Gloucester/Camden County line

B

buckykattnj

Scout
Feb 22, 2010
39
6
Atlantic County At-Large
Slightly OT, I imagine, but thought I'd run it by you guys since I haven't found anything about it elsewhere...

The boundary line between Gloucester and Camden counties, for the most part is Big Timber Creek and Great Egg Harbor Rivers... or more specifically, the South Branch Big Timber Creek and Fourmile Branch of the Great Egg Harbor River... and the space between these creeks/rivers is a straight line, as it crosses what I call the "Continental" Divide of New Jersey (I suppose the proper term would be hydrological divide).

However, for some reason, Gloucester Township, which is part of Camden County takes a little bite onto the other side of South Branch Big Timber Creek.

Now, I understand that back when Camden, Gloucester and Atlantic counties were all one, that there were only two townships... Gloucester Township and Egg Harbor Township... so Gloucester Township is special, as it was slowly lopped and chopped into all the political divisions in modern day Camden and Gloucester counties... but the area of the "bite" is basically Lakeland... which was likely nothing but farms back in 1844 when Camden county was set off.

I realize there may not be an answer to this, but does any one know why this little boundary discrepancy exists?

Thanks in advance,

BKNJ
 
W

willy

Scout
Jul 16, 2014
44
14
49
galloway nj
buckykattnj said:
Ah, cripes... completely forgot about those documents. Only thing that sucks is that these usually don't contain any reasoning as to why the changes are being made.

Thanks.

BKNJ
Click to expand...
Reading p. 45-46. It sounds like Camden County slowly bought that farm land until 1925. It was in 1926 when the boundary was changed. My guess since the own it, they could claim it. It refers to the old and new Camden County Farm House. I do not know what that is. If you research that, it may provide you the answer.
Willy
 
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Oriental

Oriental

Explorer
Apr 21, 2005
253
133
I am guessing that it has something to do with the County Poor House and Assylum that was at Lakeland prior to the division of said counties. As the facility expanded it was probably necessary for Camden to acquire additional land from its neighbor.
 
W

willy

Scout
Jul 16, 2014
44
14
49
galloway nj
an except from http://www.poorhousestory.com/poorhouses_in_new_jersey.htm
LOCAL NOTES:
"Camden County, NJ had an almshouse as far back as the mid to late 18th century when it was part of Gloucester County, NJ. This was used by both counties after Camden separated from Gloucester in 1844. Camden County built its own in 1864, enlarged it 13 years later and again in 1881. A separate hospital ward was built after which the Camden County Almshouse was said to be the most complete in NJ. There was also an Insane Asylum and a farm and residences for the superintendents of each facility.


The complex, located on Asyla Road in lower Gloucester Township, Camden County, was known as Lakeland until the early 1990's when that name was dropped for the county Health Services Complex. Some of the original hospital buildings remain and there is a potters field on the grounds with largely unmarked graves. Whether they contain almshouse residents or unlucky hospital patients, I could not say and do not know where records, if any exist, might be located. However, early Freeholder Minutes of the period do record the names of the superintendents at these facilities and the budgets adopted for them. These Minutes, unpublished and in long hand, are stored in the County Courthouse.
I hope this answers you question.
 
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