Parisian Phoenix Publishing

Thanks to the research of author Wayne Sherrer for his historical survey of Phillipsburg’s African-American heritage (released in his book in January), Phillipsburg’s Kneedler Avenue will be renamed and recognized today in a ceremony at 1 p.m. The street currently honors former mayor Frank Kneedler.

Phillipsburg Town Council voted to rename the street earlier this year. News coverage of that decision can be read here.

Sherrer’s research found mention of Kneedler making disparaging and racist comments about the Black population in the local newspaper, talking about the need for workers in key industries in war-related manufacturing, specifically here referencing Warren Pipe Foundry:

More and more Black workers entered the manufacturing industries in Phillipsburg prior to the First World War. Immigration from Europe was then restricted during the war, yet manufacturing boomed. The labor shortage that ensued led many New Jersey factories to recruit Black and White laborers from small towns and farms in southern states. In 1916, the pipe foundry hired additional Black employees and housed them in a company-owned building on Sitgreaves Street. Upon receiving complaints from neighboring residents, the town’s Director of Public Safety inspected the premises, talked to the foundry’s superintendent about needed improvements, and reported his findings to the town commissioners. Mayor Kneedler’s response was blunt: 

“We don’t want a lot of ‘n****rs’ to come here and create a nuisance in the town.” His words headlined the newspaper account and the result was dramatic. 

As information on the former mayor’s racist comments came to light (read more here), the town decided to honor African-American Phillipsburg High School alumnus Richard Williams, a member of the class of 1969 who served in the Navy.

From Sherrer’s book summarizing the African-American presence in the Class of ’69:

The quartet of Cynthia Walden, Valquiria Cosme, Richard Williams and Charles Utley was the largest group of Black students to receive diplomas in a single year.

According to the Express-Times:

The book also cites a 1916 article published in the Easton Daily Express, now the Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com, where the ex-mayor is quoted: “We Don’t Want a Lot of N****rs to Come Here and Create a Nuisance,” Kneedler, reportedly, said.

According to Sherrer, Kneedler was speaking in opposition to a decision by the Warren Pipe Foundry to board some of its Black employees who were in need of housing. Sherrer told lehighvalleylive.com that he was proud to know Phillipsburg’s leaders were interested in reflecting on town history and paving the way for a more inclusive community.

Sherrer’s Phorgotten No More: Glimpses of the African-American Presence in Phillipsburg, NJ 1777-2021 released on January 15, 2024 and can be purchased at a variety of Phillpsburg locations and in Easton at Book and Puppet Company and the Blue Flame Events Retail Store in the Palmer Mall.