Blackwood, NJ
N 39° 48.130 W 075° 04.020
18S E 494264 N 4405802
Blackwood is an unincorporated area belonging to Gloucester Twp. in N.J. The center of town runs along Church St., where fittingly, are 100+ year old churches and cemeteries, marking the historic district. Black Horse Pike is the major thoroughfare.
Waymark Code: WM6X1F
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/30/2009
Views: 3
”Blackwood, 11.6 m. (75 alt., 1,500 pop.), the old site of Camden County Institutions, stretches along both sides of the highway, presenting a sprightly picture that belies a history dating back to 1701. The population today is employed chiefly at industrial plants in Camden. The town was named for Capt. John Blackwood, a settler of 1741. Uriah Norcross, owner of several stage lines in the lower end of the state, lived here, and operated his transportation lines form an office near the crossroads. The deserted relics of a real estate boom form a ghost city along the southern outskirts of the town.” --- New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past, 1939, p. 652
A tour of the district revealed the usual suspects along their main drag including the library, several World War memorials, the town school from 1929, Several old brick buildings, municipal building, the town clock, beautiful churches and a small park where an old movie theater once stood.
A notable part of Backwood is the NRHP historic district. Compared to other nearby historic districts, this site is relatively new, with most of the contributing structures standing since the mid 19th century with a healthy smattering of early 20th century buildings thrown in as well.
A trip to the library revealed zero information about this historic district and this town. There was no nomination form on file and the historic society has no address or physical place to visit. There might be a phone number but no one was too sure. There is ZERO information on the net. Wikipedia was no help either. All in all, this is a nice town along Church Street. It gets a little dicey in some of the other sections. Modern homes dot the landscape and businesses have replaced some older structures here and there along the Black Horse Pike and Church Street.