Cherry Hill: A Brief History
N 39° 55.606 W 075° 01.795
18S E 497443 N 4419629
Incorporated as Delaware Twp. on February 28, 1844, this town was later renamed Cherry Hill Twp. on November 7, 1961. Welcome to my home town!
Waymark Code: WMA8DD
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 12/01/2010
Views: 9
The area now known as Cherry Hill was originally settled by the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans who coexisted peacefully with the first settlers from the British Isles, Quaker followers of William Penn who arrived in the late 1600s. The first settlement was a small cluster of homes named Colestown, in the perimeters of what is now the Colestown Cemetery on the corner of Route 41 (King's Highway) and Church Road. The municipality was founded on February 25, 1844, in Gloucester County as Delaware Township from half of the area of Waterford Township, and became part of Camden County at its creation some two weeks later on March 13, 1844.
The township underwent explosive growth in the post-World War II era, with continued population growth until the 1980s. Today, the municipality's population remains stable with new development generally occurring in small pockets of custom luxury homes or through the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of existing commercial and industrial areas.
All of the historic sites in the book, especially the NRHP sites I have personally visited and waymarked. To see pictures of those sites and many others mentioned in this really cool book, simply click on nearest waymarks to learn all about my town and see some neat pictures, too.
Official description of the book:
Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is known today for its shopping centers and residential neighborhoods. This tightknit community, founded in the 1600s by English followers of William Penn, began as a collection of hardworking farm families and early American Patriots. The town played an important role as the "crossroads of the American Revolution" and bravely fought to help southern slaves to freedom using the Underground Railroad. Townspeople persevered through the turbulent and trying times of the early twentieth century, eventually to triumph in building the haven from the hustle and bustle of Philadelphia that it is today. From its agrarian roots to the excitement of the Garden State Park racecourse, join authors Mike Mathis and Lisa Mangiafico as they take you through an illustrated, imaginative tour of Cherry Hill's past and present.