County's Towns Are What Makes the Region Tick
Judy Baehr
From Bivalve to Buckshutem, Shellpile to Gandy's Beach, they're like no others
No history of Cumberland County would be complete without a look at the unique and colorful cities, towns, and villages which make this area unlike any other.
Bayside (Caviar), a former resort and fishing area located east of Greenwich on the Delaware Bay, was once a source of caviar (the roe or eggs of a fish called the Atlantic sturgeon, weighing as much as 400 pounds). The Central Railroad of New Jersey transported the processed seafood from Bayside to Jersey City for market. The area is now a natural preserve, owned by Public Service Electric & Gas, and overseen by the Nature Conservancy.
Bivalve and Shellpile grew up on the Delaware Bay around Port Norris as shucking houses were established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to accommodate the thriving oyster industry.
Bridgeton originated as Cohansey Bridge, a cluster of homes built near the bridge across the Cohansey River near present-day Commerce Street. It became the county seat after an election in 1748, and was incorporated as a city in 1865. Its growth is traceable to the many industries which located there.
Brotmanville, Carmel, Norma, and Rosenhayn were planned communities created in the late 19th century for Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Carmel, formerly known as Beaver Dam, was a stage stop along the road between Millville and Bridgeton. Rosenhayn was originally planned and laid out by Joseph W. Morton after the Civil War. He copied the design for Vineland, another planned Community, but was never able to make Rosenhayn a serious rival.
Buckshutem was called by that name in 1789 and the area has retained that designation ever since, although it has also been known as Cormack's Mill and Iszard's Mill. Grist and saw mills operated here.
Cedarville received its name in 1806, but it had been settled long before that when saw and grist mills were built along the Cedar Creek. Some of Fairfield Township's leading citizens lived there after the Revolution, and the town's inhabitants were largely engaged in agriculture and oystering.
Centre Grove is located in the eastern end of Fairfield Township rather than in the center. It grew up around an early schoolhouse.
Cumberland, originally known as Manumuskin Manor and later Cumberland Furnace, is best known for the iron furnace Eli Budd established there. It operated from 1810 to 1840.
Deerfield, was first settled in the 1720s by residents of Fairfield Township. Area residents referred to the community as Deerfield Street. In the 1730s, Old Parsonage Road was the only street in the township.
Delmont, in the southeast corner of the county, was once known as Ewing's Neck.
Dividing Creek was named for the creek on which it is located, which has numerous branches. It was settled by Baptists who had established a meeting house there by 1755. Located in Downe Township, which was a Tory stronghold during the American Revolution, it showed its sentiments during the Civil War by opening Union Street.
Dorchester was shown on early 18th-century maps, which also covered the site of Leesburg. It wasn't until 1799 that the town was laid out. Once home to Swedish settlers, it has continued as a center for boat building in the county.
East Point, once a bayshore resort, is now best known for the East Point Lighthouse, the only onshore lighthouse operating in Cumberland County. Built in 1849, the lighthouse marks the entrance to the Maurice River.
Fairton was once known as Bumbridge, a name said to derive from a constable (or "bum-bailiff," a corruption of "bound-bailiff") falling through a wooden bridge over Rattlesnake Run while trying to make an arrest. It is the site of an early settlement known as New England Town. In 1695, a Presbyterian Church was located there and its worshippers were people who had migrated from New England.
Fortescue, the oldest and largest of the fishing communities on the Delaware Bay, was named for John Fortescue, who acquired the land before 1776. The community once had a large hotel, which catered to visitors from Philadelphia who came by steamboat.
Gandy's Beach was named for James G. Gandy, who after leading the life of a sea captain and engaging in the oystering business for several years, became a popular landlord at Fortescue.
Gouldtown is thought to have been founded by a granddaughter of John Fenwick, who founded the town of Salem. Another theory is that the original settlers were descended from Indians known as the Delaware Moors.
Greenwich, the oldest community in the county, was planned and laid out by John Fenwick in the 1680s. The original settlers came from Connecticut and named the town for their first home. Situated at the mouth of the Cohansey River, Greenwich was a leading port in Colonial times. The major street in town is Ye Greate Street, which was laid out in 1684. The entire town, where residents burned a shipment of tea in 1774, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Haleyville is about a mile west of Mauricetown. Numerous cenotaphs, stone obelisks erected in the memory of men lost at sea, may be found at the old Methodist cemetery there.
Head of Greenwich (Othello) was a crossroads about a mile and a half from the center of Greenwich, where a Presbyterian Church and graveyard still stand. The community was named by the local literary society for Shakespeare's Moorish prince.
Heislerville was originally called Vanaman's after an early settler. The name was later changed to Heislerville after a local family who had lived there many years.
Jericho, on Stow Creek, was named for the mills at that location, which were established about 1700 by John Brick to grind grain.
Leesburg is named for John Lee and his brother. Both ship carpenters from Egg Harbor, they established a boat works here in 1795.
Mauricetown dates back to 1714 when Caesar Hoskins established his home there. By 1789, the town was called Mattox's Landing after its major citizen, Luke Mattox. In 1814, the Compton brothers began laying out the streets and the name Mauricetown was used. The name comes from the river, which in turn is thought to derive its name from a 17th century Dutch ship, the Prince Maurice, burned by the Indians before the town was settled.
Millville can trace its origins to a site three miles north of the city to an area known as the Union, where grist and saw mills were built in the early 18th century. The Maurice River was dammed to provide water to power the mills, and the area became known as Union Mills. In 1795, Col. Joseph Buck, who had served in the Revolutionary War, began to lay out the streets and sell lots. He used the name of Millville for his project. It was incorporated as a city in 1866.
Newport, originally known as Autixit or Antuxit, for the creek on which it is situated, was the site of a skirmish between the Whigs and Tories during the American Revolution. It also was the site of early saw and grist mills.
Port Elizabeth was first known as Maurice River Town. Streets were laid out in 1771 by Elizabeth Clark Bodley, who owned the land. Quakers, Presbyterians, Methodists, African Methodists, and Catholics all had churches here. In the first part of the 19th century, the town was second only to Bridgeton in importance as a major port and industrial center. Here, glass was first manufactured in 1795 by James Lee.
Port Norris, originally known as Dallas' Ferry for an early settler who operated a ferry service here, was named for Norris Jones, a son of Joseph "Coffee" Jones of Philadelphia, who bought the land in 1810. The timber industry provided a living for its early settlers, but by 1870, a thriving oyster industry existed. For the next 70 years it was to bring prosperity to the town.
Roadstown, originally known as Sayre's Crossroads, was the terminus of a stage coach line to Philadelphia after 1770. The Cohansey Baptist Church, the oldest existing meeting house for that denomination in South Jersey, was erected in 1802.
Seabrook was founded in the 20th century by Charles "C.F." Seabrook, who established Seabrook Farms in 1912 and built the community for his employees. His agricultural methods were state-of-the-art for that time. He was one of the first to spray his crops by aircraft, and the frozen food plant he opened was once of the first in the United States. He also welcomed Japanese-American internees after World War II, and built a school for his workers.
Shiloh, originally known as Cohansey Corners, was settled by Seventh-Day Baptists under Robert Ayars in 1705. They established a church in 1737, and their observance of Saturday as the Sabbath set the community apart.
Springtown is said to have been settled by persons who were aided by Greenwich Quakers, via the Underground Railroad, to escape the bonds of slavery.
Vineland was established as a planned community by Philadelphia lawyer Charles K. Landis, who had founded Hammonton. He purchased the land from R.D. Wood of Millville in 1861. The city experienced rapid growth - in 1866 alone, 1200 buildings were erected. The first house, built in 1867, is preserved today by the Vineland Historical and Genealogical Society. The city was bisected by the Millville & Glassboro Railroad, which gave it access to Camden and Philadelphia, and later to Cape May. In square miles, it is the largest incorporated city in New Jersey.
Woodruff was a station on the New Jersey Southern Railroad. A post office was established there in 1882, with John S. Woodruff as postmaster.
Taken from The Daily Journal
Special Commemorative Section - 7/1/98