The Many Interesting Faces Of Lacey's History

LACEY, NJ — Stretching back to even before Lacey Township was called Lacey Township, there have been a variety of people who have called it their home. Some were remembered for the good things they did, others not so much. Some of them were just downright crazy. But together, they make up Lacey's colorful history.

Elaine McGuire of the Lacey Historical Society has spent time gathering information about these people and writing up their stories. So, courtesy of McGuire, here's a bit about some of the interesting faces of Lacey.

Bird Parker

B.B. "Bird" Parker, who lived from 1873 to 1921, was affectionately called "Our Plumber" in his obituary. His grandfather, Joseph Parker, is an important figure in Ocean County history, having served as its first sheriff.

Bird was a laborer at the Parker House hotel, which was run by his aunt and uncle. Later, he worked as a plumber, owning his own shop. News from the time indicates that he was receiving some sort of treatment for his eyesight. What exactly the disability was is unknown, though some records list him as blind. McGuire surmises that he had poor sight but was able to continue supporting himself.

The year after a record listed him as blind, Bird build a small steel windmill for Penn and Grant at their store. It seems that in spite of his disability, he was a hard worker, and clearly he was loved in town.

Sadly, he was placed in the NJ State Asylum in Trenton in summer of 1921, where he died that October. But residents fondly remembered him as their plumber.

Charles E. Wasche, Jr.

Born in 1924, this family lived in North Jersey until the 1940s, where the census listed the Wasche family as living in Forked River. At this time, young Charles, just 15, worked as a waiter at the Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach.

In 1942, Charles enlisted in the Navy. He was assigned to the USS Massachusetts, which spent a great deal of time in the west Pacific.

Charles was a Navy Coxswain, a difficult job as he was the steerer and navigator of the ship. At a young age, he had a huge responsibility and when the war ended, he got to return home to Forked River after three years in World War II.

It's not clear what he did after he got home, but on the evening of Sept. 7, 1946, as Charles was riding home on his motorcycle on Route 4 in Forked River (now Route 9) he hit a deer and was thrown. Reports said that a deer came out of nowhere and was too close to avoid. He died early the next morning at the age of 22.

Newton Ditton

This young boy was born in 1871 and attended the Cedar Creek School, where Lanoka Harbor is today. On March 15, 1879, the 7-year-old was playing outside before the bell rang with other boys of varying ages. Suddenly, the children saw Newton fall to the ground.

It turns out that someone had thrown a rock and it had hit the small boy in the head. Newton was knocked out and brought to his parents' home. He died just a few hours later from a brain hemorrhage.

This is a short story of a short-lived Lacey resident. But McGuire thought his story should be remembered and shared.

Acton Bunnell

Acton is by far one of Lacey's most colorful residents. When he was born in 1874, his father was 65 and his mother was 33. His story only continues to grow stranger as he ages.

In 1892, a newspaper article described Acton as a professional liar and a "peel nosed Sam." In 1895, the Trenton Times noted that his friend George Ditton had a bottle of benzine in his pocket that broke as he sat. Acton lit a cigarette and threw the match, setting his good friend ablaze.

Acton lived in NYC for a time then returned to Lanoka in 1902 with his Irish immigrant wife and their daughter. His wife left several times between 1910 and 1920, taking the children with her, until it seems she permanently left in 1920, at a time that was very difficult for women to leave.

In 1921, Acton was indicted by a Grand Jury for assault and battery of a young woman, when he was serving as "Overseer of the Poor" for Lanoka. His criminal record, McGuire notes, stretches from 1902 (a not guilty plea to assault/battery charges) to 1934 (drunk and disorderly charges). In between are similar charges, along with theft, malicious mischief and a six month sentence for throwing log into someone's home. For this, many Lanoka citizens wrote letters to the judge asking that he not give leniency.

In another strange tale, Acton was hired in the 40s to repair the roof on the old Methodist Church steeple in Lanoka Harbor. The roof no longer leaked once he was done, but he did cut off the entire steeple and replace it with a flat roof. When he died, no family was mentioned and no services were held. Good or bad, he served as part of Lacey's history.

Interested in hearing more stories? Visit the Lacey Historical Society.