Post War Era
Clementon was a thriving town until post WW II. During the war years travel was limited because of gas rationing, etc. Following the war, however, people were able to drive car greater distances, changes from coal to oil and gas heat, and TV began to replace the movies. Super markets and shopping centers also began to sound the death knell for the Clementon business district.
" Clementon, a small village on the Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railroad, five miles from Chewslanding on the North Branch of Timber Creek, noted for its water power." This is the description of Clementon in Prowell's History of Camden County.
Clementon, always a rural community, was founded around sawmills, Gristmills and a Glass factory. The first records of the mills are mentioned in Boyer's "Old Mills Of Camden County", when he states that i"in the middle of the 18th century, Andrew Newman had built a Sawmill of which frequent mention is made in the early records of the Township." Other millers are connected with the mills of Clementon are, William Lawrence and Christopher Kneiser. A local miller, John Thorne, in his will dated July 29, 1751, lists among his assets, " A Sawmill", and nearly a hundred years later, research identified the mill as, at Clementon.
Samuel Clement later became the principal owner of this mill. In 1806, records show the area was called, "Clement's Sawmill Dam" and Clement's Gristmill". In 1814, Samuel Clement started the Glass works and the name of the surrounding village became Clementon.
When Samuel Clement moved his Glass Works to Gloucester City, the town was left with no industry but it's mills, which soon became the property of Isaac Tomlinson, and later, Theodore B.Gibbs. The Gibbs Mill was a feature of Clementon from 1872 until more recent times.
Near the sites of Clementon Mills was the Burden Graveyard, named for Richard Burden, who was a large landowner and patriot of this area before 1789. Many other early Clementon settlers are buried there although today the cemetery is gone.
The first public hearing was the Town Hall, built in 1886, by the Clementon Hall Association, with a capital outlay of $2000.00. The growth of Clementon was slow. In 1855 a census report states that "Clementon boasts a Gristmill, a Sawmill, about fifteen dwelling houses and a one room school." For twenty two years Clementon was part of Clementon Township becoming an independent Borough in 1925. Clementon Township has since gone out of existence.
In 1845, the Red Lion Inn, a Tavern owned by William Middleton, was used by the Gloucester Township Committee as a place to hold their meetings.
Clementon Park, founded in 1907, by Theodore B. Gibbs, made Clementon the amusement mecca of South Jersey. In the early decades of the century, trolley cars ran from Camden to the entrance of the Park. The Gibbs family have always retained their interest in the Park and it's forty acre Lake. This Park is a popular today as it was 65 years ago.
Other prominent early settlers included Robert Rowand, Joseph Lippencott, Abel Bottoms, Nicholas Bryan and Robert Jaggard.
The Clementon Glass Furnace was operated by members of the Jaggard family