1723 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 1,664 in 18102020 census: 12,539303 years

How historic is Upper Township?

A

More historic than 87% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1822.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Upper Township’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Upper Township is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #81 of 468 in New Jersey. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Upper Township’s overall grade.
Founding era1723, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 19408.6% of homes (±4.0) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%C+National Register6 listings, 59 historic buildings, 47.1 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 87%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 83%

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 Upper Township’s 47.1 sits above most of its state (80% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 59 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1723.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.0 points).

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 Upper Township’s past

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

Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Upper Township, and 12 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1820 and 1830, then grew more than tenfold.On the map since 18906 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1994. Watch Upper Township change.
★ What stands out · Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

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

Beesleys
1822–1829
Tuckahoe
1828–today
Petersburg
1849–1959
Seaville
1849–1915
Beesleys Point
1851–1934
Palermo
1872–1934
Marmora
1890–today
Strathmere
1912–today
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Beesleys PointCedar SpringsGreenfieldMarmoraMarshallvilleMiddletownPalermoPetersburgSeavilleSteelmantownStrathmereTuckahoe
Gone or out of use
Palermo Air Force Stationmilitary
1cemetery inside Upper Township
Seaside

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

Help out

Start Upper Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Upper 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

Upper Township, census by census

02,0004,0006,0008,00010,00012,00014,00018501900195020002,107 in 1820Low: 1,067

Lost half of its people between 1820 and 1830, then grew more than tenfold.

22 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

The story

How Upper Township came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Upper Township.

Read it all →

Upper Township was formed as a precinct on April 2, 1723, and was incorporated as one of New Jersey's initial 104 townships by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 21, 1798. Portions of the township have been taken to form Dennis Township (March 1, 1827) and Ocean City borough (March 3, 1884), and territorial changes were made involving Sea Isle City in March and April 1905. The township's name came from its location when Cape May was split into three townships in 1723 at the same time that Lower Township and Middle Township were created.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Upper Township, 1723 to 2020

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1723
    FoundingUpper Township is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1822Post officeThe Beesleys post office opens
  5. 1828Post officeThe Tuckahoe post office opens
  6. 1829Post officeThe Beesleys post office closes
  7. 1849Post officeThe Petersburg post office opens
  8. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 20th century
  10. 1959Post officeThe Petersburg post office closes
  11. 21st century
  12. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 12,539
By decade

Upper Township, decade by decade

Date unknown1 to date
Census Bureau map of Upper Township, New JerseyDate?Census Bureau map of Upper Township, New JerseyMap
Today12 recent
Upper Township32024Upper Township3Upper Township22024Upper Township2Upper Township12024Upper Township1Upper Township, NJ rescue squad, Dec. 20242024Upper Township, NJ rescue squad, Dec. 2024Upper Township, NJ municipal building, Dec. 20242024Upper Township, NJ municipal building, Dec. 2024Cape May County Library Upper Cape Branch2017Cape May County Library Upper Cape BranchSouth Tuckahoe HD2010South Tuckahoe HDMarshallville NJ Inn2010Marshallville NJ InnJW Gandy House2010JW Gandy HouseREEVES-ISZARD-GODFREY HOUSE, CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJ2008REEVES-ISZARD-GODFREY HOUSE, CAPE MAY COUNTY, NJTuckahoe River New Jersey2006Tuckahoe River New JerseyMap of Cape May County highlighting Upper Township2004Map of Cape May County highlighting Upper TownshipMap
On the map

Upper Township on the map, 1890 to 1994

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

Upper Township on the 1890 USGS mapUpper Township on the 1942 USGS mapUpper Township on the 1952 USGS mapUpper Township on the 1972 USGS mapUpper Township on the 1989 USGS mapUpper Township on the 1994 USGS map1890Great Egg Harbor 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 Upper Township.

On the National Register

6 listings protect 59 historic buildings

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

places listed
6
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
59
each building in a district counts
first listed
1984
Tuckahoe Station
Tuckahoe StationThomas Beesley Sr. HouseSouth Tuckahoe Historic DistrictJohn Wesley Gandy HouseReeves-Iszard-Godfey HouseJohn Corson Jr. House Site
BuildingsDistricts
Tuckahoe StationBuilding
Thomas Beesley Sr. HouseBuilding
South Tuckahoe Historic DistrictDistrict
John Wesley Gandy HouseBuilding
Reeves-Iszard-Godfey HouseBuilding
All 6 listings
John Corson Jr. House SiteBuilding · listed 2015

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Upper Township

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

See all →
Gregory Goodwin PincusAmerican biochemist · b. 1903
Keith AndesAmerican actor · b. 1920
R
Robert EttingerAmerican academic, trans humanist and cryonics … · b. 1918
Allan KaprowAmerican artist · b. 1927
B
Benjamin BurnleyAmerican rock musician · b. 1978
N
Norman Joseph WoodlandInventor of the barcode · b. 1921
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Estell Manor3 historic placesC+Corbin City1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townDennis Township5 historic placesAOcean City6 historic placesB+BelleplainIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townStrathmereIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townOcean ViewIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSea Isle CityIts storyC−Seaville1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMaurice River Township2 historic placesA

Questions about Upper Township’s history

What year was Upper Township founded?

In 1723, according to Wikidata. Upper Township’s post office opened in 1822, and the census of 1810 counted 1,664 people here.

How does Upper Township rank for history?

Upper Township is more historic than 87% of U.S. towns, #81 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 Upper Township?

6 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Tuckahoe Station (listed 1984, the first), and 1 historic district, the South Tuckahoe Historic District, with 53 contributing buildings. 59 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Upper Township?

9% of Upper Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1982.

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 (13), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, 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.