A 19th-century farm. That’s where our story of Cherry Hill begins. Captain Abraham M Browning owned this farm. He named it Cherry Hill because of the many cherry trees. This simple farm became much more. It transformed into the Cherry Hill Inn. Later an RCA office campus stood there. Today you see Cherry Hill Towers and Cherry Hill Estates. These housing developments occupy the land.
Cherry Hill itself is a township in Camden County New Jersey. It’s a suburb of Philadelphia. It sits within the Delaware Valley region. Cherry Hill’s growth exploded during the mid-20th century. Suburbanization transformed this area. It became a major commercial center. The Cherry Hill Mall is a prime example of this growth.
Originally this land belonged to the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans. English settlers Quakers who followed William Penn arrived later. They settled in a small cluster of homes. This first settlement was called Colestown. You can still find Colestown Cemetery today. It’s at the corner of Route 41 and Church Road. The area officially became Delaware Township in 1844. This was in Gloucester County. Two weeks later it joined Camden County. Parts of the township were later used to create Stockton Township and Merchantville. At one point Delaware Township was much larger. It included North Camden Merchantville and Pennsauken. This included Petty’s Island in the Delaware River.
After World War II Cherry Hill’s population boomed. It continued to grow until the 1980s. Today the population is stable. New development mostly focuses on luxury homes. Rehabilitation and reuse of commercial and industrial areas also contributes to this growth. The name Cherry Hill became widely used. This led to the official name change from Delaware Township. Developer Eugene Mori played a significant role in this change. He used the name for many of his properties. This included the Cherry Hill Inn and the Cherry Hill Lodge.
The Cherry Hill Mall opened in 1961. It was opposite the old Cherry Hill Farm. The mall featured 75 stores in a single enclosed space. It was the first enclosed shopping mall in the eastern United States. The township needed a new post office. Another town in New Jersey already used the name Delaware Township. The United States Postal Service insisted on a name change. They even suggested Deltown. Mayors Christian Weber and John Gilmour organized write-in campaigns. The residents chose Cherry Hill. The name was officially adopted on November 7 1961.
Cherry Hill’s rich history continues. It’s a vibrant community. From its humble beginnings as a farm to its current status as a major commercial center Cherry Hill has a story worth exploring. So as you walk through Cherry Hill remember the stories within its streets. The stories of the Lenni-Lenape the Quakers and all those who shaped this dynamic place.