克罗夫特农场的历史

克罗夫特农场的历史可以追溯到18世纪，当时早期的业主利用它靠近库珀溪的位置在水路上建造了磨坊。 在接下来的200年里，从1697年到1897年，四个不同的磨坊为凯和埃文斯家族提供了生计。

在20世纪，克罗夫特家族将这片土地完全用于农业用途。 In 1985, Cherry Hill Township purchased the property not only to preserve a piece of the Township’s past, but also to serve the recreational, educational and cultural needs of the community. 1683年，理查德·马修斯（Richard Matthews）委托对现在被称为克罗夫特农场（克罗夫特农场）的土地进行了首次勘测，他在库珀河两岸购买了500英亩土地。 在接下来的几年里，在约翰·凯（John Kay）于1710年买下这块土地之前，这块土地又换了几个主人。

The current farmhouse can trace its beginnings to the mid-1700s when John’s son, Isaac, established his home on the Waterford Township (Cherry Hill) side of the Creek. An original portion of Kay’s home, named “Springwell,” can be viewed in the present dining room—with its open-hearth fireplace (now blocked off), “tight winder” staircase, original glass window panes, and primary facade oriented toward the pond.

将近一个世纪后，新主人托马斯·埃文斯（Thomas Evans）大幅扩建了这座由艾萨克·凯（Isaac Kay）建造的两层砖结构建筑。 He added a four-bay, 3½ story “I” block, extending in an east-west direction. 他把房子的朝向从池塘转向新建的道路。 Evans also added three ancillary buildings—an 八角形的冰库, 帧熏制房 and a 砖冷藏间 on the edge of the pond.

Around 1840, Thomas’s son, Josiah Bispham Evans, moved into the house with his wife, their four children and his wife’s three sisters.

He re-named the property “Edgewater.” 和同时代的其他贵格会教徒一样，托马斯·埃文斯和约西亚·埃文斯都是新泽西废奴协会的成员，这是一个主张结束奴隶制的组织，同时也帮助维持地下铁路。 事实上，据托马斯和约西亚的直系后裔沃尔特·w·埃文斯（Walter W. Evans）报道，埃奇沃特是寻求自由的人被带到的站点之一。 He further explained that freedom seekers “came from Woodbury and were received by Thomas Evans, then quickly hidden in the haymow or attic of the house, anywhere so that [no one] could find them…In the middle of the night they would be given something to eat and hurried off in a covered wagon to Mount Holly, where they were received and hidden again.” 事实上，记录显示，约西亚·埃文斯安排购买两个被奴役的人的自由，约书亚·萨德拉尔和杰斐逊·费希尔，而不是让赏金猎人抓住他们。 他们留在厂里，工作以报答埃文斯的好意。 Sadlar later became the leader of a small settlement of formerly enslaved people known as “Sadlartown,” located in present-day Haddon Township.

In 1924, with the mills no longer functioning, Josiah’s daughter, Abigail Evans Willits, sold the land to Joseph Wallworth. 1925年，沃沃斯把101英亩的土地卖给了小约翰·w·克罗夫特。 克罗夫特一开始独自耕种，后来在助手托马斯·麦卡格尔的帮助下耕种。 Following John Croft’s retirement, Thomas McCargo continued to farm the land alone until his death in 1981.

1985年，克罗夫特家族将大约80英亩的土地卖给了樱桃山镇。 1995年，一个二战后的拖拉机仓库被改造成受欢迎的樱桃山艺术中心，全年都有课程、音乐会和文化活动。 In 2020, an old livestock barn that wasn't historic to the property was removed and replaced with four buildings, just shy of 1,000 square feet each, that house recreation programs and community meetings.

Listed on the New Jersey and National Registers since 1999, 克罗夫特农场 has been preserved to capture an important piece of Cherry Hill’s rich heritage. 今天，整个克罗夫特物业作为一个充满活力的社区中心，并提供全年展览，音乐会，活动，节日，节目和所有年龄段的教育课程。