Dennisville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Dennis Township, in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its postal ZIP Code is 08214. Dennisville is on the south side of Dennis Creek and is the most important community within Dennis Township. The main transportation artery is New Jersey Route 47 (Delsea Drive).

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the area was 830.

History

Dennisville was founded in 1726 by Anthony Ludlam. The first post office in the area was Dennis Creek, established September 7, 1802, with Jeremiah Johnson as first postmaster. The name was changed to Dennisville in 1854. In the 1880s, a local industry sprung up—described by The New York Times as "the like of which does not exist anywhere else in the world"—in which cedar trees that had fallen as much as decades earlier were recovered from under the surface of local swamps. The trees, ranging in size from 4 to 6 ft in diameter, were first discovered in 1812 and became the foundation of a thriving economic boom in the area for shingles and staves.

Emergency services

Fire

Education

As with other parts of Dennis Township, the area is zoned to Dennis Township Public Schools (for grades K-8) and Middle Township Public Schools (for high school). The latter operates Middle Township High School. Countywide schools include Cape May County Technical High School and Cape May County Special Services School District.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Dennisville include: