Welcome to the Local History - Moorestown Library Website

111 West Second Street, Moorestown, NJ 08057
adult@moorestownlibrary.org
856-234-0333
Library Hours

Mon – Thu: 9:30am to 9pm
Fri, Sat: 9:30am to 5pm
Sun: 1:00pm to 5pm

Home » Local History

Local History

Digital Collections

The library’s digital collection includes historic photographs, town directories, and more.

Browse and Search the collection

Local Newspaper Archive

Searchable archive of the Moorestown Republican, Moorestown News, and Moorestown News Chronicle newspapers

Search the newspaper archive

Upcoming History Programs

FEB 3
History Talk: Tools\, Rules and Incentives for Preserving Your Old House7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
FEB 7
Historical Reenactment: The Life of a Private in the Civil War2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
FEB 18
History Talk: An Evening with Harriet Tubman7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
MAR 3
History Talk: The Dos and Donts of Old House Windows7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
View all History Programs

Historic Photos

These images of Moorestown show the changes in the town from the 1880s through the 1970s.

Access Historic Photos

Town Directories

Directories contain both residential and business listings and range from 1893-1996.

Access Town Directories

Oral Histories

Digitized transcripts from the Moorestown Historical Society’s Oral History project

Access Oral Histories

Moorestown Histories

Histories of Moorestown written by local author Philip Flanders.

Access Moorestown Histories

Research Your Family

A step-by-step guide to researching your family history.

Access Research Your Family

Research Your House

A practical guide to uncovering your home’s history.

Access Research Your House

Print Resources

The New Jersey room houses the library’s collection of materials for historical and genealogical research. This collection is available for use in the library only, as many of these materials are rare and in fragile condition. The collection is composed of books, documents, photographs, blueprints, maps, newspapers, personal papers, and records of local clubs and organizations.

  • Jean Gaasch articles – Drafts of articles written by Jean Gaasch for the Moorestown Chronicle newspaper between 1973-1992.
  • Greg Newcomer Papers – Papers of former Democratic member of Moorestown Town Council
  • Percy B. Lovell’s Columns – original clippings of editor Percy Lovell’s weekly columns
  • The Nutshell – issues of the annual literary publication of Moorestown High School

State and federal census data for Moorestown and Burlington County.

The genealogy collection includes published family histories and journals of Moorestown families, biographical indexes, DAR patriot indexes, and more.

This collection includes 70 maps of Moorestown and Burlington County dating from the 1850s to the 2010s. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps from 1911 and 1917 are also available. Additional years can be found on Princeton University’s website.

The library has copies of township codes and ordinances, budgets, housing and facilities plans, Town Council minutes, Fire Commissioner meeting minutes, and a variety of other documents related to the operations of the township government.

The library’s local history collection contains books related to the history and development of Moorestown and Burlington County as well as books of New Jersey interest. Although books in the New Jersey room cannot be checked out, there may be additional copies available to borrow.

Selected books on Moorestown:

The Library has the following local newspapers available:

The Moorestown News – microfilm from 1932-1956, 1958
The News Chronicle – microfilm from 1960-1986
The NewsWeekly – microfilm from 1986-1996, 1998 – 2009
Moorestown Sun – 2007 – present

A selection of ephemera and clippings from local newspapers, about notable Moorestonians, schools, and organizations in Moorestown and surrounding towns in Burlington County.

Moorestown has a strong Quaker heritage, and the Library’s Quaker collection includes:

  • Historic biographies, memoirs, and journals of influential Quakers including Chester L. Reagan, Nathanael Greene, John Woolman, and more.
  • History, Principles, and Theology of the Quakers, particularly in the American colonies
  • Volumes of Quaker poetry compilations and literature
  • Encyclopedias on Quaker genealogy, family pedigrees, and name indexes.

Copies of the Moorestown High School yearbook, the Nutshell, from 1924-present are available. The library also has copies of public school budgets, district assessments, and histories of Moorestown public and private schools.