About 8 months ago, I wrote a post entitled 'How Evesham Got Its Shape', describing how the borders of our town came to be. I always suspected that may not have been the whole story, that smaller border adjustments had been made over the years, and I recently learned of one that occurred in the 1930s.
William Lippincott owned a 74 acre farm in the Cropwell section of town. He ran a small market selling his products across Marlton Pike from the Cropwell Friends meetinghouse. The market would have been in the vicinity of where Enterprise Rent-A-Car is now. In 1937, he was surprised when he received a tax bill from Delaware Township (as Cherry Hill was known back then) for 25 acres of his farm, even though all of his farm was in Evesham Township. He had previously been taxed every year by Evesham Township for the entire property.
He went to a Delaware Township Town Council meeting to learn why. At that meeting, it was noted that the border between Evesham and Delaware Townships (and between Burlington and Camden Counties) was the Cropwell Creek, a small portion of the Pennsauken River.
The earliest mention of the border between the two jurisdictions was a Gloucester County court record in 1695 (Note: Camden County was formed in 1844 out of parts of Gloucester County, so when the original border was set, Camden County did not exist):
At the heated meeting, another farmer Charles Huneke, protested the taxation of 17 acres of his 20 acre farm by Delaware Township, when all of his farm had previously been in Burlington County, calling the township attorney a 'kidnaper' [sic].
Today the creek is a dirty, muddy 4 foot wide slow-moving creek, that flows behind the Woodstream Swim Club, between the Woodstream neighborhood in Marlton and Lakeview in Cherry Hill, past the closed Conoco Gas Station on Conestoga, under Route 70, under Old Marlton Pike, and behind Marlton Village. The creek continues flowing under Cropwell Road, then separates the Carrefour neighborhood of Marlton from the Surrey Place East neighborhood of Cherry Hill.
I have been unable to determine exactly where the creek was rerouted almost 90 years ago, but a move of a millimeter on the map would move acres and acres of land from Burlington into Camden County.
The acres in question would have been the western-most portion of the Lippincott farm. And while I have been unable to determine exactly where these lost acres may have been located, I believe it was probably land that would have been in Woodstream had the border not moved.
The Lippincott farm was eventually sold and parts of it became Woodstream, along with some shopping centers on both side of Route 70.
I can find no record as to whether officials from Evesham Township or Burlington County protested the loss of land. It seems unusual that land would so easily be annexed to another town or county without protest. If my assumptions of the location are correct, the land in question is currently owned directly by Cherry Hill Township, as shown in the map below. . My guess is that it is probably pretty marshy land and unsuitable for development..
While the title to this post is obviously tongue in cheek, it does beg the question: does Marlton have claim on Cherry Hill land today? According to court case 406 US 117 pitting Iowa against Nebraska when the Missouri River changed course, perhaps the actual border did not (or should not) move, "By this selection of a new channel the boundary was not changed, and it remained as it was prior to the avulsion, the centre line of the old channel..." In trying to research similar cases, it seems that decisions on interstate and intrastate borders went both ways, where some times courts upheld that borders do indeed change with a 'meandering' river and other times they do not. More than 90 years have passed, so it is pretty much a moot point at this time, but I found it interesting nevertheless.
Thank you to John Flack Jr for imparting knowledge, providing maps, and helping me try to locate exactly where the river was moved. The source for some of this story is a newspaper article that appeared in the Courier Post on February 9, 1937 entitled "Farm Found Moved To Another County."
Note: In September 1950, the US Board of Geographic Names declared that "Cropwell Creek" and "Cropwell Brook" would no longer be used for federal mapping purposes to define the border. The "South Branch Pennsauken Creek" would be the official name for the waterway between Camden and Burlington Counties. The following historic names would no longer be used: Cropwell Brook, Moors Creek, Pennisoaken, Pennsawken, Pennysoaking, Pensawquin, Pensquin or Pouneehawking Creek. "Pennsauken Creek" would be used in the place of the following: "Cropwell Creek, Moors Creek, Pensquin Creek, etc." There is still a 'Cropwell Brook' in town, though it is not the border. It is a small creek that runs through Woodstream from west to east.
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| 1927 newspaper ad |
William Lippincott owned a 74 acre farm in the Cropwell section of town. He ran a small market selling his products across Marlton Pike from the Cropwell Friends meetinghouse. The market would have been in the vicinity of where Enterprise Rent-A-Car is now. In 1937, he was surprised when he received a tax bill from Delaware Township (as Cherry Hill was known back then) for 25 acres of his farm, even though all of his farm was in Evesham Township. He had previously been taxed every year by Evesham Township for the entire property.
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| 1933 newspaper ad |
He went to a Delaware Township Town Council meeting to learn why. At that meeting, it was noted that the border between Evesham and Delaware Townships (and between Burlington and Camden Counties) was the Cropwell Creek, a small portion of the Pennsauken River.
The earliest mention of the border between the two jurisdictions was a Gloucester County court record in 1695 (Note: Camden County was formed in 1844 out of parts of Gloucester County, so when the original border was set, Camden County did not exist):
That whereas, there a law made ye last assembly for Dividing of ye Countie into partickular Townships, Therefore they agree and Order, That from Pensoukin alias Cropwell River to ye lowermoste branch of Coopers Creek shall be one Constablary or Township, and from ye sd branch of Coopers Creek to ye southerly branch of newton Creek bounding Glocester shall be another [multiple sics throughout]The exact location of the border was revisited in a NJ Statute in the 1830s defining the border, specifically mentioning the Lippincott property:
The partition between Burlington and Gloucester county begins at the mouth of the Pensauquin, alias Cropwell Creek; thence up the same fork; thence along the southernmost branch thereof, sometimes called the Coles branch, until it comes to the head thereof, which is the bounds betwixt Samuel Lipencote's and Isaac Sharp's land...At this meeting, Mr Lippincott learned that during construction of a 'highway' in the area in the early 1930s, the State of New Jersey diverted a small section of the Cropwell Creek, moving it slightly eastward. There was no mention of what highway was being constructed, though it was probably part of Marlton Pike/Route 70. When Delaware Township had a new tax map drawn up in 1936, the Cropwell Creek was again used as the border and Mr Lippincott's farm was now partially in Camden County.
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| 1885 Topographical Map showing 'Cropwell Brook' The dotted line running north to south is the border. |
At the heated meeting, another farmer Charles Huneke, protested the taxation of 17 acres of his 20 acre farm by Delaware Township, when all of his farm had previously been in Burlington County, calling the township attorney a 'kidnaper' [sic].
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| Current map of Woodstream. Somewhere along the yellow line to the left of Brandywine Drive, the river was rerouted eastward |
Today the creek is a dirty, muddy 4 foot wide slow-moving creek, that flows behind the Woodstream Swim Club, between the Woodstream neighborhood in Marlton and Lakeview in Cherry Hill, past the closed Conoco Gas Station on Conestoga, under Route 70, under Old Marlton Pike, and behind Marlton Village. The creek continues flowing under Cropwell Road, then separates the Carrefour neighborhood of Marlton from the Surrey Place East neighborhood of Cherry Hill.
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| South Branch Pennsauken Creek (formerly called Cropwell Creek) at Greentree Road |
I have been unable to determine exactly where the creek was rerouted almost 90 years ago, but a move of a millimeter on the map would move acres and acres of land from Burlington into Camden County.
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| South Branch Pennsauken Creek (formerly called Cropwell Creek) at Cropwell Road, |
The acres in question would have been the western-most portion of the Lippincott farm. And while I have been unable to determine exactly where these lost acres may have been located, I believe it was probably land that would have been in Woodstream had the border not moved.
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| Lippincott Farm circled - Photo Courtesy of John Flack Jr |
The Lippincott farm was eventually sold and parts of it became Woodstream, along with some shopping centers on both side of Route 70.
I can find no record as to whether officials from Evesham Township or Burlington County protested the loss of land. It seems unusual that land would so easily be annexed to another town or county without protest. If my assumptions of the location are correct, the land in question is currently owned directly by Cherry Hill Township, as shown in the map below. . My guess is that it is probably pretty marshy land and unsuitable for development..
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| Today, parcel #1 is owned by the Township of Cherry Hill and probably contains former Evesham land. Parcel #2 is owned by the Township of Evesham |
While the title to this post is obviously tongue in cheek, it does beg the question: does Marlton have claim on Cherry Hill land today? According to court case 406 US 117 pitting Iowa against Nebraska when the Missouri River changed course, perhaps the actual border did not (or should not) move, "By this selection of a new channel the boundary was not changed, and it remained as it was prior to the avulsion, the centre line of the old channel..." In trying to research similar cases, it seems that decisions on interstate and intrastate borders went both ways, where some times courts upheld that borders do indeed change with a 'meandering' river and other times they do not. More than 90 years have passed, so it is pretty much a moot point at this time, but I found it interesting nevertheless.
Thank you to John Flack Jr for imparting knowledge, providing maps, and helping me try to locate exactly where the river was moved. The source for some of this story is a newspaper article that appeared in the Courier Post on February 9, 1937 entitled "Farm Found Moved To Another County."
Note: In September 1950, the US Board of Geographic Names declared that "Cropwell Creek" and "Cropwell Brook" would no longer be used for federal mapping purposes to define the border. The "South Branch Pennsauken Creek" would be the official name for the waterway between Camden and Burlington Counties. The following historic names would no longer be used: Cropwell Brook, Moors Creek, Pennisoaken, Pennsawken, Pennysoaking, Pensawquin, Pensquin or Pouneehawking Creek. "Pennsauken Creek" would be used in the place of the following: "Cropwell Creek, Moors Creek, Pensquin Creek, etc." There is still a 'Cropwell Brook' in town, though it is not the border. It is a small creek that runs through Woodstream from west to east.
Related:
How Evesham Got Its Shape
Ed Stow Jr of Stow Farm, Evesham NJ
The Sale of Byron T Roberts Farm - April 6, 1974
List of All Blog Posts
How Evesham Got Its Shape
Ed Stow Jr of Stow Farm, Evesham NJ
The Sale of Byron T Roberts Farm - April 6, 1974
List of All Blog Posts
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