A history of Hightstown,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Hightstown from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story so far
from Wikipedia & the U.S. CensusHightstown is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nestled within the Raritan Valley region, Hightstown is an historic, commercial, and cultural hub of Central New Jersey, along with being a diverse outer-ring commuter suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,900, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 406 (+7.4%) from the 5,494 recorded at the 2010 census, which in turn reflected an increase of 278 (+5.3%) from the 5,216 counted in the 2000 census. Hightstown was incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1853, within portions of East…
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 5,494 to 5,900 (+7%). Half of its homes were built before 1950.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hightstown yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Hightstown’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewNew Jersey - Elmer through, 1917: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Hightstown
See all 6 →
Hightstown, decade by decade
1990s
3 historic places in Hightstown
Hightstown has 3 listings on the National Register, and they protect 76 historic buildings, because Stockton Street Historic District alone counts 75.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1974Samuel Sloan House
Listed 2005Stockton Street Historic DistrictListed 2016Camden and Amboy Railroad Right of Way SiteThen & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as New Jersey - Elmer through (1917) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (3) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.