Week in History: How Bergen Place Got Its Name

Have you ever wondered why there is an E. Bergen Place but no W. Bergen Place? The answer may lie in past racial prejudice. 

During last week's installment of week in history, which detailed Red Bank parking woes nearly 100 years ago, Boris Kofman delved deeper into the April 3, 1918 issue of the Red Bank Register:

What actually caught my eye is the part of the article about renaming Beech St. and especially the explanation why it wasn't called Bergen.

Rather than track down a piece of Monmouth County history from the week of April 10, let's continue with April 3 and Boris' fascinating find. 

During a meeting of the Red Bank governing body, Councilman Charles P. Irwin proposed uniting one road known by two names: Bergen Place and Beech Street (now Drs James Parker Boulevard).

According to Irwin, the commonly held belief of the time was Bergen received its name from John R. Bergen while Beech was named for two large beech trees that were in the streetline before its western branch. However, Irwin indicated the actual history of the naming was not so innocuous:

"If the truth was known the real reason why the street has two names is because the white folks who live on the eastern end didn't want the street to have the same name as the western end where the colored folks live," said Mr. Irwin.

Red Bank's then-mayor would not put Irwin's motion to rename the street under a single banner to a vote.