Elk
Township (on-line)
presents...
History
of the
( Lawns )
The Lawns section of Elk Township ( Aprox. 3/4 -1 mile South of Glassboro on
Rt. 553 ) was established in the year of 1835 . When it was settled there were few
houses and the streets were nothing but paths and dirt roads . There was only one
Main Street, which we know as Buck Road, but is named Main Street in the Lawns section.
There was a stage coach stop at the corner of Stanger Avenue and Douglas Streets
and a blacksmith shop on the same road.
The Great Eastern Corporation of New York bought large tracks of land in this
area ; both on the Glassboro side of the railroad tracks and in Elk Township. The
railroad tracks remain the boundary between the town of Glassboro and Elk Township.
Many people bought lots and built homes in this area. An acre of land could be purchased
for as little as $100.00 during this era.
The area has grown into quite a community since 1929. It presently (1976) has
two stores, one gas station, four churches and one volunteer fire company.
The Lawns has one school built in 1929. The grades were from kindergarten through
eighth , learning in one room. As the population increased there was a need for more
rooms and two were added in the front, a large storage room, with two rooms remaining
in the back, divided by installing sliding doors. The storage room was later turned
into a small kitchen for serving lunches. The school was closed in 1960, when Mrs.
Ina Hull was the principal. The school's population was approximately 160 students.
Other teachers involved were Mrs. Frances Harden, Mrs. Ellen Wallace (retired) and
Mrs. Edith Eady (deceased) .There were part-time teachers including Ms. Geneva Lofton
and Ms. Virginia Randell. At the time of integrating the two schools under a State
mandate, Mrs. Hull had been principle for 15 years. She has been with the Elk Township
school system longer than any other teacher now with the system, or has ever been
with the system continuously as of (1976).Mr. Russ Gurlin was the first bus driver
to transport children in grades seven and eight to the Aura School. The growing population
in this area made it necessary to institute this process long before the merger of
the two schools, in 1960.
The children of the Lawns now attend with the other Elk Township students at
the school in Aura. The Lawns school closed in 1960 has since burned down. This school
was located on Stanger Avenue near 1st and Douglas and was completely of wooden construction.
Many new homes are being built in this section of Elk Township.
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