WINSLOW TOWNSHIP, NEW JERSEY

'Winslow Township' is a Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 34,611.
Winslow Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 8, 1845, from portions of Gloucester Township. Portions of the township were taken on November 26, 1867, to create Chesilhurst. In 1950, the township annexed a portion of Monroe Township (in Gloucester County)."The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968", John P. Snyder, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 109.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Government

Local government

Federal, state and county representation

Education

Transportation

History

Notable residents

References

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 150.5 km² (58.1 mi²). 149.4 km² (57.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (0.69%) is water.
Winslow borders Berlin Borough, Chesilhurst, Gloucester Township, Pine Hill, and Waterford Township. Winslow also borders Atlantic County and Gloucester County.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 34,611 people, 11,661 households, and 9,002 families residing in the township. The population density was 231.6/km² (599.9/mi²). There were 12,413 housing units at an average density of 83.1/km² (215.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 65.50% White, 29.34% African American, 0.30% Native American, 1.30% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.58% from other races, and 1.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.31% of the population.
There were 11,661 households out of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $55,990, and the median income for a family was $62,045. Males had a median income of $43,320 versus $31,657 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,254. About 4.5% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Local government

The Mayor of Winslow Township is SueAnn Metzner. Members of the Winslow Township Committee are:^[1]

★ 'Ward 1:' Karen Gibison and Anthony Tomasello

★ 'Ward 2:' Karl Wm. Auwarter and Nick LoSasso

★ 'Ward 3:' Marie D. Lawrence and Anthony Mitchell

★ 'Ward 4:' Charles Flamini and John Wilson

Federal, state and county representation

Winslow Township is in the First Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th Legislative District.^[2]

Education

The Winslow Township School District is a Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 public school district, with four Elementary Schools (Elementary School No. 1, Elementary School No. 2,
Elementary School No. 3 and
Elementary School No. 4 for grades Pre-K - 2), two Upper Elementary Schools (Upper Elementary School No. 5 and Upper Elementary School No. 6 for grades 3 - 5), one Middle School (Winslow Township Middle School for grades 6 - 8), and Winslow Township High School for grades 9 - 12).
Public school students from Chesilhurst attend the district's schools for grades 7-12 as part of a sending/receiving relationship.
Winslow Township High School gained national attention in 2006 because of a shooting plot which was to take place during a lunch period. A student became aware of the plot and alerted school officials, who in turn notified the Winslow Township Police Department. Three young students involved were arrested before the plot could be carried out. The oldest received five years in prison (approximately 13 months with good behavior). One of the other boys, found to be the plot's "ring leader" was sentenced to six years in prison. Another was placed under house aresst.^[3]

Transportation

New Jersey Transit bus service is available to Philadelphia on the 316 (seasonal) and 400 routes. Local service is available on the 459 and 463 routes, and service to Atlantic City is offered on the 551 and 554 routes.^[4]

History

Winslow Township was incorporated on March 8, 1845, when the Township of Winslow was created from old Gloucester Township in order for this lower section to have a representative in the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders and to allow the residents of the area to have control over the expenditures of funds that were raised in the area. The first tracts of land that were taken up in this new municipality were mostly cedar swamps and the first settlers were involved in the cutting and transportation of cedar logs to Philadelphia. The background of Winslow Township includes the history of many of the small communities within its borders. These small communities are Tansboro, Sicklerville, New Jersey, Cedar Brook, Elm, Albion, Bate's Mill, Blue Anchor, and Winslow Village.
The oldest settlement in the township was Blue Anchor, which was located at a point along an old Native American trail to the seacoast and where other trails from Absecon and Tuckahoe converged. At the same point was the Blue Anchor Inn that was built prior to 1740 by John Hider. The inn has sinced burned down and no longer exists, although the name of the area along Route 73 still carries the name Blue Anchor.
The largest village at the time of the township's incorporation was Winslow Village. Winslow Village was the site of the Winslow Glass Works, built by William Coffin in 1831. William named the village of Winslow after his youngest son, Edward Winslow Coffin. In 1833, William Coffin took on a partner, Andrew Hay. In 1851, Andrew Hay became the sole proprietor of the glass works and expanded the business in the area to include a saw mill and a grist mill, in order to diversify the industries there. Coffin and Hay are also credited with helping to establish the Methodist Church in Winslow Village in 1840 by donating the ground. By 1865 the glass works employed 400 people, but in 1892 a fire destroyed the factory.
Tansboro was a community that was established on the location of a tannery that was owned by C. Tice and J. Venibe. It is reported that there was also a glass works located near there and was started with an investment of $7,000 in capital.
Braddock, Florence, Williamstown Junction, Cedar Brook, and Albion were hamlets that were located along the Reading Railroad line, while Sicklerville grew from its location along the Williamstown Branch of the Williamstown-Delaware River Railroad Line. In the very early days, the area we now know as Sicklerville was known by two names, Waretown and Sicklertown. The fact that John Sickler, an early homesteader in the area, built the station along the branch line helped solidify the name Sicklertown (later changed to Sicklerville) on the rail maps.
Ancora was mostly known for the Camden County tuberculosis sanatorium that was located in the area. It was soon to be moved to more modern quarters at Asyla. One of the prominent families of the area, The Albertsons, had their homestead on Spring Garden Road and is now a private residence. It was reported that the first township meeting was held at Joshua Albertson's home.
Because timber was the main industry of the area, John Inskip erected a sawmill on the Great Egg Harbor River and a public ford was added around 1762. The local Native Americans would stop and camp overnight whenever they traveled between the Indian villages of Shamong and Tuckahoe.
Many businesses sprang up in the area and the population grew due to the laying of track into Winslow Junction by the Camden and Atlantic Railroad, then later by the Vineland Railway Company (1871) and the Philadelphia-Atlantic City Railroad (1877). Some other businesses that were located in Winslow Township, but no longer exist, are the Bailey Factory (makers of dye sticks; no longer operational), another glass factory in Wilton was leased by J.L.Mason (no longer in existence), and Winslow Junction (still a working freight yard) to name a few.
Winslow Township has grown considerably since its incorporation; from 1,540 in 1845, 3,379 in 1920, to over 34,000 in 2000.
Researched & compiled by WGHS

Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Winslow Township include:

★ Andrew K. Hay (1809-1881), represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1849 to 1851.^[5]

References

1. Winslow Township Officials, Winslow Township. Accessed March 27, 2007.
2. 2006 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters, p. 66. Accessed August 30, 2006.
3. Principal: Kids' Tips Stopped Shooting CBS News, April 8, 2006.
4. Camden County Bus/Rail Connections, New Jersey Transit. Accessed June 21, 2007.
5. Andrew Kessler Hay, ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''. Accessed August 25, 2007.

External links

★ Winslow Township municipal website

★ Winslow Township School District

★

★ National Center for Education Statistics data for the Winslow Township School District

★ Winslow Genealogical & Historical Society website

★ UNofficiallyWinslow.com blog