Medford is a township in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 24,497, The township, and all of Burlington County, is a part of the Philadelphia-Reading-Camden combined statistical area and the Delaware Valley.
Medford was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1847, from portions of Evesham Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day. Portions of the township were taken to form Shamong Township (February 19, 1852), Lumberton (March 14, 1860), and Medford Lakes (May 17, 1939). The township is part of the South Jersey region of the state.
History
The area now known as Medford first saw European settlement when Samuel Coles purchased of land in 1670. Shortly thereafter, families such as the Braddock, Prickett, Stratton, Branin, and Wilkins relocated to the area, many of whom have descendants residing in Medford today. Initially known as Upper Evesham, the area gradually developed from scattered homesteads into a small village. Several structures and roads built between the initial land sale and the American Revolutionary War, including Oliphant's Mill, Christopher's Mill, and the Shamong Trail (now Stokes Road), still exist today.
In 1820, the area officially adopted the name Medford of Upper Evesham with the establishment of a post office. This name was proposed by Mark Reeve, a developer who had recently visited Medford, Massachusetts. On March 1, 1847, Medford Township was formally separated from Evesham Township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature.
By 1825, a thriving glass-making industry had emerged in Medford, beginning with a furnace that produced window panes. By 1850, William Porter operated a glass factory on a triangular property bordered by South Main Street, Mill Street, and Trimble Street. The factory, which operated under names such as Medford Glass Works and Star Glass throughout the 1880s, employed approximately 250 workers at its peak. It fostered a "company town" atmosphere, providing housing for owners, managers, and workers, as well as a company store where workers could exchange scrip for food and necessities. Glass-making operations ceased around 1925, and the factory was demolished by the mid-1940s. Today, nearly 30 workers' homes are preserved on Trimble Street and Mill Street, along with the owners' and managers' residence at 126 South Main Street and the former company store at 132 South Main Street.
Dr. James Still (1812–1882), a self-taught African-American physician known as "the Black Doctor of the Pines," lived and practiced in Medford. Although his home was demolished in 1932, his office building was preserved when the State of New Jersey acquired it in 2006. It now serves as the Dr. James Still Historic Office Site and Education Center.
Medford's location along the Camden and Atlantic Railroad facilitated trade and contributed to rapid growth in the years following the American Civil War. By the 1920s, however, the railroad line had been dismantled, and the milling industry began to decline. Despite these changes, Medford continued to grow, largely due to its proximity to Philadelphia and Camden County, attracting families seeking a more rural lifestyle away from urban areas.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 39.81 square miles (103.10 km<sup>2</sup>), including 38.80 square miles (100.49 km<sup>2</sup>) of land and 1.01 square miles (2.61 km<sup>2</sup>) of water (2.53%).
The township is one of 56 South Jersey municipalities that are included within the Pinelands National Reserve, a protected natural area of unique ecology covering , that has been classified as a United States Biosphere Reserve and established by Congress in 1978 as the nation's first National Reserve. Part of the township is included in the state-designated Pinelands Area, which includes portions of Burlington County, along with areas in Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Ocean counties.
Medford Lakes is an independent municipality encircled within the boundaries of Medford, making it half one of 21 pairs of "doughnut towns" in the state, where one municipality entirely surrounds another. The township borders Evesham Township (which includes Marlton), Lumberton, Mount Laurel, Shamong Township, Southampton, Tabernacle in Burlington County; and Waterford Township in Camden County.
The climate of Medford is classified as humid continental, with cold winters, hot summers, and year-round humidity. Annual precipitation for the area is , and annual snowfall is .