Bonnie's Bridge - Cherry Hill, NJ
N 39° 54.685 W 075° 00.261
18S E 499628 N 4417925
This site is one of twenty-one colonial/revolutionary war era historic sites in Camden County and most definitely the most unique. It was a long, hard fought struggle to have this bridge recognized as having historic value by its 'owner'.
Waymark Code: WMHZ5N
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 08/30/2013
Views: 5
I recently spoke to the home owner of this NRHP site also in Cherry Hill and she was able to recount to me the story of this stone arch bridge. Basically, a few decades ago, the homeowner was rooting around in the yard and uncovered this colonial bridge. Can you imagine, finding an artifact in your side yard! Long story short, they fixed it up, added some brick and restored it (not sure who did that). Eventually, they petitioned the state to add it as a historical place, that being done, it was eventually added to the national register of historic places in 1984, the fifth such site in our town. The lady who discovered this bridge, why her name is of course Bonnie! Our local newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, interviewed her in 1986 and offered a complete history of this site and how it came to be an NRHP site. That article is located HERE.
Bonnie’s Bridge, the last surviving stone arch bridge in Camden County, is a mid 18th century artifact is located at 350 Wayland Rd., Cherry Hill. When you drive by, look back a bit; it is actually pushed about 50 feet or so away from the sidewalk and between two yards. There is also a stone marker which points you in the right direction (there is actually a hand pointing).
If you look at the pictures closely, you will see 20th century brick has been added to reinforce the structural integrity of the arch. This is one of twenty-one national historic sites in Camden County from the Revolutionary War period. It has been reported that when the British Army left Philadelphia in June 1778, one flank used Bonnie’s Bridge to cross the Cooper River to travel from Haddonfield to Evesham. So, it seems at one time the Cooper River flowed past here but it has since been diverted.
While it is all but impossible to find accurate information as to the origination of this bridge, legend has it that the Quakers and William Penn built this bridge so they might move easier across NJ to more remote, western parts.
Most people in my county or even in my hometown do not know about this place.
In order to visit our town's best kept secret, you must be able to write what is on the historic marker. Good luck!
UPDATE: August 29, 2010
I found the following excerpt in a book about the cultural history of Cherry Hill:
Bonnie's Bridge on Wayland Avenue in the Barclay Farms section of Cherry Hill is the last surviving stone arch bridge in Camden County. its significance dates to the Revolutionary War, when it is believed more than 15,000 members of the British Army used the span when they fled Philadelphia in June 1778. many of the troops marched to Freehold, where General George Washington engaged them in the Battle of Monmouth. The bridge is named for Bonnie Cocchiareley, whose efforts to preserve it led to its inclusion on the Nationay Register of Historic Places in 1981. Source: Cherry Hill, New Jersey By Mike Mathis