Consider this my long-winded 'Ask Evesham' question. And I realize it may seem trivial.
What year was Evesham Township established?
If you look at official town documents or on the town website, you will see the official town seal which shows that Evesham was established in 1692. The seal is also hung on the wall of the courtroom, directly behind where the Mayor sits during town council meetings.
But is this date correct?
An opposing viewpoint is provided by the 'Welcome to Evesham' signs on the roads entering our town. The one below is on Route 70 East, as you enter Evesham from Cherry Hill, showing that Evesham Township was established in 1688.
So which is it? 1688 or 1692?
But don't answer yet, because it gets even weirder. High atop the Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority water tower on Lincoln Drive is a sign choosing the 1688 side in the debate.
And here is the really interesting part: to further confuse matters, when the water tower was originally built in 1983, it looked like this, proudly showing the 1692:
So what that means is that the water tower originally showed the 1692 date and was intentionally changed to 1688. The '1688' on the tower today isn't a mistake or oversight, but was a correction to a previous error.
So which is right? Here is some evidence:
According to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, in a paper titled "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968", Evesham (then known as Eversham) was 'formed' on November 6, 1688.
According to local historian John Flack Jr, in his book 'Images of America - Evesham Township', "In the same year [1688], the Burlington Court established Evesham Constabulary as one of 12 municipalities."
According to the Burlington Court Book of West New Jersey 1680-1709 (A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey), the 'Constablry of Eversham, from the Kings Highway that Leads to Salem to the Indian Lyne, and soe along the Indian Lyne to the Easterly branch of the Northampton River' was established in 1688.
According to Evesham Township's own website, both 1688 (on the map) and 1692 (highlighted) are correct. I'm not sure where the 'Incorporated 1892' comes from, though its possibly a typo.
According to the 'Environmental Resource Inventory for the Township of Evesham' published by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission: "Evesham Township was first created in 1688, when Burlington County was divided into 8 areas, each under a constable's jurisdiction.... Evesham incorporated in 1692 as one of the original thirteen townships in Burlington [County]."
Historian Maurice Horner wrote a book in 1971 entitled 'A History of Evesham Township', and it is apparent which side of the debate he falls on.
I suppose both could be right. The township may have been founded in 1688 and established in 1692 (although the signs at our borders say 'EST 1688'). 'Establish' is actually a legal term: "To settle, make, or fix firmly; place on a permanent footing; found; create; put beyond doubt or dispute; prove; convince. To enact permanently. To bring about or into existence." But I still can't get past the idea that the date on the water tower was intentionally changed - there must have been some reasoning behind it. And I can't find any change in Evesham's legal status that occurred in 1692.
It should also be noted that Evesham's tricentennial was celebrated in 1988, not 1992.
It doesn't appear that there is an easy answer to this question. But if it is ever going to be answered, its probably a good time to look into it. Why? Last month, the Evesham Zoning Board approved a new monument/sign at the intersection of Route 70 and Conestoga Road. As part of the design, the Town Seal will be incorporated into the base of the fountain, including the date. In addition, the third face of the monument, the side that faces the houses on Old Marlton Pike, will also show the town seal. If we are going to create a giant permanent seal, the date should be accurate.
The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968
The Burlington Court Book of West New Jersey 1680-1709
Environmental Resource Inventory
How Evesham Got Its Shape
What year was Evesham Township established?
If you look at official town documents or on the town website, you will see the official town seal which shows that Evesham was established in 1692. The seal is also hung on the wall of the courtroom, directly behind where the Mayor sits during town council meetings.
But is this date correct?
An opposing viewpoint is provided by the 'Welcome to Evesham' signs on the roads entering our town. The one below is on Route 70 East, as you enter Evesham from Cherry Hill, showing that Evesham Township was established in 1688.
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| Route 70 and Conestoga Road sign |
So which is it? 1688 or 1692?
But don't answer yet, because it gets even weirder. High atop the Evesham Municipal Utilities Authority water tower on Lincoln Drive is a sign choosing the 1688 side in the debate.
And here is the really interesting part: to further confuse matters, when the water tower was originally built in 1983, it looked like this, proudly showing the 1692:
So what that means is that the water tower originally showed the 1692 date and was intentionally changed to 1688. The '1688' on the tower today isn't a mistake or oversight, but was a correction to a previous error.
So which is right? Here is some evidence:
According to the NJ Department of Environmental Protection, in a paper titled "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968", Evesham (then known as Eversham) was 'formed' on November 6, 1688.
According to local historian John Flack Jr, in his book 'Images of America - Evesham Township', "In the same year [1688], the Burlington Court established Evesham Constabulary as one of 12 municipalities."
According to the Burlington Court Book of West New Jersey 1680-1709 (A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey), the 'Constablry of Eversham, from the Kings Highway that Leads to Salem to the Indian Lyne, and soe along the Indian Lyne to the Easterly branch of the Northampton River' was established in 1688.
According to Evesham Township's own website, both 1688 (on the map) and 1692 (highlighted) are correct. I'm not sure where the 'Incorporated 1892' comes from, though its possibly a typo.
According to the 'Environmental Resource Inventory for the Township of Evesham' published by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission: "Evesham Township was first created in 1688, when Burlington County was divided into 8 areas, each under a constable's jurisdiction.... Evesham incorporated in 1692 as one of the original thirteen townships in Burlington [County]."
Historian Maurice Horner wrote a book in 1971 entitled 'A History of Evesham Township', and it is apparent which side of the debate he falls on.
I suppose both could be right. The township may have been founded in 1688 and established in 1692 (although the signs at our borders say 'EST 1688'). 'Establish' is actually a legal term: "To settle, make, or fix firmly; place on a permanent footing; found; create; put beyond doubt or dispute; prove; convince. To enact permanently. To bring about or into existence." But I still can't get past the idea that the date on the water tower was intentionally changed - there must have been some reasoning behind it. And I can't find any change in Evesham's legal status that occurred in 1692.
It should also be noted that Evesham's tricentennial was celebrated in 1988, not 1992.
It doesn't appear that there is an easy answer to this question. But if it is ever going to be answered, its probably a good time to look into it. Why? Last month, the Evesham Zoning Board approved a new monument/sign at the intersection of Route 70 and Conestoga Road. As part of the design, the Town Seal will be incorporated into the base of the fountain, including the date. In addition, the third face of the monument, the side that faces the houses on Old Marlton Pike, will also show the town seal. If we are going to create a giant permanent seal, the date should be accurate.
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| Monument sign to be built at Route 70 and Conestoga - aerial view showing 1692 |
The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968
The Burlington Court Book of West New Jersey 1680-1709
Environmental Resource Inventory
How Evesham Got Its Shape
List of All Blog Posts
Like my Facebook Page to get the latest posts - A View From Evesham. You can email me at MarltonNeil@yahoo.com.
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| Our current Evesham Town Council, in front of the 1692 Official Seal |