Clayton Homes both old and new featured in national magazines
HOME MECHANIX
February 1991
Baker home is located on South Delsea Drive
Remembering Mama
The article details the project to restore May Louise Baker’s Family home constructed in 1884 by her great-uncle. Like many home improvement projects, this one grew in scope and cost, and ultimately, in reward. Not only did she paint and make necessary repairs, she also replaced the Victorian details that had once graced the house. In the process she recaptured a part of her family history.
June, 1992
Volume 2, Number 1
Newsletter
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
May, 1992
One of the winners in a recent design competition sponsored by Professional Builder & Remodeler magazine and the National Association of Home builders is being built in Clayton. Featured as one of America’s Best affordable new Home for it’s true colonial spirit and ample room for the whole family.
Americana model located at the Neighborhood at Fries Mill.
The Clayton Historic Advisory Committee meets on the third Thursday of the month in the south meeting room of Borough Hall at 7:30 P.M. These meetings are open to all we encourage you input and support.
Charles Addison Davis
(1849-1907)
Charles A. Davis was proprietor of the “Davis House”. The Clayton Hotel from 1889. The building was thoroughly renovated and refurnished. It contained the latest improvements and accommodation for summer boarders with spacious stable for their horses.
CLAYTON HOTEL ( now Rainbow Inn)
His first hotel was for a temperance establishment (now Barclay’s Funeral Home) in 1881. His wife, Belle Lashley Davis, was a worker for the Temperance and took part in the demonstration against part in the demonstration against “King Alcohol” when their hotel bottle were smashed on a burning pyre in town behind the old town hall (located where the fire house is presently). She gave one large glass wine cask to her niece, Ethelyn Davis, daughter of Will Davis, owner of Glassboro’s Franklin House, and this is now on display at the Heritage Glass Museum in Glassboro. The hotels were also home to two children.
Marvin and Alice, and a part of a family business for over 100 years.
Charles Davis also owned his own Clayton Steam Bottling Works with a branch in Sea isle City, manufacturing carbonated beverages and bottling the specialties of a brewery. There have been many “Jersey” glass bottles unearthed bearing the “Chas. A. Davis, Clayton, N.J.” logo.
The Davises moved to S. Orange in 1902 and owned two hotels there. Marvin ran the Coleman Hotel, while Charles A., Belle and Alice ran the So. Orange Hotel. The latter had been owned by Marcus de Lafayette Ball, a colorful figure in South Orange history, He was named for the Marquis de Lafayette who sacrificed a fortune, nobility, and life of ease to join General George Washington in our war for independence. The Ball family claimed relationship to the American general.
After Mr. Davis’ death in 1907, his widow and daughter returned to Clayton and purchased back some of their land at the northern end of town… building a large bungalow where Alice and her husband, J. Perry Ferrell, raised their five children. Perry built a barn for dairy cattle and later a milk-house for processing the milk for retail delivery. The Davis farm became Delsea Dairy Farms when Delsea Drive was completed and the Ferrell sons established a delivery routes in Glassboro, Williamstown, Clayton, and Franklin Township. Worked o the farm and in the milk house while still attending Clayton Public schools. Their children, did their stint on the milk truck, tractor, or hay-baler (including former mayor Charles A. (Dan) Ferrell).
Across from the present, Glo. County Building, once Davis land was an oval horse racing track. The sheds for the horses were in the vicinity of the old barn. Alice Daivs Ferrell, as a teenager, used to drive the horses to “cool” them down after the sulky races.
Charles A. Davis was a native of Gloucester County and the son of Joseph Fisler (Fid) Davis and Judith Suran Davis. His sister, Mame, taught school here in Clayton.
History submitted by Marjorie G. Ferrell.
We would like to thank Marjorie for taking the time to compile the family history for us. We are looking for other family histories, as well as business, house, and church histories.
CLAYTON, N.J. JANUARY 12, 1919
Two gold stars glitter at the top of an eight-foot honor-roll tablet which the citizens of Clayton unveiled with special ceremonies here this afternoon in honor of the sixty-eight boys from the town and vicinity who served with the Army and Navy during the Great War. The gold stars are opposite the names of Private Homor L. Ewan, of Company B. Sixty-first infantry, A.E.F., who fell in action on the Verdun sector, and Seaman W. Stout Cheeseman, who fell a victim of pneumonia while at a naval base in south last fall. There are also five silver stars which shine from the tablet opposite the names of those who were wounded in the service. They are Private Wallace Abdill, Company E, 109th infantry; Private Frank L. Brock, Company E, 309th infantry, Seventy-eighth division; Private James S. Kelly, post hospital, Plattsburg, N.Y.; and Private Janvier Wolf, Company G, 309th infantry. While today’s ceremonies were tinged with sadness because if the two heroes who will not return, there was much rejoicing over the fact that everyone of the other sixty-six boys are now confidently expected to return home. All of them have been heard from either directly or indirectly, since the war ended and are reported to be well and in fine health, with the exception of five who are recovering of the five who are recovering from wounds or gas. Major J. Preston Potter presided at the unveiling of the permanent honor roll in front of the bank building this afternoon starting at 3:45 o’clock. Untied choirs of the local churches san patriotic selections and there were prayer and speaking by the Rev. C. B. Fisher and the Rev. William F. Weatherwax, pastors respectively of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Some of the soldier boys who have been discharged from the service and have returned home, unveiled the honor-roll tablet, which was covered with a large American flag.
GRANT GARWOOD circa 1912
Grant Garwood was a popular man in Clayton as he made his rounds, delivering fresh milk to homes throughout the community. His horse and milk wagon were a familiar sight in town, when he posed for this picture around nineteen twelve. Besides milk, Garwood also carried fresh eggs on his rolling store.
The Garwood residence is seen in the picture below, with the proprietors standing on the porch. This home was located on the south east corner of Delsea Drive and Chestnut Street.
We would like to thank and acknowledge the following for our most recent loans and acquisitions of their memorabilia and prized possessions:
Mr. & Mrs. Larry Buganski
Mr. Charles Cloak
Mr. Keith Costill
Ms. Mary Louise Baker
Mr. Michael Maechuk
Mr. & Mrs. Richard Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Gordon Jacobs
Mr. & Mrs. David Schoelkopf
Mr. & Mrs. John Mitchell
Mr. Timothy Hess
Mr. Elmer Earley
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