Bits of SJ: Daughter of the West Wind

Longfellow’s story, “Hiawatha” gave the inspiration to name the quaint village of Wenonah, (Daughter of the West Wind). Like most settlements in southern New Jersey, Wenonah was once inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape Indian tribe.

The tribe saw many new faces starting with the English ship “Discovery” in 1610, the Dutch, Quakers, and eventually the Swedes. With all of the intrusion onto Indian land, the various groups managed to live in peace with one another.

One of the first notable settlers around Wenonah was Samuel Moffett. He built one of the first houses built on Monroe Avenue. Another notable figure was Benjamin Clark, who built a grist mill near Polkington Lake. There is a story about Clark’s encounter with the British army during the Revolutionary War. He was on his way to Philadelphia to sell some wheat when British soldiers met him. They confiscated his shipment along with his horses and let him go. They soon found out that freeing him was a mistake because later that night, as the soldiers slept, Ben Clark entered their camp and fled away with two of his horses. He hid them on an island in Mantua Creek until the troops moved out of the area.

During the 1700s, Mantua Creek was a source of abundant shad and marl. Flat boats and barges were used to ship canned goods and grain to Philadelphia. The ships would return with commodities like lime, slat, cotton, boots, and oil. Like many communities, Wenonah traded with the merchants of Philadelphia until it became obvious that the city merchants were looking for places that they could visit to get away from the city.

In the middle 1800s the railroad began to take shape and transportation between Philadelphia and Wenonah was a daily routine. This led way to the construction of hotels and cottages. Lots were divided into tracts 75’x150’ and advertised in Camden and Philadelphia. The village was no longer an obscure, remote place, but a lure to city dwellers that wanted a relaxed country setting.

The village known as Wenonah began to grow, and in 1883 it was incorporated as a Borough. Churches were built and schools erected as this tiny community gave way to progress. A news clip for the “The Constitution” dated April 19, 1871, advertised that lots were for sale from $200 to $400 and that over 600 maple trees had been planted along the avenues. As anyone knows that lives in or has been through Wenonah knows, the trees and fine architectural structures lend to its remarkable landscape and quaint village atmosphere.

In researching the many communities in South Jersey it is evident that each town was destined to follow the paths that they took because of the unique resources they offered. Wenonah had the Mantua Creek to offer its bounty and then the railroad. With the change of times it has been able to adjust to each new century’s demands and today it remains a great place to live.

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Author: Vickie VanAntwerp