Lawnside, New Jersey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lawnside, New Jersey
Borough
Mount Peace Cemetery and Funeral Directing Company Cemetery
Seal
Location of Lawnside in Camden County highlighted in red (right). Inset map: Location of Camden County in New Jersey highlighted in orange (left).
Census Bureau map of Lawnside, New Jersey
Lawnside, New Jersey Location in Camden County, New Jersey Show map of Camden County, New Jersey Lawnside, New Jersey Location in New Jersey Show map of New Jersey Lawnside, New Jersey Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	New Jersey
County	Camden
Incorporated	April 20, 1926
Government
• Type	Borough
• Body	Borough Council
Area
• Total	1.43 sq mi (3.70 km2)
• Land	1.43 sq mi (3.70 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)  0.00%
Area rank	459th of 565 in state 25th of 37 in county
Elevation	85 ft (26 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,955
• Estimate  (2023)	3,301
• Rank	451st of 565 in state 28th of 37 in county
• Density	2,065.8/sq mi (797.6/km2)
• Density rank	289th of 565 in state 30th of 37 in county
Time zone	UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−04:00 (Eastern (EDT))
ZIP Code	08045
Area code(s)	856 exchanges: 310, 546, 547, 573, 672
FIPS code	3400739420
GNIS feature ID	0885274

Lawnside is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Lawnside was developed in 1840 and incorporated in 1926 as the first independent, self-governing Black municipality north of the Mason–Dixon line. The United Parcel Service has a large depot in the borough. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,955, an increase of 10 (+0.3%) from the 2010 census count of 2,945, which in turn reflected an increase of 253 (+9.4%) from the 2,692 counted in the 2000 census.

In 2021, the borough had the 25th-highest property tax rate in New Jersey, with an equalized rate of 4.213% in 2020, compared to 3.470% in the county as a whole and a statewide average of 2.279%.

History

Lawnside school c. 1940

A tavern in Lawnside c. 1940

Lawnside has been home to African Americans since the late 18th century. Methodist gatherings were established by 1797, and in 1811, Bishop Richard Allen of Philadelphia founded the local African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), which eventually became the Mount Pisgah AME Church today. AME churches were premised on abolition and civil rights, primarily serving former slaves and their descendants. Additionally, freedmen often sought safety and support by concentrating near Quaker allies, which in the case of Lawnside was the Haddonfield Quaker Society of Friends, with support from the Gloucester County Abolition Society and Vigilant Association of Philadelphia. In 1840, these latter abolitionists further advanced the settlement by purchasing land to convert into inexpensive lots for sale to African Americans. The original name of this community, Free Haven, was due to its crucial role as a stop along several routes of the Underground Railroad. Indeed, the home of Peter Mott, now a nationally recognized refuge of the underground railroad, was saved by the Lawnside Historical Society from demolition in 1992 specifically to preserve this important legacy of the town.

The early village was later known as "Snow Hill" after the Civil War and eventually "Lawnton." After a train station was constructed by Reading along the Atlantic City Railroad in 1907, the town became known as Lawnside, either from the presence of a spacious lawn at the station or as a shortened description of the stop's exit on the "Lawnton side" of the tracks.

In 1919, John Lawson, a prominent Philadelphian and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his service during the Civil War, was laid to rest at Mount Peace Cemetery in Lawnside. The exact reasons behind this location remain uncertain, with possibilities including family connections to Lawnside or the restrictions on burying black veterans in certain Pennsylvania cemeteries at the time.

On March 24, 1926, Governor of New Jersey A. Harry Moore signed into law New Jersey General Assembly Bill 561, dissolving Centre Township, of which Lawnside was a part, and incorporating the Borough of Lawnside, which also included portions of the borough of Barrington. One month later, on April 20, 1926, an "Official Special Election" was held making Lawnside the first independent, self-governing African American community north of the Mason–Dixon line.

Despite historic discrimination from banks against African Americans, the incorporation of the town as a Black community allowed residents to achieve home ownership with minimal bureaucratic obstacles. This was also facilitated by local mortgage lenders like the Home Mutual Investment Company, established in 1909, and the Lawnside Mutual Building and Loan Association in 1915.

Lawnside's existence and reputation as a distinctive community was supported in the 1930s through the presence of a thriving jazz and barbecue scene in the wake of prohibition, with venues named the Cotton Club, The Hi-Hat Club, Dreamland Café, and Club Harlem. These establishments attracted visitors from across the northeast, offering the opportunity to enjoy performances by influential African American artists and celebrities who were not allowed to play at white establishments, including such superstars as Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, LaWanda Page, Billy Eckstine, Arthur Prysock, and even champion boxers Joe Louis and Jersey Joe Walcott.

During the 1960s, Lawnside's young people, influenced by the Civil rights and Black power movements, rebelled against the discrimination they faced at the regional Haddon Heights High School, leading sit-ins, protest marches, and media campaigns, which resulted in changes in school administration, increased representation in student life, the introduction of Black studies courses, and the formation of the Afro-American Cultural Society. On April 9, 1968, Lawnside civic leaders became the first governmental entity in the United States to declare the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. to be a holiday, just days after King's assassination.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 1.43 square miles (3.70 km²), all of which was land.

Lawnside borders the Camden County municipalities of Barrington, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Magnolia, Somerdale, Tavistock and Voorhees Township.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 2,945 people, 1,103 households, and 762 families in the borough. The population density was 2,091.5 per square mile (807.5/km²). There were 1,174 housing units at an average density of 833.7 per square mile (321.9/km²). The racial makeup was 4.21% (124) White, 88.83% (2,616) Black or African American, 0.65% (19) Native American, 1.43% (42) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 1.66% (49) from other races, and 3.23% (95) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.38% (129) of the population.

Of the 1,103 households, 25.7% had children under the age of 18; 37.4% were married couples living together; 24.5% had a female householder with no husband present and 30.9% were non-families. Of all households, 26.7% were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.23.

23.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, the population had 84.4 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 78.1 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $56,006 (with a margin of error of +/− $5,232) and the median family income was $58,790 (+/− $6,229). Males had a median income of $46,705 (+/− $9,519) versus $43,239 (+/− $9,333) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $25,086 (+/− $3,210). About 12.3% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Lawnside School District serves public school students in kindergarten through eighth grade at Lawnside Public School. As of the 2018–19 school year, the district, comprised of one school, had an enrollment of 321 students and 31.0 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 10.4:1.

For ninth through twelfth grades, public school students attend Haddon Heights High School, which serves Haddon Heights, and students from the neighboring communities of Barrington and Lawnside who attend the high school as part of sending/receiving relationships with the Haddon Heights School District. As of the 2018–19 school year, the high school had an enrollment of 906 students and 77.5 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 11.7:1.

Transportation

Interstate 295 northbound in Lawnside

Roads and highways

As of May 2010^[update], the borough had a total of 17.95 miles (28.89 km) of roadways, of which 10.75 miles (17.30 km) were maintained by the municipality, 3.89 miles (6.26 km) by Camden County, 1.90 miles (3.06 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation and 1.41 miles (2.27 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The New Jersey Turnpike is the most prominent highway passing through Lawnside. However, there are no exits within the borough, with the nearest ones being Exit 3 in Runnemede/Bellmawr and Exit 4 in Mount Laurel. Interstate 295 also passes through Lawnside, with one partial interchange at Warwick Road. U.S. Route 30 (White Horse Pike) runs through the borough.

Public transportation

NJ Transit offers bus service between Turnersville and Camden, with connecting bus and rail service into Philadelphia on the 403 route.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Lawnside include:

• Horace J. Bryant (1909–1983), first African American to serve in a State Cabinet position in New Jersey
• Wayne R. Bryant (born 1947), member of the New Jersey General Assembly and State Senate until his conviction on corruption charges
• Ray Fisher (born 1988), actor best known for his role in the 2008 short film The Good, the Bad, and the Confused as Cyborg in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
• Steve Israel (born 1969), cornerback who played for 10 seasons in the NFL
• John Lawson (1837–1919), Medal of Honor recipient, is buried at Mount Peace in Lawnside
• Ryan Roberts (born 1980) is a former American football defensive end who played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
• Sherron Rolax, achieved public fame when his civil rights were allegedly violated by then New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman in 1996 after police officers had stopped Rolax for suspicious activity in Camden, New Jersey
• Charity Still (c. 1775–1857), abolitionist, escaped from slavery
• William Still (1821–1902), abolitionist, member of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and chairman of its Vigilance Committee, moved here with his family, together with his brothers Peter Still and James Still, and their families

See also

In Spanish: Lawnside para niños