Fields and Restored Orchard - Cherry Hill, NJ
N 39° 54.311 W 074° 59.863
18S E 500195 N 4417233
Built in 1816 by a Quaker farmer, Joseph Thorn, the farmhouse and surrounding 32-acre property offers visitors an opportunity to observe and participate in the agrarian lifestyle that once dominated the South Jersey landscape.
Waymark Code: WMHVTM
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 08/17/2013
Views: 2
The interpretive is very typical with its thick black frame, yellowish background and vintage pictures. If facing the house, the interpretive is on a brick path with two other interpretives 113 feet northeast of the northeast corner of the house. The text goes in three columns from left to right accompanied by three vintage picks in each column depicting agrarian life at barclay in the 19th century. Like the other interpretives on the grounds, is in poor shape. The marker is scratched and dirty and hard to read. Fortunately, I visit often and have many pics of this interpretive taken years ago by which I was able to read the text. The marker reads:
FIELDS AND RESTORED ORCHARD
(left)
The earliest Europeans who came
to Southern New Jersey first
settled flat lands near small
streams just above the tidal line
often on or near the clear sandy
fields of the Native American. This
avoided the heavy water-laden
soils o the tidal marshes and
allowed the settlers the best
chances to quickly plant crops.
(middle)
However forest covered much of
the land of Southern New Jersey
prohibiting quick clearing of lands
and planting of crops. At first, the
settlers forged a subsistence
economy from already cleared land.
As more land was cleared, settlers
could sell their crops at markets
that were developing in nearby
towns and especially in the
newly developed urban center of
Philadelphia. What began as a
subsistence agricultural economy
blossomed into a market economy
tied to the development of a nearby
Philadelphia and Camden.
(right)
This restored orchard is one aspect
of the specialized farming development
by local farmers in response to the
urban markets. The South Jersey
farmers were formidable orcharders,
and originated many of the finest
varieties of apples. One of these
was the Cooper's Russeting, an
apple produced by Joseph Cooper
a relative of an early owner of the
farmstead.
This is a wonderful place to bring the family. It features a beautiful space reserved for community gardening called "Plant-A-Patch", located in front of the Farmstead. In addition to this, there is a very scenic nature trail, a playground and an impressive interpretive trail leading right up to the farmhouse.
Built in 1816 by a Quaker farmer, Joseph Thorn, the farmhouse and surrounding 32-acre property offers visitors an opportunity to observe and participate in the agrarian lifestyle that once dominated the South Jersey landscape. Now listed on the National & New Jersey Registers of Historic Places, the Barclay Farmstead is owned and operated by Cherry Hill Township.
In 1826, Joseph W. Cooper, a sixth-generation descendant of the founder of Camden and the owner of Camden’s Cooper Ferry, acquired the 168-acre property as a retreat to escape the city’s hot summer days. Eventually, “Chestnut Grove Farm,” as it came to be known, was passed along to Joseph Cooper’s great-granddaughter, Helen Champion Barclay, who sold more than 100 acres of the property to developer Bob Scarborough in the 1950s, resulting in the surrounding Barclay Farm development. Helen Barclay sold the remaining 32 acres of the Farmstead property to the Township of Cherry Hill in 1974, where it has since been maintained as a park and history museum.
The Farmstead is closed on Mondays, Saturdays and all Township–observed holidays. They recommend calling before your visit. (856) 795-6225 or contact: info@barclayfarmstead.org
Tuesday through Friday Noon to 4 PM
First Sunday of each month 1 PM to 4 PM