Hobbstown: The Forgotten Legacy of a Unique African-american Community

by Cindy Williams Newsome

When white realtors found they could not sell an area of land in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey, to whites—even as summer property—they became desperate. Enter Amos Hobbs, 1921, and his brothers, General and Robert, who had left the South a few years earlier seeking economic betterment for their families in the North. The frantic realtors and individual owners sold the land in small lots to the hungry-to-own-their-own-home black Southern newcomers. Thus began the migration of blacks on the periphery of wealthy, white Bridgewater Township. Although they are largely locked out of the essential utilities taken for granted by their white neighbors, the settlers embrace the land and develop it without complaint. Years later, with a population of roughly 22 families and an average of nine children apiece, via “eminent domain,” at least a portion of Hobbstown is set to be eliminated with the expansion of Interstate 287. This book has all of the ingredients of a bestseller; it is a creative, nonfiction work that reads like a novel. "Although Hobbstown is a story of human desperation it does not submerge the reader into endless pages of bitterness. Hobbstown tweaks the conscience and the heart by presenting human triumph over prejudice and inequity. Its lesson must not be forgotten, lest history repeat itself." -David S. Rosenberg, author of Infusion of Evil

Paperback

First published December 3, 2012

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hobbstown takes you on a journey back to a time when Black people only had each other to rely upon. The love that flows through these pages made me want to go back in time, to a time when everyone was family and the whole community raised the kids. This book made me think of church picnics, ice cream socials, and penny candy. It will take the reader on a joyous trip back into time. A time when everyone was embraced as close family. Everyone should read this book; by looking at the past we can see how things should be now we can also see how far we have departed from the path that these courageous men and women were trying to carve for us.

Hobbstown(New Jersey) bred greats like Paul Robeson American bass singer, activist, and athlete . Prime athletes like Jonathan Williams, singing groups such as the Passionettes, all hail from Hobbstown. When someone new came up from the south the men immediately set forth to help them purchase land to build a house upon. General Hobbs and his brother Amos worked diligently to make sure each family had a home, most of the families ad 10 or more children. When a road needed building the men went to the city council as a whole to get the needed repairs done. If a child was discriminated against, the mother wasted no time in going to the school to set things straight. The men women and children of Hobbstown banded together to get a community center built. Fund raisers and hard work built Hobbstown. Hobbstown citizens averted their mThis book is a reminder of what we as a race can accomplish when we put our minds to it. This is a piece of history and a highly recommeded read.




Reviewed by Margaret Ball
APOOO BookClub

[Esmeralda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book in a very round about way. I had just finished Harper Lee's Go Set a Watchman and started thinking about my own experiences with integration in school. I started school in a rural area of New Jersey and where there were no black students. In 1958 my father decided that he was too old for farming and moved the family to Bridgewater Township, a wealthier suburban area. I never felt comfortable living there and going to school with students from privileged backgrounds. There were a few black students in my school and they all seemed to live in an area not too far from my home which was called Hobbstown. Someone said that that area had been settled by a black family named Hobbs.

In this book Cindy Williams Newsome tells the story of how Hobbstown came to be. According to my high school year book Cindy was a year behind me in school but I did not know her. I did know some of the people mentioned in her book. Annis Ballard and Latricia Bryant were my classmates. When I was a bewildered new fifth grade student Annis befriended me. Cindy and the other Hobbstown students were excited when Annis was elected eight grade president. This did not surprise me because everyone liked her.

Cindy goes on to tell the story of the triumphs and disappointments of the Hobbstown residents. At one point the area was nearly destroyed by the builders of Rte 287.

In one chapter Cindy tells how she had been discouraged by a guidance counselor from taking college preparatory courses in high school. I had the opposite experience. I wanted to take some business courses because my father was a school custodian and wasn't sure that I would go to college. The guidance counselor advised me to remove the business courses. I guess racism was still alive in New Jersey in the sixties.

What impressed me most about this book was the sense of community that the Hobbstown residents had. Although they were an island in this wealthy community they managed to raise many talented children. I am glad that Cindy chose to tell the story of these brave and dedicated people.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

While its not the most eloquent book on the planet, how can you not enjoy a book that tells you about the racial history of your own home town?