Pennsauken

From The Courier-Post Online:

Pennsauken

Pennsauken: Centuries of growth

Pennsauken was inhabited by Indians before it was settled by Europeans in the 17th century.

Pindasenakun, the early version of the name Pennsauken, means tobacco pouch, according to the Lenape Indians.

In 1678, four Indian chiefs sold Petty's Island to Elizabeth Kinsey for 600 gilders. The chiefs agreed to protect her from dangerous hogs for payment in rum and powder in return. The island is named for John Petty, an Indian trader who owned it in 1732.

The Quakers of William Penn's Philadelphia who wanted to engage in lotteries rowed to the island beyond the Quaker law. At a Pennsylvania-New Jersey convention on April 26, 1783, the island was officially made a part of New Jersey.

In 1684, Chief Tallaca agreed to sell the land along Pennsauken Creek and release all claims to it. A further stipulation of the treaty stated Tallaca and his men would protect the new owners against any encroachments by other tribes.

Pennsauken Creek was essential for transportation and its banks were the sites of various enterprises, including a colonial plantation.

From the early 1700s through the 1800s, the area was one of vast farms and orchards.

Also in the 1800s, Pennsauken was a favored resort for Philadelphians.

After its incorporation in 1892, Pennsauken Township grew as an industrial, commercial and residential community. Pennsauken Industrial Park stands in the northwest part of the township. Business areas run along Haddonfield Road, Route 130, Route 73, Westfield Avenue and Church Road. Housing developments populate just about all sections of the township.

In 1925, the first traffic circle in the United States, the Airport Circle, opened in Pennsauken. It is where Admiral Wilson Boulevard and routes 38, 70 and 130 converge.

The circle became associated with Central Airport, which opened in 1929. With the development of larger aircraft, which required longer runways, and the 1939 opening of Philadelphia International Airport, Central Airport was forced to gradually discontinue commercial operations. In 1952, the property was sold for $1 million so a shopping area could be built there. The airport closed in 1957.

-- Bob Tulini

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Courier-Post file
Pennsauken is home to the Airport Circle, the first traffic circle in the United States.


DID YOU KNOW?
The first drive-in movie theater, the Automobile Movie Theater, opened on June 6, 1933, in a 400-car parking lot on the north side of Admiral Wilson Boulevard near the Airport Circle in Pennsauken. It was invented by Richard A. Hollingshead, chairman of the board of R.M. Hollingshead, a manufacturer of automotive products in Camden. The first movie to be shown that night was "Wife Beware," starring Adolphe Menjou.


LANDMARKS IN PENNSAUKEN
1. The Griffith Morgan House at 234 Griffith Morgan Lane was the home of Griffith Morgan, a Welshman who left his homeland because of religious persecution, and Elizabeth Morgan, the widow of landholder Samuel Coles. The Morgans moved into the three-story stone structure along the Pennsauken Creek in 1693. The house is considered the oldest house in Camden County.

2. The Burrough-Dover House at 9201 Burrough-Dover Lane is a two-story stone farmhouse built in 1710 by the Burrough family. Rumor has it the British came through it during the American Revolution.

3. The Pennsauken Country Club, an 18-hole public golf course with catering and dining facilities, straddles Haddonfield Road. It opened in 1931 and is owned by Pennsauken Township.


QUOTABLE
"What people should appreciate is how far back the history of Pennsauken goes. The people who arrived here were very friendly with the Lenape Indians and the Indians were very helpful for the survival of the white man." Kay Rudderow, treasurer of Griffith Morgan House

 

HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS
1678: Four Indian chiefs sell Petty's Island to Elizabeth Kinsey for 600 gilders.

1684: Indian Chief Tallaca agrees to sell the land along Pennsauken Creek and release all claims to it.

1783: At a Pennsylvania-New Jersey convention, Petty's Island is officially made a part of New Jersey.

1892: Pennsauken is incorporated as a township.

1896: The Delair Railroad Bridge, the first bridge between Camden County and Philadelphia, is constructed in the township.

1925: The Airport Circle, the first traffic circle in the United States, opens in Pennsauken.

1927: The Walt Whitman Theatre is built. It features the first sound motion pictures in the area.

1929: Central Airport, an early commercial airport in the South Jersey/Philadelphia region, opens.

1933: The Automobile Movie Theater, the first drive-in movie theater, opens in Pennsauken.

1956: The Pennsauken Mart, a quirky mix of retail shops, opens.

1957: After gradually discontinuing commercial operations, Central Airport closes to make way for a shopping area.

2006: The Pennsauken Mart closes. The property at routes 73, 130 and Haddonfield Road is under consideration for redevelopment.

Sources: "A History of Pennsauken Township" by Jack H. Fichter, "Pennsauken" by Kathleen J. Crane, www.twp.pennsauken.nj.us, "Courier-Post" archives