Bump the Bumps

Contributed by Jessica Crandall, Chatham Historical Society

The house that stood at 100 Fairmount Avenue, now the site of the Stanley Church School, was originally owned by town councilman Frederick Boyle, who made his mark on the early development of the town of Chatham in many ways. Most notably, Councilman Boyle was a sponsor of the “Bump the Bumps” legislation, which provided funds for the construction of speed bumps on various local roads within the town.

The legislation was proposed in 1906, after townspeople began to complain about visitors speeding on local roads. These visitors were dubbed “scorchers”, and they drove at 30 to 40 miles an hour, despite the 10 mile an hour speed limit that was enforced on local roads. These scorchers represented a disturbance to the peace of the locals, as well as a danger to the community, which was home to many families with small children.

Councilman Boyle proposed the installment of speed bumps as a response to these local concerns, which attracted a lot of attention. The speed bumps were not the invention of Councilman Boyle, nor were they original to the town of Chatham, but when installed here they gathered unprecedented global attention.

The bumps were first installed on Main Street, and generated a great deal of buzz. Crowds gathered and New York Times reporters were on hand to witness the first trial runs. Everyone cheered and applauded as cars jumped into the air upon hitting the bumps.

After the Times article was printed, Chatham’s then mayor, Frank Kelly, received inquiries from politicians all across the United States, and even as far as England, who were curious about the installment of these new inventions.

However, the “Bump the Bumps” legislation was short lived for many reasons, not the least of which being that it slowed down the response time of emergency vehicles responding to calls. While the enactment of the legislation was brief, its effects on town history and lore are long-standing.