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A−History
History · Woodstown

27% of Woodstown’s homes were built before 1940

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns · #107 of 468 in New Jersey. What drives it

Its Register listings are the Joseph Shinn House and the James and Mary Lawson House. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1890 on, and the census since 1880.

2on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Woodstown’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

About Woodstown’s history

How historic is Woodstown?

A−

More historic than 82% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
History grade

What drives Woodstown’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodstown is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #107 of 468 in New Jersey. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Woodstown’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 194026.7% of homes (±7.9) · typical NJ town 14.7% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register2 listings, 5.4 per 10,000 residents · typical NJ town 3.7 · U.S. 2.4B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 82%
NewerOlder
New Jersey towns of 2,500+ (468)Ahead of 77%

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 Woodstown’s 5.4 sits near the middle of its state (57% of New Jersey towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.9 points).

Founding year: our sources. 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 Woodstown’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18904 editions of the USGS map, 1890 to 1967. Watch Woodstown change.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1895 to 1923, drew every building in Woodstown.Old housesHalf of Woodstown’s homes were built before 1956.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Woodstown’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFirst National Bank Woodstown NJ 1898 $…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Woodstown on the map, 1890 to 1967

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

Woodstown on the 1890 USGS mapWoodstown on the 1941 USGS mapWoodstown on the 1955 USGS mapWoodstown on the 1967 USGS map1890Salem 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 Woodstown.

Every building

Woodstown, building by building, 1895–1923

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Woodstown fire insurance map, 1895, sheet 11895Sheet 1 of 2
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story so far

Woodstown, in brief

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

Woodstown is a borough in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,678, an increase of 173 (+4.9%) from the 2010 census count of 3,505, which in turn reflected an increase of 369 (+11.8%) from the 3,136 counted in the 2000 census. Woodstown was established on July 26, 1882, from portions of Pilesgrove Township based on the results of a referendum held that same day. The borough's incorporation was confirmed on March 3, 1925. The borough was named for early settler Jackanias (or Jaconias) Wood.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,505 to 3,678 (+5%).

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

Timeline

Woodstown, 1792 to 1986

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1792Post officeThe Woodstown post office opens
  3. 19th century
  4. 1822Born hereIsaiah D. Clawson is born here
  5. 1876Born hereEverett Shinn is born here
  6. 1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  7. 1898In the archiveFirst National Bank Woodstown NJ 1898 $14
  8. 20th century
  9. 1978Born hereTara LaRosa is born here
  10. 1986Born hereEmma Bell is born here
By decade

Woodstown, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s1 item
First National Bank Woodstown NJ 1898 $141898First National Bank Woodstown NJ 1898 $14
1900s–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
Today11 recent
Woodstown NJ 1st National Bank2016Woodstown NJ 1st National BankJoseph Shinn House2016Joseph Shinn HouseSalemBranchWoodstown2014SalemBranchWoodstownZ Dunn House Salem Co NJ2013Z Dunn House Salem Co NJWoodstown NJ Friends2010Woodstown NJ FriendsShinn House2010Shinn HouseLawson House 18692010Lawson House 1869House12010House1ZACCHEUS DUNN HOUSE, SALEM COUNTY, NY2008ZACCHEUS DUNN HOUSE, SALEM COUNTY, NYCensus Bureau map of2008Census Bureau map ofMapMap of Salem County highlighting Woodstown Borough2004Map of Salem County highlighting Woodstown BoroughMap
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.

First National Bank Woodstown NJ 1898 $14
Retake this viewFirst National Bank Woodstown NJ 1898 $14, 1898

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Woodstown

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

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1979
Joseph Shinn House
Joseph Shinn HouseJames and Mary Lawson House
Buildings
Joseph Shinn HouseBuilding
James and Mary Lawson HouseBuilding

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

People over time

Woodstown, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000188019001920194019601980200020203,678

Grew from 490 people in 1880 to 3,678 in 2020, 7 times over.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

Famous people

7 famous people were born in Woodstown

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Emma BellAmerican actress · b. 1986
Everett ShinnAmerican artist · b. 1876
Isaiah D. ClawsonAmerican politician · b. 1822
T
Tara LaRosaAmerican martial artist · b. 1978
Harold WareAmerican communist · b. 1889
H
Hilly FlitcraftAmerican baseball player · b. 1923
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Woodstown’s post office has been open since 1792.

5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Woodstown
Asbury United Methodist ChurchFriendsSaint Joseph'sWoodstown BaptistWoostown Presbyterian Church

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

Questions about Woodstown’s history

How does Woodstown rank for history?

Woodstown is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns, #107 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 Woodstown?

Two places: the Joseph Shinn House (listed 1979) and the James and Mary Lawson House (2001).

How old are the homes in Woodstown?

27% of Woodstown’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.9 points), against a typical 15% for a New Jersey town; the median home was built in 1956.

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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.