Announcement Date: November 22, 2015

The voters living within the boundaries of the proposed new municipality, given the opportunity to vote for or against becoming a borough in a referendum, gave their approval in April of 1917. The citizens of Barrington, having won the right to self-government, set about the task of making the transition from township to borough government.

The elected seven-member council was composed of six council members and a Mayor. The members were John Cuthbert, George Culbertson, Lewis Stanton, Thomas Williams, Robert Hudson, Luke Page and Mayor Edward F. Dold. Edward F. Dold was chosen Mayor by popular demand. There were no political parties as such in Barrington at this time. Mr. Dold was the only candidate and received 190 votes.

During a June council meeting vital personnel were appointed. They were: Borough Clerk, Frank Adams (Secretary/Treasurer); Engineer, J.J. Albertson; Tax Collector, Frank Adams; Board of Health, Herbert K. Ball; Solicitor, George J. Bergen, Esq.; Chief of Police, Henry Ambrose; Clerk, Walter Manlove; Chairman of Roads Commission, Thomas Williams; Lighting, Lewis Stanton; Fire Chief, Robert Hudson; Chairman of Finance, John Cuthbert; Physician, Doctor Matthew Faunce; Special Officers, John Barr and Lorenzo Stone; Recorder, Delaney Wynne; Building Inspector, William Morrow; Auditor, Oscar Stewart.

Some definite challenges faced the new government. One priority was the school system. A Board of Education was formed with Herbert K. Ball as President, Franklin Eyre as Vice President and E.M. Oliver, Jr. as the District Clerk. The Board members were Reese M. Ford, John Franke, Harry Halibauer, Lewis Lina, Edward Malony and Eiisworth Whitney. The teaching staff consisted of J. Howard Johnson as Supervising Principal and Edwin M. Frazier as Principal. The teachers were Jessie Boogar, Edith Clement, Christine Elsele, Persis Henezey, Martha A. Sayre, Etta Styles, Dorothy Pickell and Sara A. Watson.

A new school was needed to relieve the bulging 1907 schoolhouse, the predecessor of the present municipal complex. School No.2, now known as the Culbertson School, was built in 1917. It was a two-story brick structure whose four classrooms served the fifth through eighth grades.

Another problem was the settling of financial affairs with Centre Township. Township and Borough representatives met in early July and agreed that the financial transition of government should occur as of June 30, 1917. Because Centre Township had levied taxes to cover outlays for Barrington’s needed services, and Barrington was acquiring Township property such as the existing school, the Borough owed the Township nearly $6,000.00 in cash. Accordingly, the new municipality was obliged to borrow that cash to meet its financial obligation and to operate on a sound fiscal basis.

The third problem was the lack of adequate Borough maps showing current boundaries, property lines, grades and other topographical data. These maps were needed by both the Tax Assessor and the Engineer to perform their tasks efficiently. For the next few years they managed to function with the incomplete maps, supplemented by information they themselves were able to gather until updated maps were prepared.

Meanwhile, both the Fire Department and the newly organized Police Department energetically made plans to protect the borough’s nearly 1,000 citizens.

With the installation of a “city” water system in the town, eight fire hydrants were available for use. This prompted the firemen to ask Borough Council to buy them 500 feet of hose. They wanted a motor driven truck, and a committee began to seek estimates. American LaFrance offered to supply a new unit for $1,300.00 or a demonstrator at $1,150.00. Not satisfied with such a high quote, the committee visited Nicholson’s Chevrolet Agency in Stratford, which offered a chassis for $600.00. Further searching led to someone with a 1917 Ford car with a Ford truck rear in first class condition. A loan for $350.00 was secured from the Haddon Heights National Bank to buy it. The chassis had chain-driven rear wheels with solid tires. A body was put on at a cost of $285.00. One of the members, Gus Hallberg, a fine painter, decorated the vehicle for $35.00. A forty-gallon chemical tank was installed with a hose rack and ladders.

The new unit was “housed” on Thanksgiving Day with appropriate ceremony. The new Council was apparently impressed and a month later contributed $195.00 toward the cost.

The truck had no bell, and five local girls identified as Rose Hallberg, Ethel Ford, Lillian Hudson, Irene Kreh and Amelia Schmidt, took on this task as a special project. Using the first letter of each of the girl’s names, they called themselves the RELIA Circle and began raising funds. On one occasion they asked for the use of the fire hall to hold a fund raising dance. The use was granted but they still had to pay the going rate of $1.50 for the evening. Undaunted, they raised enough money, and a short time later presented the Company with the one thing that made the new unit complete .a bell.

Barrington’s first police officers had no uniforms but were soon supplied with caps and nightsticks. The department’s only other equipment were six lanterns with red globes which were filled with kerosene at the officer’s own expense. These could be placed at any dangerous location until correction could be made, or could be waved at the scene of an accident, or used for flagging traffic, as the case warranted.

A major source of complaint was livestock. A pig that got loose during the night and chose to root in a new spring garden could cause a neighborhood squabble. The police handled many cases of chickens being killed by dogs. Most of the time it was claimed that the chickens were of a special strain and worth more than the average. Arguments about proper height of fencing were raised although some claimed their leghorns could fly over any fence. Ordinances were adopted to force residents to tether their animals a sufficient distance from the street so as not to be a hazard to pedestrians or traffic. The dirt roads had apparently become a grazing area.

Checking speeders, both automobiles and trolleys, was another task of the police department. Public Service trolley cars on Atlantic Avenue were speeding across Clements Bridge Road. The obvious hazard was compounded by the railroad station on the left, which obstructed the view of anyone traveling towards the White Horse Pike. Coming from the Pike there was a dirt bank on the left. Several serious accidents, plus numerous close calls dictated immediate action. Protests to the trolley company prompted them to agree to momentary stops on Sundays and holidays. Even this was not adhered to, and a suit was threatened. The police were instructed to note trolley numbers with the idea of having the motorman identified on the return trip and arraigned before the Justice of the Peace. Ensuing inconvenience to the passengers ruled this plan of action out. The problem was brought to a successful conclusion when it was discovered that, under a 1915 law, municipalities could force trolleys to stop at designated points.

Police officers in this era attempted to Judge the speed of passing cars by visual observation. In 1918, the Police Chief wrote to a realtor in Haddon Heights stating he had been seen going through our town in excess of 40 mph, and that the letter was to serve as sufficient warning since the speed limit in Barrington was 12 mph. It was common practice to issue such warnings. The Department erected four speed limit signs.

Violators, during the early part of the 20th century, were brought before Justice of the Peace William S. Gregory, who held court at his home located on Gloucester Pike at the railroad in Lawnside. He was about 5’6″ tall, weighed about 160 pounds, was slightly bowlegged and had a raucous voice. An accident had left him with only the thumb and index finger on his right hand and when he waved this at any person accused of a crime, it struck fear in the culprit. Relations were somewhat strained between Mr. Gregory and the Chief of Police, and a complaint was made to the Council that the Justice was lax on the job. The matter was aired before the governing body and concluded to their satisfaction. Following this, the two men became fast friends.

The biggest challenge to the young police department came in the latter part of June 1919, on the Fitzgerald Farm that extended west from present-day Fifth Avenue to the Bellmawr line. During a heavy shower a biplane carrying mail was forced down in the middle of the field. The police had to try to keep sightseers off the maturing spring crops. This was no easy task as news spread fast, and with no fences, people came from every direction. Even with every special officer called to duty, and police recruited from other area departments. The situation was almost hopeless. To make matters worse, another biplane arrived and took on the mail. This second plane attempted to take off downhill on the farm road that would have been a continuation of Albany Avenue. After going about 300 feet, the left wing struck a cherry tree spinning the plane around and resulting in severe damage. Sightseers continued to swell the already existing crowd, causing a situation that got completely out of hand.

Clearly, Barrington’s first few shaky years of independence were not everything the residents had anticipated. The next decade brought a more optimistic picture.