New Paulsboro Walking Tour is a Journey through New Jersey’s History

For a small town, Paulsboro boasts an impressive collection of historic buildings ranging from an Art Deco theater to a historic lighthouse. A simple stroll down Broad Street covers a vast timeline of New Jersey’s history.

Last year, three of the town’s leading preservationists completed a walking tour for those who want to know the story behind these landmarks.

“One of the reasons we did the tour is to celebrate the history of a unique town that represents the history of New Jersey,” said Walter Quint, one of the authors along with Jeff Duvilla and Margie Loomis. “We kept uncovering fascinating information.”

Quint has never lived in Paulsboro, but because he served as the borough’s superintendent for more than a decade, he became the town’s adopted son. During his career, he has served as president of the local lighthouse society and vice chair of the Historic Preservation Commission. When the time came to draft the walking tour, there was no one better to take on the project.

“My heart is here even though I don’t live here,” Quint said.

The Samuel P. Paul House, built in 1810, is a good starting-off point for the tour. It is the first place visitors will encounter after crossing the historic Mantua Creek Drawbridge and it was built by the town’s namesake. In 2012, an archaeological dig unearthed Native American artifacts, adding a layer of complexity to these already hallowed grounds.

It was also the scene of a preservation battle that earned it a spot on Preservation New Jersey’s most endangered list in 2024. In the end, the residents of Paulsboro successfully fended off a municipal recycling center from being built at one of their most important landmarks.

Along the way, it revealed to outsiders what local residents have known all along — that Paulsboro is a town that cares deeply about its history, and for good reason. There is one National Register-listed landmark — the Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse — and five other landmarks considered eligible.

Among the eligible sites is Paulsboro High School, one of Quint’s personal favorite places in town because of his memories of working there when the school district’s administrative offices were housed there. But it is also a source of pride due to the painstaking restoration he oversaw in 1995 that brought back the facade and the auditorium skylight to its 1916 splendor.

“We kept the historic quality of that building,” Quint said.

One of the more fascinating stories on the walking tour has to be Billingsport United Methodist Church. The brownstone house of worship didn’t originate here, but more than 10 miles away in Camden. In the 1920s, the church — got in the way of constructing the Ben Franklin Bridge. It was disassembled and brought in pieces to Paulsboro, where it was reconstructed.

Most of the historic sites in the walking tour are clustered along Broad Street and every visit should end with all-day breakfast at beloved greasyspoon Paulsboro Diner. But make time to venture to the nearby Tinicum Lighthouse, built in 1880. It is the town’s biggest draw, attracting hundreds of visitors each year.

While there, scale the narrow, winding staircase to the top and gaze out over the ships gliding along the river as they have done since Paulsboro became a shipping center in the 17th century. Here you can try to imagine the blockade that played a memorable role in the Revolutionary War, delaying British troops from reaching Philadelphia. Today, there is a park that commemorates the now-demolished Fort Billingsport and the first federal land purchase.

“People really should go see that,” Quint said. “The view from the top of the lighthouse is pretty spectacular.”