Announcement Date: November 22, 2015

The area emerged from an essentially farming community to an area, which while still “countrified”, was showing the characteristics of a suburb. Even before 1910, Tommy Williams filed a plan for one acre lots in a development he called “Farmhurst” and a few lots were sold. Later, as that area along Shreve and Williams Avenues became further settled, it was referred to as the “Acre Tract.” By 1910, the Haines farm was virtually all residential and areas to the west and southwest were dotted with new homes. Clements Bridge Road, from the railroad to the Gloucester Pike and even beyond, was becoming lined with homes separated by vacant lots. By 1917, a number of new homes had appeared on lands that were formerly parts of the Williams, the Fitzgerald and the Weaver farms.

A major factor in this period of growth was the improvement of railroad service. A flag station was built by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Co. at the Clements Bridge Road crossing in 1894, and additional passenger trains were put into service as demand increased. In 1903, Public Service completed its trolley-car line adjacent to the railroad. The charge was five cents to ride between Camden and Haddon Heights. The ease and reasonable cost of commuting drew people living in the nearby crowded cities to live in the “country”. These new residents were willing to sacrifice the conveniences of big city life for a new and less expensive style of living available in Barrington.

In general, new homes were unpretentious five or six room frame houses built on lots that could accommodate flower and vegetable gardens and a few fruit trees. It was not uncommon to have a few chickens in the yard and, in some cases, a few pigs. Typically, water for drinking, cooking and washing was drawn by a pump in the kitchen, from a well under the house. Each home had its own backyard privy. Later, pressure pumps were used to hoist water from the well to a cedar tank or cistern in the attic, bringing the luxuries of a bathtub, flush toilet and hot and cold running water. A pipe carried wastes to a cesspool.

Normally, houses had wood or coal burning furnaces for heating and stoves for cooking. Perishables were kept in insulated “ice boxes” and supplied periodically with “cakes” of ice delivered by the “ice man.” Kerosene lamps were usually used for indoor lighting. Later gas and electricity were used. Garbage was often buried in the garden or was consumed by chickens, crows, or other scavengers. Trash was burned. Paper trash was minimal since grocery and meat articles were not, at that time, packaged in cartons or wrapped in cellophane.

Groceries and other household necessities were available to the new residents at local stores like the one established by Allen Grover at the turn of the century on Barrington Avenue, southeast off Clements Bridge Road. They could also patronize Evaul’s (est. 1898) or Crooke’s (est. 1902) in Haddon Heights or various stores in Haddonfield. Attracted by the possibility of profitable trade, Luke Page began a general merchandise store about 1905, on the convenient southwest corner of Reading and Barrington Avenues. He supplied Barrington residents for a generation. Yost’s General Store, 112 Clements Bridge Road, was in operation during this period, and gave competition to the Page store. In 1915, Child’s Grocery Store opened on the corner of Clements Bridge Road and Reading Avenues.

The mailing address of early Barrington residents was Mt. Ephraim, where a Post Office had been established in 1837. Mail was brought from there by horse and buggy under the Federal Rural Free Delivery Service inaugurated in 1896. Individual metal mailboxes, each bearing a resident’s name, were posted in the ground along Clements Bridge Road and Gloucester Pike. Outgoing mail was picked up from the box and incoming mail was delivered to it. Before the “RFD” service, farmers living on the lands that became Barrington received their mail at Post Offices in Collingswood, Chews Landing, Magnolia or Haddonfield, depending on where they lived. After settlement began in Barrington, the mailing address of some residents was Haddon Heights and others were Haddonfield, depending on their proximity to those towns. Such a pattern continues even today. The mailing address of most of Barrington’s residents was changed to Barrington in 1911, when the town got its own Post Office and Edward L. McMenomay was made Postmaster. Luke Page became the Postmaster in 1913 and ran the Post Office from his general merchandise store for the next five years. The residents who lived along Gloucester Pike, Davis Road and the western end of Clements Bridge Road continued to receive their mail from Mt. Ephraim via the RFD until 1932. After that time, their address was changed to Barrington and they picked up their mail from the Barrington Post Office.

Barrington, along with the villages of Mt. Ephraim, Magnolia, Lawnside and the surrounding farmlands, was a part of Centre Township, which was governed by a Township Committee. The new residents of Barrington had a voice in electing members to the Township Committee and took part in bringing to the Committee’s attention such issues as public safety, fire and police protection, road maintenance, local public schools, property assessment and, of course, taxes.

During 1905, the people of the Barrington area began to organize both for religious and security reasons. On May 16, 1905, Mr. Reese M. Ford held a prayer meeting in his home at 209 Austin Avenue along with seventeen people. This was in response to a public invitation posted in the town and it was probably the first religious service held in Barrington. From this meeting the First Presbyterian Church was organized and the first church in Barrington built. It was located at 207 Kingston Avenue and the dedication took place on April 8, 1906.

In the area of public safety, the need for community fire protection was foremost. The new houses in the core village were close together and used highly flammable kerosene for lighting. In 1905, a small group of public-spirited citizens formed a “bucket brigade” known as the Barrington League. They met to discuss ways and means of furthering fire protection for the community. As a result, the Barrington Fire Company No.1 was incorporated on April 1, 1907 with twenty some members comprised of both town and farm residents. George W. Silvers was elected the first President and Benjamin Hudson was elected chief. The Fire Company started with a treasury of $73.53, apparently the balance of the Barrington League. Initiation into the Company was 50 cents, later increased to $1.00, with monthly dues of 25 cents. The dues have remained nearly the same for 75 years. To augment dues, the organization sponsored such events as lawn parties, turkey races, pig chases and other entertaining activities.

Barrington Fire Company No.1 was in need of a firehouse. Public Service Electric and Gas Company had a small building that was used to house some of the workmen who were building the trolley line to Magnolia. It was located on Atlantic Avenue in Haddon Heights, just northwest of their present power station. The trolley line was completed in 1907, and the building was given to the Fire Company as a gift. Moving the building to a lot on the corner of Barrington and Haines Avenues was quite an undertaking. It was rolled on logs out to White Horse Pike, down and along Clements Bridge Road to the railroad, and over the railroad tracks after the last train passed through at 11:00 PM. Two years later, the building was moved again to a lot at Second and Haines Avenues, the present location of the Fire Company. This building was, for many years, the center of all government activities as well as many social and religious activities. It also provided a home for the library and headquarters for Boy Scout Troop 87.

The first major piece of fire-fighting equipment was a hand drawn ladder truck, complete with buckets and some tools, purchased in 1909 for $435.00. In 1911, the Company added to its inventory a “barrel on wheels”, a well-built metal tank of about 40 gallons capacity pressurized with soda and acid. On the top of the “barrel on wheels” was a square container in which was coiled the hose line. This piece of equipment was vital in the absence of an area water system. In addition, the Company spread five hand extinguishers about the town with public notices as to their location and set about educating the public on fire prevention. People were exhorted to rid themselves of unneeded and flammable materials in the home and especially to clean their chimneys. Chimney cleaning was emphasized because many people burned wood, which led to a build up in the flue, causing chimney fires. One of the firemen, a carpenter by trade, convinced many people to put a trap door in the roof next to the chimney to be able to easily service it more frequently.

There were no uniformed policemen patrolling the village during Barrington’s first 25 years, as there were no major dangers serious enough to warrant protection by an organized police force. The Centre Township Committee had appointed constables at various times whose main task was to serve writs for the courts. These constables were ordinary town residents without formal police training. They assumed police functions only when the need arose but otherwise carried on their own private occupations.

Maintaining, repairing and improving the village streets and public roads were under the Jurisdiction of the Centre Township Road Commission. Public routes, including streets, had to be systematically scraped, to maintain a “semblance” of a grade, and mowed to keep down the weeds. As new houses were built and the nucleus of the village expanded, Barrington residents urged the Township to lay down sidewalks along some of the village streets to replace footpaths. About 1913, the Centre Township assigned a surveyor and employed engineers and other workers to provide such improvements. Clements Bridge Road, of particular importance to suburban residents and also to Barrington farmers (the Williams and Weaver farms were still in operation), was maintained and improved through a joint effort by the Centre Township and the Camden County road authorities. Meanwhile, tolls were lifted from the White Horse Pike in 1893 and from Haddon Avenue in 1909 making them public roads.

The children of early Barrington residents were educated in the Centre Township schools. With Barrington’s population boom, the need for a school close to the heart of the village became apparent. Probably the same civic-minded group of residents who initiated the organization of a Fire Company also spearheaded the demand for a new school in Barrington. The Centre Township Committee and its Board of Education agreed to the request and in 1907, a new two-room frame school was built in a field near Haines Avenue between Second and Third Avenues. Two more rooms were added in 1909. This school, staffed with four teachers, served the educational needs of the village until the Borough was formed in 1917. The present Municipal Building is located on the site. These expanded public services were paid for in the form of taxes. Each taxpayer paid his share to an elected Centre Township tax collector in one yearly lump sum and the Centre Township distributed part of the monies to Camden County.

As the population of Barrington grew, civic and social activity increased among its residents, serving to draw together both farmers and townsfolk. An event of special significance was the establishment of an informal volunteer group of citizens in 1909 called the Improvement Association. They met in the Fire Hall and in the homes of various members to discuss proposals for the betterment of Barrington, and proceeded to translate those proposals into action. As the Association merged suburban and farmer interests, a strong community spirit developed.

On the social side of life, residents formed various religious, fraternal, athletic, musical and political associations. Nearly all of these groups and their auxiliaries sponsored special “events.” The village’s central meeting place for dances, social, sales of all kinds, movies and religious services was the Fire Hall. It also served as a polling place at election times and as a temporary tax collecting office at the appropriate times.

Another popular meeting place was Heake’s Hall, located on Barrington Avenue between Kingston and Albany Avenue. Johnnie Heake, who lived on Kingston Avenue near Barrington Avenue, built the building about 1909. Saturday night dances were held here, as it was convenient for the dancers to come by trolley. Some commencement exercises for Centre Township schools took place here. Another activity was locally produced minstrel shows. In 1916, the Barrington Band sponsored a popularity contest to raise money for equipment. Mary Hudson Atkins became Miss Barrington and won a diamond ring, while Lillian Happ, runner up, received a wristwatch.

The Hall was finally turned into a sewing factory for making dresses and shirtwaists. Women volunteers met once a week and sewed for the Red Cross. Mr. Heake would lend some of his machines for this purpose. The Hall burned down in 1931 and was not replaced.

Still another gathering spot was Franke’s Hall located at 128 Reading Avenue. Mr. John J. Franke Sr. built a two story building at the rear of his home to conduct his upholstery business. He also rented it out to many organizations, such as the Barrington Band, Patriotic Order Sons of America, Women’s Branch of the Patriotic Order of America, Republican Club and the Athletic Association. The building needed many repairs so the top half was removed however, the lower half remains.

Two more church groups started in 1915, the Brethren Church and the Lutheran Church. The Brethren Church held Sunday school in the home of Gus Eisele at 310 Clements Bridge Road while services were held in private homes. During this same year a survey was conducted to establish the need for a Lutheran Church. This led to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Ascension at 4th Avenue & Clements Bridge Road in Haddon Heights.

One of the more unique groups that surfaced during this time of neighborhood unity and pride was the Barrington Band. On New Year’s Eve of 1912, a group of townspeople including Daniel Buckley, John J. Franke Sr., Robert Taylor and Edward Shetsline Sr., were “seeing the New Year in” with a party. As the whistles blew and the cowbells clanged, they decided to parade through the town making some noise of their own. Shetsline had a drum and Buckley a clarinet. They had so much fun that they decided, then and there, that Barrington should have a band.

The original four lost no time in recruiting candidates, mostly from the Improvement Association. The first drive for members netted twenty-one eager fellows, none of whom could play an instrument and few that could read music. Having decided who would play what, instruments were ordered by catalog from the Lyon and Healy Company of Chicago for the sum total of $250.00.

The big day of the arrival of the instruments was a Saturday, and most of the men were on hand at the Barrington Station to unload the freight car. Each man was assigned an instrument and they all paraded down Clements Bridge Road, tooting, blowing, drumming and banging.

They still had to learn how to play and this little matter was attended to at once. Jacob W. Houck, a resident of Barrington, was a member of the famous West Jersey Band of Camden. He agreed to teach the brass section for $3.50 a week. The clarinet section was taught by George Abel of Haddon Heights for $2.00 per week and the piccolo player required a special teacher for another $2.00 per week. They rented the firehouse for rehearsals and were on their way. The first rehearsal for the entire band was held on April 24, 1913, and on July 4th of that year they played at the flag raising for the Barrington Fire Company. A Ladies Auxiliary was formed to help raise money by holding lawn parties, suppers and minstrel shows.

In 1913, Jacob Houck stopped charging for teaching and became the Band Director. John Franke was elected Business Manager. The band also purchased uniforms at $12.00 each and started annual excursions down the Delaware River to Augustine Beach on the S.S. Clyde. They played all the way down and most of Barrington went with them.

The Band had established quite a reputation through its participation in various parades in 1917. The band played in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade for the first time and continued doing so for the next seventeen years. Later in 1917, they played a concert over radio station WIP in Philadelphia and continued to play at Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day exercises in Barrington, Haddon Heights and Haddonfield.

It was not only a banner year for the Barrington Band in 1917 but it was also the year that saw the establishment of Barrington as a separate municipality. This was brought about only through the dedicated and persistent efforts of the community’s civic leaders.

Encouraged by strong community spirit, these leaders contended that the village of Barrington was independent enough to be self-governing. While other villages in Centre Township were growing, Barrington was outstripping them. Its farmlands were rapidly being converted to residential areas and its expanding population demanded increased public services. Greater fire protection was needed and the prospects of population density suggested a not-too-distant need for police protection. The streets and roads were woefully in need of improvement and spreading settlements called for more sidewalks. Better gas, electricity and water supplies were needed. More and better schools were a priority item. Under the township government, Barrington was forced to compete with other villages in the township for the approval to provide of these services.

Although the Township Clerk and a member of the Township Committee were Barrington residents, they were required to weigh requests and other matters coming before the Committee in terms of the welfare of the entire township and not simply in terms of the welfare of Barrington residents. The civic leaders of Barrington believed that the village could more effectively satisfy its own current and future needs if its voters could have closer control over their own affairs. Also, within the village were men who had previous experience in the township government and could initiate the management of a new government for Barrington.

The leaders, with community support, prepared an official proposal that Barrington be made a Borough and arranged for its presentation to the Legislature in 1915, and again in 1916. On both occasions the request was denied. Their persistent efforts succeeded in the following year, when the Legislature passed an act dated March 27, 1917, incorporating the village and establishing it as the Borough of Barrington.