West Amwell Township dates to 1846, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #84 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it
1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 26 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1907 on, and the census since 1850.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1885.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives West Amwell Township’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, West Amwell Township is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #84 of 468 in New Jersey. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of West Amwell 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 West Amwell Township’s 85.9 sits above most of its state (85% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 26 historic buildings outnumber those of 81% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.3 points). Two sources give 1846.
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 West Amwell Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The earliest settlers of the area were the Delaware Native Americans, who had a path through the woods from Lambertville through Mount Airy, Ringoes and Reaville to Newark which would later become the route followed by the Old York Road.
In 1935, local farmers signed a declaration against the Potato Control Law, which established federal controls on the growth of the crop, stating "[t]hat we protest against and declare that we will not be bound by the 'Potato Control Law,' an unconstitutional measure recently enacted by the United States Congress. We shall produce on our own land such potatoes as we may wish to produce and will dispose of them in such manner as we may deem proper."
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of West Amwell Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1907Trenton sheet · 1:125,000
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of West Amwell Township.
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.
Retake this viewWest Amwell (Township); West Amwell Business Notices.; East Amwell Business Notices, 1873
Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on West Amwell Township’s page.
In 1846, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. West Amwell Township’s post office opened in 1885, and the census of 1850 counted 1,175 people here.
How does West Amwell Township rank for history?
West Amwell Township is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #84 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 West Amwell Township?
One place: the Mount Airy Historic District (listed 1989).
How old are the homes in West Amwell Township?
16% of West Amwell Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.3 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1975.
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 (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
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