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SJ Towns: Lumberton Then and Now

The early development of Lumberton Township was not unlike that of the rest of Burlington County. Were it not for land speculation, nothing much would have happened. One of those who originally purchased land in what is now Lumberton included Robert Dimsdale. Part of the 1600 acres of land he purchased on the South-branch of the Ancocas (Rancocas) creek was later called Dimsdale Run or Bobby’s Run.

A few years after purchasing the tract of land along the south-branch of the Ancocas creek Dimsdale returned to England. After his death the land was passed to his widow and various other family members, none of whom resided in America. In 1746 tracts of this land were finally sold to Richard Smith and Ebenezer Large, merchants of Burlington. According to historical documentation, “Lumberton, The Early Years,” Smith and Large eventually subdivided the tract starting in 1749 and the subdivision continued for many years after. One of the subdivided parcels of land, ‘Tract Number 13’ now called Lumberton, was approximately 95 acres and had houses, buildings, wharfs, and stores. By 1800 it had a variety of commercial enterprises, a significant population and transportation connections to Philadelphia.

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That land purchase, and those of Richard Eayres, Thomas Burr, and Merchant Richard Edwards, were noteworthy. They would lead to activities in and around Lumberton Village, and were properties that would usher settlers in to the area. Eayres and his family, who may be considered the first semi-permanent residents of Lumberton Township, prospered on this land. His land was considered the first sustained settlement in the area and a commercial hub through at least 75% of the eighteenth century. His land was on the last navigable point on the South Branch of the Ancocas, and ideally suited for development. He had settled on land very well adaptable to cultivation. It was among the best suited for agricultural purposes in Lumberton and in Burlington County.

The rich farmlands of Lumberton were cleared very early and by the beginning of the 1800s there was significant farming going on in the area. Farms were likely to have been producing for subsistence, and supplying to exterior markets. Local farmers had available to them mills to take raw goods, wools, grains and lumber. Many Lumberton farmers were of the Quaker Faith—characterized by restraint, order, introspectiveness, and deliberation.The Village of Lumberton did not develop as a coherent community until after the surrounding farmlands had been cleared. Also traffic throughout neighboring towns was sufficient to insure good profits for a few businesses.

There was a farming community in Fostertown and a mill community in Eayrestown in 1790. Through out the 1790s Richard Edwards controlled at one time or another, and perhaps simultaneously, all the prime sawmills within reach of Lumberton Village. Up to Edwards’ time Lumberton was a farming community. After Merchant Edwards Lumberton Village became a bigger hub of activity and with that change a large part of the economic base began to shift away from agriculture toward industry.

What exists today in Lumberton is an architectural history from the first decade of the eighteenth century forward. Near the beginning of the nineteenth century the established customs of building were altered into another form. Buildings in the newer mode became more plentiful than those of the first. This newer mode is designated Greek Revival and was widely adopted in Lumberton.

One example can be found along Crispin Road near Creek Road. Characteristics of this structure is indicative of a general sense among the people of that time that they were part of something larger than their community. They were absorbing customs and fashions current in Philadelphia. The massive brick Greek Revival buildings of the Lumberton countryside are important both to architectural history and as a testimony of agricultural affluence.

In the meantime, the center of Lumberton was becoming more attractive to workers and tradesmen. The populous Village area at that time was in the process of developing a more industrial, commercial and service-oriented atmosphere. Obviously these people did not erect grand houses—but instead compact houses that were of the braced, frame manner and made certain concessions to the style of the age.

(Article Sources: The Lumberton Historical Society and “Lumberton – The Early Years”, by Philip Yanella).

For more South Jersey History, visit our SJ History page.

For more South Jersey Town information, visit our SJ Town News page.

Author: Sonina Matteo

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