Talk:Vauxhall, New Jersey

Request
GOOD AFTERNOON, I AM FROM VAUXHALL NEW JERSEY SECTION OF UNION AND I HAVE A COPY OF THE LAYMAN' APPEAL NEWS PAPER DATED BACK TO FEBRUARY 5, 1932. MY MOTHER RUTH BEACH WAS UNITED IN MARRIAGE TO HER FIRST HUSBAND CLAYTON WATERS AND A LOT OF OTHER INFORMATION AND UNFORTUNATELY IT WILL NOT SHOW ON INQUIRIES ON THE INTERNET AND I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION. PLEASE ADVISE HOW THAT CAN BE LOCATED.

THANK YOU

PAMELA THOMAS GODWIN

EMAIL ADDRESS: pgodwin@danlinebrushes.com

Pronounciation
How is this name pronounced in New Jersey? /ˈvɒks.ɔːl/, like the London district Vauxhall? -- 91.115.11.101 (talk) 23:50, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

Non-Authoritative Reply
Locals pronounce it "Vawks Hall" (effectively the same as for the district in London of the same name).

I grew up on "Vauxhall RD" (1950-1970), which spans Union NJ from SE-to-NW, runs through the Vauxhall district, and terminates at Millburn Avenue in Millburn NJ. The road begins near the border of Elizabeth NJ at Liberty Avenue. This road appears to take its name from the Vauxhall district, and both names date back to the British Colonial era, per old maps I have seen: http://greensleeves.typepad.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/18/springfield_and_vicinity_from_flemi.gif

Per the 1780 "Battle of Springfield" maps, Vauxhall RD originally ran all the way to Elizabethtown, which along with Newark was one of the 2 original chartered settlements of New Jersey. When the Morris Turnpike (now Morris Avenue) was created in 1801, the section of Vauxhall RD from Elizabethtown to what is now Liberty Avenue was changed slightly to become part of the turnpike. From the old colonial era thru today, Springfield Avenue also ran thru the Vauxhall district on route from Newark to Springfield.

Undocumented Speculation, No-Reference-Provided History, and Personal Memories
The origin of the name "Vauxhall" for the district townsite was likely a humorous tribute to the London "Vauxhall Gardens". I suspect that the original location of the name "Millburn" was for the area located just NW of Vauxhall across the East fork of the Raritan River. The original Millburn area was then known for wine and liquor production, and the entire Vauxhall/Millburn area was likely a country destination for drinking and festivity. Unfortunately I think that no colonial-era buildings remain.

At some point in time (perhaps the late-19th or early-mid 20th century?) the entire Vauxhall district of Union became an area where blacks ("coloreds") where allowed/required to live. (There was still heavy real-estate discrimination against blacks [and other ethnic minorities] in this region until the early 1970's, when local enforcement of the 1965 Civil Rights Act began in earnest.)

The construction of Interstate 78 in 1968-70 altered the character of the southern-edge of the area and many district homes were demolished.

While I have no time to do the proper referenced research to create Wikipedia article updates, I am happy to assist anyone who might want to do so by answering questions and pointing to authoritative local-history documents. Please contact me directly by email for any comments or questions; I likely will not check back here. -- J.Hayas (jhayas.biz@gmail.com)