The John Thomson display is now at the Avon Post Office until June 30.
By DENISE HERSCHEL
He was known by many in the borough of Avon as “the Bard of Avon” and “Champion Storyteller.” He was also described by some as a jack-of-all-trades and a Renaissance man.
But regardless of his official title, John Thomson was a man who wore many hats in the borough during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s with his accomplishments now on display at the Avon Post Office until June 30.
According to Norah Magrini, Avon Historical Society president and display curator, Thomson was one of the founding fathers of Avon, dubbed their chief executive.
“He was responsible for continuing the vision that Edward Batchelor, our town’s founder, had and building upon as well as continuing what Batchelor had started,” she said. “He was involved from the beginning of our incorporation. He raised his four children in town and his grandchildren still live in Avon and he has other great grandchildren in the area.”
Magrini said Thomson immigrated to the United States from Scotland and worked as an undertaker in Asbury Park.
“He came here when he was 18 and fell in love with the area,” she said.
In 1884, he opened Thomson and Company, a wholesale meat business and a
large storage ice house in Avon. In 1903 he opened another butcher shop branch in Asbury Park. A year later, J. Fred Magerum becomes his meat business partner and they supplied all the hotels and large boarding houses in Ocean Grove, Avon and Asbury Park.
In addition to being a wholesale meat and business, he also had an Avon construction company, building the Park Avenue bridge over Deal Lake and the bridge over Sunset Lake at Grand Avenue in Asbury Park.
“He tore down the old Belmar Elementary School and used their bricks on Ma
in Street in Avon to pave the roads. He also graded the streets in Avon and installed the sluiceway in Avon connecting Sylvan Lake to the ocean,” she said.
Thomson also had a hand in the auto business. He opened Thomson’s Garage on Sylvania and Main in Avon as well as a second location in Asbury Park. He was considered to be the exclusive Ford dealer on the New Jersey coast.
Thomson was extremely involved in the local community. He was a member and
the first fire chief elected to Avon’s Active Fire Company No. 1. He gave the lot to build the first firehouse on Norwood Avenue.
“He was also a church leader at Avon Methodist Church and elected Great Senior Sagamore of the Order of the Redman, boasting 225 members. He was also known for being a great party planner and host,” she said. “He held a yearly pig roast for town officials at his house to honor the last meeting of the year for the council.”
Thomson was a member of the Republican party, elected to several positions including being the second mayor of Avon and continuing for several terms from 1901 to 1926.
“He was mayor for a total of 15 years. He also served in the New Jersey State General Assembly, was president of the Avon Board of Education and Chairman of the Republican Executive Committee in Neptune,” she said.
In addition to all the hats that Thomson wore throughout his life in Avon, he was perhaps most known for his generosity and kindness.
“It was said that he brought a man with a badly injured leg to the doctor, stopped a runaway horse in Asbury Park and held a clothing drive for the less fortunate. Wh
en he died in 1926, while he was mayor of Avon, more than 1,000 people attended his funeral. He was well-liked and give his all to whatever he was doing, ” Magrini said.
To learn more about the John Thomson display go to the Avon-by-the-Sea Historical Society website at avonbytheseahistoricalsociety.com.
