Port Republic is a city located in Atlantic County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 1,037. Port Republic was settled as early as 1637, but a charter was not applied for until founders Evi Smith, Hugh McCullum, and Richard Wescoat applied for a Royal Charter to build a dam, sawmill, and gristmill on their land along Nacote Creek.. In its early days Port Republic was known as Wrangleboro. During the American Revolutionary War, Port Republic provided refuge to the residents of the nearby community of Chestnut Neck when the British Army sacked their town on October 6, 1778. Among the refugees was Daniel Mathis, a tavernkeeper who built the Franklin Inn in Port Republic, which is a private house today. Most memorable revenge that was visited on the British navy was when some ships were trapped in the creek by the ebb tides.. Port Republic was Incorporated as a city by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 1, 1905, from portions of Galloway Township.