I wrote this about the street named Gamewell back on August 17, 2013:
I called James Malamas, 1966 Hackensack High School graduate, about a form he had sent in
November 23, 2009 about his service. While speaking to him, he mentioned that local history is interesting, and he mentioned Frank D. Gamewell, and that there is a street named after him in Hackensack. Frank Gamewell played a large roll in the Boxer Rebellion which occurred in China at the turn of the 20th century.
I knew exactly where the street was because the company I worked for 32 years had their office there for at least five years during the early 1990’s. The street is located right off of Railroad Avenue right behind the Hackensack High School football field.
Passing conversation and street names turn up the most interesting history sometimes.
On February 18, 2016, there was an article in The Record newspaper written by Jeffrey Page telling about the story behind the street name in Hackensack called Gamewell. According to the article,
Reverend Frank Gamewell, who served as a missionary during the Boxer Rebellion, may not have been the reason for the street name, but rather his father John Nelson Gamewell, who had patented a Fire Alarm system, that at one point seemed to be used across the whole country and can still be found in use in some places to this day according to the article.
An interesting note was when the company I worked for in the 1990’s was there, it shared the building with a fire alarm company at the time. I do not know if that company is still in there today.
Click here to view The Record February 18, 2016 article about John Nelson Gamewell.
Click here to view John Nelson Gamewell gravestone and family plot.
Written by:
Bob Meli
March 4, 2016
