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History of Winslow Township
Researched & compiled by WGHS
Winslow Township encompasses an area of 57-58 square miles in the extreme southestern
end of Camden County. The history of Winslow Township begin on March 8, 1845 when the
Township of Winslow was incorporated. The township was taken from old Gloucester Township
in order for this lower section to have a representative in the Board of 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, Cedar Brook, Elm, Albion, Bate's Mill, Blue
Anchor, and Winslow Village.

Blue Anchor Inn
The oldest settlement in the township was Blue Anchor, which was located at a point
wherealong an old Indian trail to the seacoast and where other trails from Absecom and
Tuckahoe comnverged. 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 Rte 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 sanitarium 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 inductry of the area, John Inskip erected a saw mill on the
Great Egg Harbor River and a public ford was added around 1762. The local Indians 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 (stil a working frieght
yrad) to name a few.
Winslow Township has grown considerably since its incorporation; from 1540 in 1845, 3379
in 1920, to over 34,000 in 2000.
| Winslow Township Timeline |
Population Timeline In Winslow |
- 1677 Blue Anchor Tract Purchased from Indians
- 1690 Blue Anchor was named
- 1726 First Tract Land cleared
- 1737 Philadelphia distiller mentions Blue Anchor Tavern which stands on an old Indian
trail.
- 1740 John Hider landlord of Cedar Log Cabin Tavern, Blue Anchor.
- 1752 Ancora was created
- 1762 Public Ford was created across Egg Harbor River
- 1800 Tansboro settlement founded and tannery built by C. Tice(early 1800's).
- 1814 Cross Keys/ Long a Coming road was laid out
- 1829 Land acquired for glassworks by William Coffin, Sr.
- 1831 Construction of glassworks begun.
- 1840 Methodist Church built. Glassworks include 2 window glass factories, hollow ware
factory. Also in town company store with post office and 100 tenements.
- 1845 Winslow Township was created
- 1853 Boundaries modified
- 1854 Camden & Atlantic RR built through Winslow.
- 1856 Tannery closed.
- 1874 Sicklerville Post Office was established
- 1892 Glassworks burned.
- 1900 Hospital established at Ancora. Brickyard established.
- 1906 First School built
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- 1845 Population 1540
- 1940 Population 4866
- 1960 Population 9142
- 1970 Population 11,202
- 1980 Population 20,034
- 1990 Population 30,087
- 2000 Population 38,000 approx.
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Winslow Township Organization and Elected Officials
Researched & compiled by WGHS
After the incorporation of the Township of Winslow the first township meeting and
election was held at the inn of Josiah Albertson in Blue Anchor. Also, a committee
was formed from the residents of Gloucester Township and Winslow Township in order to
divide the Gloucester Township funds and to pro rate the taxes for the coming year.
This committee met at the house of Jacob Leach in Long-a-Coming (presently Berlin),
NJ.
The following is a list of elected officials of Winslow Township and the years that
they served.
| Clerk |
Assessor |
Collector |
Justice of the Peace |
- Wm. R. Johnson (1845)
- Elijah Burdsall (1846)
- Joshua Duble (1847-48)
- Thomas Melony (1849-51)
- George M. Mapes (1852-53)
- M.R. Simmerman (1854)
- Richard J. Mapes (1855-1856)
- M.S. Peacock (1857)
- John R. Duble (1858-60)
- Montgomery Reading (1861-70)
- John Little (1871-72)
- Edward Baker (1873-82)
- Levi C. Phifer (1883)
- Robert F. McDougall (1884)
- M.R. Simmerman (1885-86)
|
- Chas. H. French (1845-48)
- Edwin Woolf (1849-50)
- Wm. R. Johnson (1851)
- Thomas Melony (1852)
- John Carroll (1853-54)
- Thomas Melony (1855)
- John Wright (1856-58)
- Wm. T. Sickler (1859-64)
- John R. Duble (1865-81)
- Edward Burdsall (1882)
- Michael G. Burdsall (1883-86)
|
- James Dill (1845-48)
- Peter C. Ross (1849-50)
- Montgomery Reading (1851)
- Samuel Norcross (1852-55)
- Jacob Sailor (1856-64)
- Montgomery Reading (1865-73)
- John R. Duble (1874)
- Montgomery Reading (1875-79)
- Conkling Mayhew (1880-82)
- Jacob Sickler (1883-86)
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- Wm. Peacock
- Wm. T. Sickler
- Jos. W. Garten
- Wm. Shreve
- John Cain
- Wm. R. Meyers
- Henry M. Jewett
- Chas. French
- Joel Murphy
- Samuel Burdsall
- W.G. Wilson
- Joshua Duble
- Isaac S. Peacock
- Thomas Austin
- Elijah Burdsall
- Wm. Bishop
- Paul H. Sickler
- John Marshall
- Sidney Woods
- Abner Gurney
- Isaac S. Peacock
- Christian Heventhal
- George Blatherwick
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Source: History of
Camden County, N.J. by George R. Prowell |
The WGHS is looking for members to help research additional information on the history
of Winslow Township and the prominant families who shaped its future. Join us now.
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