Politics & Government

What's in a Name? The Stories Behind Westfield's Starred Street Signs

Ever wonder how some of Westfield's streets got their names?

The following information was taken from the Town of Westfield's website:

They were known as the Supreme Honor Men; Eighteen Westfield residents who gave their lives during the First World War. Almost 100 years later, most Westfield residents know these heroes only as names on street signs — street signs marked with a gold star.

  1. Archbold Place, named in honor of Private Nelson S. Archbold, Jr., who was born and raised in Westfield. He enlisted June 11, 1917. A member of the First Division of the Regular Army, he served overseas from August 1917 through August 1919, during which time he was gassed in the Mountedier Sector of France. Upon its return home, his division was paraded in New York and Washington, D.C. Taken ill at Camp Dix, Private Archbold died the day his company was discharged.

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  • Brown Avenue bears the name of Private George E. Brown, a native of Boonton, but a resident of Westfield when he enlisted. Private Brown was a machinist’s mate in the U.S. Navy, N.R.F. Stationed at the Panilla Naval Station, France for just one month, he was stricken with pneumonia and died there. He was buried in a French cemetery.

  • Born in Italy, Private Domenico Cacciola emigrated to Westfield to seek his fortune. He was quick to enlist in the service of his adopted country and was sent to Camp Meade, Md., where he died shortly thereafter of pneumonia. His body was returned to Westfield where services were held in his church, which was known as “the Italian church” on Prospect Street. Cacciola Place was named in his honor.

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  • Cauefield Place was named for Private Bernard Cauefield, a Westfield resident since he was three years old. He attended Westfield’s public schools, and was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church and the Westfield Fire Department. Private Cauefield lived at 533 New York Avenue. Having enlisted in Company K of the Plainfield, Second Regiment, National Guard of New Jersey, he was assigned to Company F, 113th Infantry upon the United States’ entry into the war. He was killed in France.

  • Second Lieutenant Coleman T. Clark was educated in Westfield schools, later graduating from Yale University. He was a member of the First Congregational Church. In 1916, he enlisted in the American Ambulance Field Service and sailed for France in April 1916 where he drove an ambulance for 18 months. Unable to pass the U.S. Army physical examination, he entered the French army in artillery. Lieutenant Clark was awarded the Croix de Guerre for “gallantry in ambulance service” and died May 28, 1918, in France, having been wounded in action. Coleman Place bears his name.

  • Cowperthwaite Place was named for Private Harold Frederick Cowperthwaite. He, too, was born and raised in Westfield. He lived at 249 Kimball Avenue. Originally assigned to the 65th Regiment, 42nd Division, Supply Co. 165 out of Camp Mills, Mineola, Long Island, he attended army candidates’ school in France to prepare for commission as an officer. He was later transferred to a Michigan company to go to the front lines where he was killed. He was buried at Romange, France.

  • A member of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Westfield (now First United Methodist Church), Private Ernest F. Dunham left his job at the Westfield Trust Company to enlist in the Medical Replacement Unit, No. 24. He died of pneumonia in France. Dunham Avenue bears his name.

  • Hanford Place was named after Sergeant Robert C. Hanford, who grew up in Westfield. He lived at 150 Dudley Avenue and was a member of the First Congregational Church. After graduating from Westfield schools, he attended Amherst College from which he graduated with honors. As a member of Company G, of the 311th Infantry, he was mortally wounded. Despite the efforts of friend and fellow Westfield resident Sergeant Raymond Cherry, who carried him to a dressing station on a makeshift stretcher of overcoats and rifles, Sergeant Hanford died October 25, 1918.

  • Hort Street memorializes Lieutenant Nathaniel Hort, a 20-year resident of Westfield when he died at the age of 38. He resigned from 12 years of service as a member and officer in Company K, National Guard New Jersey, then re-enlisted as a private at the time of the Mexican War. He was commissioned First Lieutenant in the 318th Infantry with which he sailed for France. There, he fulfilled his ultimate dream of serving his country in the U.S. Army.

  • A resident of 867 North Avenue, Private Edward Hyslip was a member of the Methodist Church who lived his whole life in Westfield. Called to Camp Dix in February 1918, he was placed in Company G, 311th Regiment. He was killed in action in France. Hyslip Avenue was named in his honor.

  • Palsted Avenue was named after Corporal Axel Thomas Palsted who was 24-years-old at the time of his death. Having enlisted in Company L, 307th Infantry in October 1917, he died in France on October 13, 1918 just six months after his arrival on foreign soil.

  • Raymond Street was named in honor of Private John Raymond Clark of 408 South Elmer Street, who was no relation to the aforementioned Clark brothers. To give each man the individual recognition his sacrifice deserved, the Town Council elected to use first names for each of the streets named after the Clarks. Private John Raymond enlisted in Company K, 2nd Regiment, National Guard of New Jersey. Schooled in Westfield, he was a member of The Presbyterian Church in Westfield. Following training at Camp McClellan, Anniston, Ala., Mr. Clark was ultimately assigned to Company F, 113th Infantry with whom he served in France until he was killed in action.

  • Twenty-three year old Private Walter Dilts Reese lived at 249 Walnut Avenue. Having attended Westfield schools, he was a member of The Presbyterian Church in Westfield. He joined Company 5, 311th Infantry and went to Fort Dix for training. He died June 10, 1918, and was buried in Fairview Cemetery. Reese Place was renamed in his memory.

  • The Clark Family of 336 Mountain Avenue lost another son to the war, Salter Storrs Clark, Jr., who was killed in action in France, November 1, 1918, just six months after his brother. The 28- year old was assigned to Company G., 311th Infantry upon his arrival at Fort Dix. He was acting captain and in charge of his company at the time of his death. Salter Place was named in his honor.

  • Saunders Avenue is named after Lieutenant Stuart Benton Saunders, a 12-year resident of Westfield who lived at 132 North Euclid Avenue. He was a member of the now First United Methodist Church. When called into service, he went to the Navy Yard at Bensonhurst, Long Island. Following training at the Boston School of Technology, Lieutenant Saunders lost his life while assisting in a hydroplane test over Pensacola Bay, Fla.

  • Sergeant Henry Carrington Stevens was 20-years-old, a six-year resident of Westfield and graduate of the Class of 1917 of Westfield High School. A member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Sergeant Stevens was placed in Ambulance Company 33, 4th Division, U.S. Army. He was struck by a shell on October 10, 1918, and died soon afterwards. Stevens Avenue was named in honor of the Sergeant.

  • Tice Place bears the name of a lifelong resident of Westfield, Corporal Raymond Smith Tice, who lived at 519 Highland Avenue. A member of Company K, Second Regiment, National Guard New Jersey, he trained at Fort Dix and Camp McClellan. He was assigned to Company H, 113th Infantry, 29th Division, U.S. Army. In France, Corporal Tice was gassed and suffered from shell shock nine weeks prior to his death from pneumonia.

  • Private Martin Wallberg was born in Sweden, but made his home at 1024 South Avenue. A member of the First Baptist Church, he served in the Boys’ Brigade. When he was 17, he joined Company D, 16th Platoon, 8th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Forces and left for France. On November 10, 1917, Private Wallberg, just 19-years-old, was the first of Westfield’s Supreme Honor Men to lay down his life in the line of duty. Wallberg Avenue was named in his honor.

  • Prior to honoring the Supreme Honor Men by the 1923 construction of the granite shaft crowned with a bronze statue which stands at the junction of North Avenue and Broad Street, the Westfield Town Council approved the naming of designated town streets in their memory. A general ordinance was passed on December 27, 1920, to “change the names of certain streets or sections of streets of the Town of Westfield, and to rename them in honor of soldiers of the World War.” The stars serve as a constant reminder that the street names they adorn are no ordinary thoroughfares for they are named after extraordinary men.


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