Wayne Township’s post office opened in 1901, and 4 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 24% of U.S. towns · #423 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
Most of Wayne Township was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1967. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1888 on, and the census since 1850.
From Wayne Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers
How Wayne Township began
When was Wayne Township founded?
1901
The Wayne Township post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name. Three smaller post offices, Mountain View (1871), Preakness (1871) and Packanack Lake (1936), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 1,162 in 18502020 census: 54,838125 years
How historic is Wayne Township?
C−
More historic than 24% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Wayne Township post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Wayne Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Wayne Township is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #423 of 468 in New Jersey. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
C−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Wayne 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 Wayne Township’s 0.7 sits below most of its state (29% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 4 listings outnumber those of 68% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D to C+. The pre-1940 share (±1.4 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Wayne Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Mountain View
1871–1957
Preakness
1871–1872
Wayne
1901–today
Packanack Lake
1936–1957
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Finns Trailer CourtMountain ViewPackanack LakePines LakePomptonPreaknessWayne
Gone or out of use
Murchio AirportairportPreakness SchoolschoolSchool Number 1school
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Wayne Township
Dey - HogencampPreakness Reformed Dutch
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
On the map
Wayne Township on the map, 1888 to 1995
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Wayne Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1888Paterson 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 Wayne Township.
On the National Register
4 historic places in Wayne Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
In 1694, Arent Schuyler, a surveyor, trader and land speculator, was sent by the British into northwestern New Jersey to investigate rumors that the French were trying to incite the local Lenape Native Americans to rebel against them. He found no evidence of a rebellion, but discovered a fertile river valley where the Lenape grew crops. Schuyler reported his findings to the British and then convinced a group including Major Anthony Brockholst and Samuel Bayard to invest in the land he referred to as the Pompton Valley. The group chose Schuyler to be the negotiator with the Lenape and Bayard to negotiate with the East Jersey Company, the owner of the land rights from the King of England. The group completed their purchase of 5,000 acres (20 km2) on November 11, 1695, and the area became part of what was then known as New Barbadoes Township in Bergen County. Schuyler constructed the Schuy…
Passages that mention Wayne Township, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Preakness and the Preakness Reformed church, Passaic County, New Jersey1902Read the page →
Read the text
saic, some' years later, lived at Two Bridges. It was probably this Derrick, who, in 1730, described as '"'Derrick Dey, of Pachgaunick," bought of Peter Sonmans, of Perth Am boy; for £50, a triangular lot of 200 acres, in Wayne Township, — as he certainly owned land in his day, on both sides of the Pompton River. This Derrick Dey's house was in the southeast corner of Morris County, Pequannoek Towiibhip, back of which be had considerable of a farm; while the land lie owned in Wayne Township was mainly south of the Bridges,
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Preakness and the Preakness Reformed church, Passaic County, New Jersey1902Read the page →
Read the text
Mr. Torbet has graded and built more of the macadamized roads in Wayne Township than any other one man or company, and perhaps more than all others together, lie lias also done considerable such work in the Township of Manchester, and in the city of Palerson. Otherwise, loo, for main vears, lie has been a public man. filling time after time variou> township offices, as well as serving two terms in I be State Legislature. Mison, Prank T., is with him on the farm, and runs it.
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.
Timeline
Wayne Township, 1695 to 1985
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Wayne Township post office opened in 1901, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Wayne Township rank for history?
Wayne Township is more historic than 24% of U.S. towns, #423 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 Wayne Township?
4 listings: 4 buildings, among them the Dey Mansion (listed 1970, the first).
How old are the homes in Wayne Township?
8% of Wayne Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.4 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1967.
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 (17), Wikidata (3), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System 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.
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