Going down the Beverly Rancocus Rd at the intersection of Bridge St, I noticed old brick houses to the right. I asked my husband what was down the road. He said, "an old historic town". With interest peaked, I asked him to drive me through. To my surprise, it is called Rancocus Village, nothing to do with the Rancocus Village shopping area located on Creek Rd in the Mt. Laurel/Hainsport area. This quaint town offered several old style brick homes, a blacksmith shop and post office. These buildings had dates on them from the 1800s. Down one side road there was an old school. It was very unique looking, being large for its time and a two story at that. This little town is well worth the trip. I would suggest parking and walking around. I have been by this area hundreds of times and never knew it was there, or even heard of it before.
Rancocus Village
- Thread starter suresue592003
- Start date
Suresue:
You found one of my favorite hamlets in Burlington County! I had the privilege of residing in Rancocas Village from 1969 to 1974 and the place has fascinated me ever since! It is an island of history surrounded by a sea of modernity and sprawl. The oldest buildings in town include the Quaker meetinghouse, completed in 1772; and the house sitting at the southeast corner of Main and Bridge streets, directly across from the Quaker school, also erected during the late eighteenth century. Builders constructed many of the remaining brick houses in the village during the 1830s. Edwin Barber and Henry Howe, writing in their 1844 volume, Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey, note in their Willingboro section:
“Rancocus, 4 m. W. of Mt. Holly, on the line of this and Northampton township, is a new and handsome village, grown up within a few years, and containing a Friends meeting and about 30 dwellings. (p. 122)”
At one time, the village could boast of three stores, including Richard R. Lippincott’s general store, still standing at the corner of Bridge and Second streets. Lippincott fought in the Civil War and composed numerous pieces of poetry about that conflict. The last store to operate—Stevens’ General Store (formerly Leeds)—still stands at the corner of Bridge and Main, although, today, the ABCO Credit Union maintains its executive offices in the building. At one time, the post office stood within this store and the Rancocas Coffee Shop occupied the building that, today, houses the Rancocas Post Office. Across Main Street is a brick house with a side door and this dwelling once housed the third store in town. The community has had its own post office facility since the 1840s. Even today, there is no local carrier for home delivery for mail and residents still most walk or drive to the postal facility in town everyday to retrieve their mail.
In addition to the Quaker meeting, Rancocas Village contains a Methodist Church, first constructed in 1844. The congregation ceased meeting in their sanctuary within the past several years and merged with the Methodist Church in Masonville, formerly a two-church circuit, and, in pre-Levitt days, a three-church circuit that included the old Charleston Methodist Church in Willingboro. During the late nineteenth and into the early twentieth century, a steam flourmill stood in the now empty lot across Second Street from the Methodist Church. At one time, an Episcopal edifice, known as St. Peter’s, stood on Main Street from circa 1907 to the 1930s, when the Episcopal diocese deconsecrated the building and workers demolished it and constructed a house in its place.
William Fish’s wagon works and blacksmith shop still stands as a private resident on the west side of Bridge Street. Originally constructed with wood, the building was rebuilt with brick during the twentieth century.
There are two schools still extant in Rancocas: the 1822 Friends School, constructed to replace a frame building erected in 1780 and lost to flames; and the former Willingboro Township school building at the west end of Second Street. Built during the second-half of the nineteenth century, the Willingboro Township school board closed the school during 1918. It then served as a grange hall for area farmers. The grange closed soon after William Levitt acquired 90% of the farmland in Willingboro Township during the mid-1950s.
Prior to 1956, all of the village west of Bridge Street stood in Willingboro Township, while the remainder lay in Westampton Township. In that year, William Levitt arranged with the New Jersey State Legislature to transfer that western half to Westampton Township, thereby protecting the entire village from modern intrusion.
Townfolk initially had the former firehouse erected as a lyceum, where they held debates, meetings, and plays. Westampton Township closed the firehouse some years ago in a dispute over the company’s records. After its closure, the township removed all of the firefighting equipment. The Rancocas Friends burial ground stands on the bluff overlooking Rancocas Creek down Bridge Street towards Centreton bridge. At one time, the Rancocas Meetinghouse, a log building, stood in this burial ground. Reportedly, gravediggers would often encounter Indian burials while excavating a final resting place for a member of the Rancocas meeting.
So, do plan to return and explore the history contained within Rancocas Village. You will be rewarded with many great scenes of a once-rural community. If you want to see some vintage images of the village and read more about it, take a look at this website:
http://www.rancocasnj.org/.
Best regards,
Jerseyman
You found one of my favorite hamlets in Burlington County! I had the privilege of residing in Rancocas Village from 1969 to 1974 and the place has fascinated me ever since! It is an island of history surrounded by a sea of modernity and sprawl. The oldest buildings in town include the Quaker meetinghouse, completed in 1772; and the house sitting at the southeast corner of Main and Bridge streets, directly across from the Quaker school, also erected during the late eighteenth century. Builders constructed many of the remaining brick houses in the village during the 1830s. Edwin Barber and Henry Howe, writing in their 1844 volume, Historical Collections of the State of New Jersey, note in their Willingboro section:
“Rancocus, 4 m. W. of Mt. Holly, on the line of this and Northampton township, is a new and handsome village, grown up within a few years, and containing a Friends meeting and about 30 dwellings. (p. 122)”
At one time, the village could boast of three stores, including Richard R. Lippincott’s general store, still standing at the corner of Bridge and Second streets. Lippincott fought in the Civil War and composed numerous pieces of poetry about that conflict. The last store to operate—Stevens’ General Store (formerly Leeds)—still stands at the corner of Bridge and Main, although, today, the ABCO Credit Union maintains its executive offices in the building. At one time, the post office stood within this store and the Rancocas Coffee Shop occupied the building that, today, houses the Rancocas Post Office. Across Main Street is a brick house with a side door and this dwelling once housed the third store in town. The community has had its own post office facility since the 1840s. Even today, there is no local carrier for home delivery for mail and residents still most walk or drive to the postal facility in town everyday to retrieve their mail.
In addition to the Quaker meeting, Rancocas Village contains a Methodist Church, first constructed in 1844. The congregation ceased meeting in their sanctuary within the past several years and merged with the Methodist Church in Masonville, formerly a two-church circuit, and, in pre-Levitt days, a three-church circuit that included the old Charleston Methodist Church in Willingboro. During the late nineteenth and into the early twentieth century, a steam flourmill stood in the now empty lot across Second Street from the Methodist Church. At one time, an Episcopal edifice, known as St. Peter’s, stood on Main Street from circa 1907 to the 1930s, when the Episcopal diocese deconsecrated the building and workers demolished it and constructed a house in its place.
William Fish’s wagon works and blacksmith shop still stands as a private resident on the west side of Bridge Street. Originally constructed with wood, the building was rebuilt with brick during the twentieth century.
There are two schools still extant in Rancocas: the 1822 Friends School, constructed to replace a frame building erected in 1780 and lost to flames; and the former Willingboro Township school building at the west end of Second Street. Built during the second-half of the nineteenth century, the Willingboro Township school board closed the school during 1918. It then served as a grange hall for area farmers. The grange closed soon after William Levitt acquired 90% of the farmland in Willingboro Township during the mid-1950s.
Prior to 1956, all of the village west of Bridge Street stood in Willingboro Township, while the remainder lay in Westampton Township. In that year, William Levitt arranged with the New Jersey State Legislature to transfer that western half to Westampton Township, thereby protecting the entire village from modern intrusion.
Townfolk initially had the former firehouse erected as a lyceum, where they held debates, meetings, and plays. Westampton Township closed the firehouse some years ago in a dispute over the company’s records. After its closure, the township removed all of the firefighting equipment. The Rancocas Friends burial ground stands on the bluff overlooking Rancocas Creek down Bridge Street towards Centreton bridge. At one time, the Rancocas Meetinghouse, a log building, stood in this burial ground. Reportedly, gravediggers would often encounter Indian burials while excavating a final resting place for a member of the Rancocas meeting.
So, do plan to return and explore the history contained within Rancocas Village. You will be rewarded with many great scenes of a once-rural community. If you want to see some vintage images of the village and read more about it, take a look at this website:
http://www.rancocasnj.org/.
Best regards,
Jerseyman
WoW! Did you check out the museum link on the Rancocas site. I bet there are alot of pinelands enthusenist (?) who have never heard of this hidden treasure.
Jerseyman, have a bit of knowledge of Levitt and Sons as I grew up in a beautiful section of Bucks County farmland which is now Levittown, PA. His main reason for wanting everything in Willingboro proper, is due to what he had to go through here, dealing with three townships and one borough, causing many problems and delays. When he started in New Jersey, he did not want to repeat that experience. I think it is great that he helped Rancocus, but believe me, Levitt just thought about Levitt! Lynn