Bellmawr

History

Bellmawr was authorized to incorporate as a borough on March 23, 1926, from portions of the now-defunct Centre Township, and was made independent based on the results of a referendum held on April 21, 1926. The boroughs of Mount Ephraim, Runnemede and Lawnside were also created in the same two-day period. The borough was named for Ernest C. Bell, who owned a farm in the area. In 1966, the Bellmawr Police Department investigated several officers for ticket fixing. The officers were ordered to cooperate with internal investigators and give statements and told that they would be fired if they refused to do so; upon answering the investigators' questions, the officers were criminally charged. In 1967, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the officers' self-incriminating statements violated the Fifth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment, and that it was therefore unconstitutional to use their statements in a prosecution; the officers' convictions were overturned. The case, Garrity v. New Jersey, led to the creation of the Garrity warning, which advises government employees of their rights during internal investigations. In late October 2001, the Bellmawr post office was closed due to possible anthrax contamination in the wake of the 2001 anthrax attacks. The office was re-opened several days later, in early November, after testing negative for anthrax. In 2017, Bellmawr joined Cranbury, Egg Harbor Township, Montclair and Woodbridge Township as one of the first five municipalities in the state that have authorized dispensaries to sell medical cannabis.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough had a total area of 3.11 square miles (8.05 km2), including 2.98 square miles (7.73 km2) of land and 0.12 square miles (0.32 km2) of water (3.92%). The borough borders the municipalities of Barrington, Brooklawn, Gloucester City, Haddon Heights, Mount Ephraim, and Runnemede in Camden County; and Deptford and Westville, both in Gloucester County.

Race & ethnicity