Here’s a brief but very interesting history of Pennsauken that I ran across in the Courier-Post.
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.
The Central Airport 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.
There’s a bit more at the Wikipedia site.
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