Erlton School - Cherry Hill, NJ
N 39° 54.715 W 075° 01.500
18S E 497863 N 4417981
Erlton School Park is one of forty-nine outdoor facilities operated by our Parks & Recreation Department. Of all our forty-nine areas, only a handful, including this one, truly qualify as being a park and not just a playground.
Waymark Code: WM3JH6
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 04/12/2008
Views: 24
Although listed in the name of the waymark as a school, this is NOT a school. This playground is simply built on the former site of Erlton School. As a result, this playground is very unique in its location and history.
This park greets visitors at the entrance with two giant, concrete urns, flanking the entrance. As you walk toward the playground you will immediately notice that the former segregated entrance concrete markers are laid out on the right and left (from the former Erlton School). I thought this was so very cool and immediately thought of the waymark category designed specifically for this occurrence. Unfortunately this, and a dedication marker, are all that remains of the school.
The playground consists of a nice swing set, a large play area and a smaller one set off to the right, a monkey bar area and a fitness area. I found this to be one of the better, if not the best, of Cherry Hill playgrounds, and I have visited them all. There is also a basketball court to the right (waymark coming soon to a computer near you) and a ball field to the left. Finally there is a tennis court, hockey court and soccer field
Some other items of interest are a time capsule located between the separate entrance markers, a beautiful gazebo to the right front and a sitting area. There were interpretive signs for the various trees but it would seem local savages have laid waste to them. Now that I live close, I will have to keep a vigilant eye for predators who would seek to destroy what we have tried to build up in our home town. Other than this, this is an extremely safe park to visit.
The actual park is listed as: 20) ERLTON, Jefferson & Grant (off Park) *p, s, bc, tc, bf, h, f on our Cherry Hill Recreation web page.
Our recreational areas are sometimes listed by street name or complex name.
This is map of our town. Look for 20, that is where the park is located.
One last piece of information that probably only I find interesting, this section of Cherry Hill is a Census-Designated Place called Erlton-Elllisburg. Although it is unincorporated, it was once its own town with its own zip code. The Erlton School was a vital link to the town, and in a sense, this park serves to preserve that link.