My Own Pictures are Coming SoonPhoto From Developer Website
Photo From Cherry Hill Master Plan
Cherry Hill differs from other Baltimore in that its history is rather short.The Bulk it was a product of FDRs' "New Deal" to stimulate the economy during the great depression. It was meant to be housing for black World War II veterans returning home. Uplands was its white counterpart. Cherry Hill was built in a time where housing segregation was still the norm. It was one of the last pieces of undeveloped waterfront land in Baltimore located between Westport and Brooklyn it contained some industrial land. After living the life of housing for Veterans the 600 unit Cherry Hill Homes became public housing. Cherry Hill Homes kept expanding over the years topping out at 1713 units. Obviously, Cherry Hill Homes was and is the dominant development creating huge pockets of poverty. 
Photo From Cherry Master Plan
Today Cherry Hill is a divided community. There is a market push to develop land as upscale apartments, condos, retail, offices, and possibly a boutique hotel seeing as it is a waterfront community. However, crime, gangs, drugs, still persist at disturbing levels. There have been 12 murders in Cherry Hill in the past year. Still the push is on for market rate housing; Waterview Overlook, a brand new upscale town house/condo development is being built in Cherry Hill and it sold out before they laid the first brick! There is also a waiting list in case people change their mind! 
Photo From Developer Website
Now here comes the tricky part; unifying the divided Cherry Hill. Ok lets start with the buildable parcels of land already available. Waterview Overlook is already being built so we can omit that. There is the industrial land next to the light rail station, there is the wooded undeveloped land next to the light rail station, there is the industrial land between Westport and Cherry Hill and finally there is the vacant land left over from the 319 units of Cherry Hill Homes that were demolished in the 1990s and 2006. To deal with the deep concentration of poverty in Cherry Hill I propose using both conventional and unconventional methods. The conventional method would be more demolition in Cherry Hill Homes, 697 units to be exact which is half of the current 1394. Now I'm projecting about 250 of those 697 units are vacant so the number of displaced families isn't as alarming as one would originally think. The demolished units would be redeveloped as mixed use mixed income housing, retail, and offices.
Photo From Cherry Hill Master Plan
Now the unconventional method; the units preserved in Cherry Hill Homes will be the original 600 (or however many of them are still standing) built before World War II. There has been an interest in reusing pre war public housing as market rate housing, something Baltimore hasn't done so I'm proposing that this be done with the oldest Cherry Hill Homes units however many of them are still standing. They were modernized in semi recent years so they would in fact be "de modernized" to restore them to their original appearance to qualify for historic designation. Now where would the remaining 697 families from the old Cherry Hill Homes Go? The only remaining units will be sold as market rate condos! Well they will be in scattered sites throughout Cherry Hill which will now be solely new homes, offices, and businesses.
Photo From Cherry Hill Master Plan
When President Lincoln said "A House Divided Will Not Stand" could he have been thinking of Cherry Hill?
Hi Spence,
ReplyDeleteI'm writing a story about Cherry Hill's redevelopment for a quarterly magazine and would be interested in interviewing you briefly. Contact me at developassoc at gmail.com.
--Bill Murray
I been living in Cherry Hill 20 years and That section was realy crazy Iam a part of that fucked up CHERRY HILL V.A,C.C,HILL SIDE realy need to get it together. but that will never happen .And Iam with one of those clicks
ReplyDeleteIt won't happen with that negative attitude. I just published a post on human redevelopment that I think you should read. It talks about how people need to take charge of their neighborhoods before any physical redevelopment takes place. Cherry Hill is a poster child example for that. People there have given up on their neighborhood and it's very sad because the neighborhood could really be something special.
ReplyDeleteTrue statement Spence. I live in cherry hill and would love to speak with you about your theory. My email is 10rokmvmnt@gmail.com
DeletePlease allow me to correct a part of Cherry Hill history that is annoyingly pervasive: My mother was born in Cherry Hill in 1925(!) on her family's farm, which was one of five existing on the rolling hills there. Her grandparents settled there in the late 1800s. All five families (three white, two black) moved because of the approaching development of the WW II housing. I don't know whether they sold (deriving profit from) their farms or not. I hope so. My mother passed away last year, but may have been too young at the time to be privy to such knowledge. She used to be invited to speak at Cherry Hill Day celebrations because she would have been the oldest resident. Her family moved to Mt. Winans from the farm.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Hi I was just reading your family history in Cherry Hill. I am on my way to Baltimore next week 21st 22nd 23rd of June 2018. I am looking to do research on an old photograph that I have that has Cherryvale in it. I was wondering if you or anyone reading might have any Maps or information that would show such a business or location as Cherryvale all one word. Around 1906-1910.
DeleteI found an old article in the Baltimore Sun that said in 1891 there was a bumper crop of cherries. So many that they had to send tons to New York. I see a lot of cherry related names but I just can't pin down the Cherryvale. I know it exist.. just have to keep looking and asking.
Thank you in advance for your help.
A.T. Greene,
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has watched Cherry Hill's history for your entire life what do you envision for Cherry Hill in the future? Would you like to see a reduction in public housing or do you think developments like Waterview Overlook will price people put of Cherry Hill? Do you think new "Inner Harbor West" type developments will coexist nicely with the public housing that's half of Cherry Hill's housing stock? Do you think Cherry Hill should be better connected with Westport and Patapsco Avenue?
I grew up in Cherryhill but moved. I would love to see Cherryhill rebuilted up right. They could make it better than downtown with hotels, clubs, entertainment spots,shops and a mall that will bring money into the city. Even put a new arena and new raven stadium with roof so baltimore can get a superbowl. Cherryhill can turn baltimore into a bigger tourist spot if its done right.
ReplyDeletewhats up spence i live in cherry hill for 35yrs it was wonderful back in the 70s and 80s once they started let these murphy homes people come in and other housing people cherry hill just went down hill these young and dumb generations came mess the neighborhood up i am so sick of these mother fucking section 8 mother fuckerthey need to cut that program for good as soon as possible let these lazy ass welfare sorry ass people stop living off the goveronment money stand on your own pay regular rent this goes out to all you sorry ass secion 8 m-fucker who count on the goverment its going to come to a end real soon
ReplyDeleteLike none of your family members on Section 8 bitch drop dead
DeleteI don't know who you are Spence, but I respect and appreciate what you are trying to do.
ReplyDeleteI was born(1965) and raised in Cherry Hill to young manhood and then I boogied. When one seeks oportunities for better work and different life experiences, one usually has to leave the ghetto and when one finds opportunities outside of the ghetto one, more often than not, eventually moves out. Although crime and drugs and handguns became ubiquitous as I reached my teenage years there, I must say that I loved growing up in Cherry Hill as much as I sometimes disliked. You know at one point and for most of its history, it was the largest African American community in the Baltimore metro area.
I went to 164and 160 elementary, 180 Junior high and then , Naturally Southern high School. Cherry was quite secluded and diverse as a community But people there were very hip in an Urban sense as well as down to earth and in a country, backwater enclave kind of way. when I a kid we had a theatre, a drug store , a record and hardware store sub shop, two gas sations with repair shops the A&P and a shoe store; and at one point a Disco. But in the early eighties that all was changing and the only store that was really thriving was the liquor Store that seemed get bigger every year.and then the Koreans came in. Papa San
But with that all said and done. I think the days of Cherry Hilla s a viable and sustainable neighbor of and for working and or lower working class folks is over. The slow push toward total gentrification has been going on for two decades and it wont stop. Just look around the country, in other smaller or larger Cities. If you want to keep public and or low income housing in Cherry hill along with the working class or these days unemployed working class black folks, snuggled on in one corner while Condos and high price dwelling and holtels and mall spring up to attract the wealthy with boats to dock at the marinas; then you will have what other cities have. San Francisco for instance: The Petreo Hills neigborhood is one of the wealthiest in that city and right on the border over looking the North bay is Petreo Homes ( where OJ Simpson comes from)and its an impoverished ghetto sitting next to $700 Million dollar homes. And that ain't no kind of community. And even if that did become the case, it would not be Cherry Hill any longe, it will be a co-opted jive ass development with the po folks traipsing through to go some place else.
More power to you.
I don't know who you are Spence, but I respect and appreciate what you are trying to do.
ReplyDeleteI was born(1965) and raised in Cherry Hill to young manhood and then I boogied. When one seeks oportunities for better work and different life experiences, one usually has to leave the ghetto and when one finds opportunities outside of the ghetto one, more often than not, eventually moves out. Although crime and drugs and handguns became ubiquitous as I reached my teenage years there, I must say that I loved growing up in Cherry Hill as much as I sometimes disliked it. You know, at one for most of its history, it was the largest African American community in the Baltimore metro area.
I went to 164and 160 elementary, 180 Junior high and then , Naturally Southern high School. Cherry Hill was quite secluded and diverse as a community, and people there were very hip in an Urban sense as well as down to earth and in a country, backwater enclave kind of way.But, I thinkmy generation was the last to experience it as a cohesive and embracing neighbor hhod.
When I a kid we had a theatre, a drug store ; a record and hardware store; sub shop, two gas stations with repair shops; the A&P; a shoe store; and at one point a Disco. But in the early eighties that all was changing and the only store that was really thriving was the liquor Store that seemed to get busier every year. And then the Koreans came in. Papa San
But with that all said. I think the days of Cherry Hill as a viable and sustainable neighbor hood of and for working and or lower working class folks is over. The slow push toward total gentrification has been going on for well over two decades and it wont stop. Just look around the country, in other smaller or larger Cities. If you want to keep public and or low income housing in Cherry Hill along with the working class or these days unemployed working class black folks snuggled up in one corner while Condos and high price dwellings and Hotels and Malls spring up to attract the wealthy with boats to dock at the marinas; then you will have what other cities have. San Francisco for instance: The Petreo Hills neigbor hood is one of the wealthiest in that city and right on the border over looking the south bay is Petreo Homes ( where O.J. Simpson comes from)and its an impoverished ghetto sitting next to $700,000+ homes. And that ain't no kind of community. And even if that did become the case in Cherry Hill, it would not be Cherry Hill any longer, it will be a co-opted, jive ass development with the po folks traipsing through to go some place else.
More power to you.
PS-What relationship do you have to Cherry Hill?
What are your impressions of the elementary school(s) in Cherry Hill in terms of class size, leadership, and healthy environment? A community can only be as good as its schools in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHold that thought on the Elementary Schools in Cherry Hill. I'm drafting a post on major Education Reform which I'm sure will answer your questions.
ReplyDeleteI have lived in Cherryhill for about 8yrs.now.I'm dissapointed @ the the things that were sad about Cherryhill.My child attends Southside and is college bound. Cherryhill is not as bad as people say it is.I have family memebers that live here also we work everyday.I don't think people should judge how a person get proper housing.No one in america should be living on the streets.Cherryhill has alot to offer We are not walking around being bad azz in cherryhill.Not saying we don't need help out here but all this negativity is not right.If you don't have something nice to say raise your hand and cover your big azz mouth and someone will call on you when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteOk tell it
DeleteGee, the point of this post was to bring to light that Cherry Hill is divided between good hard working families like yours and the effects of urban ills. The point of the post was also to try to get rid of said urban ills to make life better for the majority of Cherry Hill's residents yourself included. There are many hard working honest residents of Cherry Hill whose experience hasn't been as positive as yours has been. They've become scared to speak up when problems arise for fear of retaliation. These are the people who need assistance and a better community.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Spence,
ReplyDeleteAre you still around? I stumbled upon this article as I was researching business opportunities in the Cherry Hill area. I was born and raised in Cherry Hill and have watched is steady decline from afar. It saddens me...not just because of the physical loss of a community, but because of the decline in the mental state of the residents of Cherry Hill. I am looking to make a difference. What are you doing now with regards to Cherry Hill?
I live in Cherry Hill and have for 4 yrs now, I live on Bethune and CC I think that Cherry Hill as a whole is a decent place to live if you mind ur own business, I work everyday too. Cherry Hill is cleaner than any other public housind development I've seen lately... One major gripe I have is the schools my daughter attended Patapsco elm/Mid it was ahorrible experience... She was harrased abused by bullies and her 1st grade teacher was cursed out by pintsized devils, the teachers had no control at all students ran the school and the staff.. One day I came in and the kids were jumpin fromdesk to desk and calling there young teacher "WHITE BITCH" and these were 6yr okds needless to say I tranferred my child from that school and had to catch 2buses and a lightrail train everyday to take her to school and I beleive it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteso are they really shuting public housing in cherryhill? what are they going to do about the people that live there? are the they going to relocate the people there? what about the families that are there? i don't think cherryhill is that bad. But, if u are going to make it a better place make sure the families have somewhere else to live. there are lives and kids in those house. if u don't think about the parents at least think about the kids they didn't ask to be here.
ReplyDeleteSome of Cherry Hill's public housing has been demolished already. The number units is at 1394 down from 1757. It's been replaced with mixed income garage town homes that appear to be a breath of fresh air in Cherry Hill. I do think Cherry Hill Homes is ready for redevelopment I would also put it behind many other developments throughout Baltimore. They are Westport Homes,Brooklyn Homes, Gilmor Homes, LaTrobe Homes, and Douglass Homes. After the successful redevelopment of those developments that I would pursue Cherry Hill.
ReplyDeleteA great places to have a property.
ReplyDeleteDeirdre G
Hi Spence,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Kevin Oliver. I was born and raised in Cherry Hill for over 40 years. One time Cherry Hill was a close net community and everybody knew who you was or knew your family. Now Cherry Hill is gone to the slums because of the residents from across towns and other projects. We dont need more buildings, we need help to turn bck to was.
I stumbled upon this site and I am glad that I did. Most of the comments about the community were negative but a few were informative. I am surprised that no one mentioned that Cherry Hill had more Judges than any other area in the city. The reason a lot of people had to move out of Cherry Hill was the lack of private homes. There are some but not enough! I am a proud 60 year resident of Cherry Hill, college educated and my children are college educated. Yes, we had problems in the neighborhodd but you had to understand that you were better than the problems. The neighborhood went down when "someone" realized that the best waterfront property in the city was populated by African Americans (just like Chicagos' recently demolished Gold Coast). The best way to make a neighborhood go down is to stop letting the young persons know how special they are. This was done in Cherry Hill with the use of illegal drugs. Don't put down where you live, always raise it up!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Cherry Hill revitalized. Can any of you remember what the name of the Club was called at the foot of Cherry Hill, just off Waterview ave. This date's back to the early 70''s. They always had class acts there.
ReplyDeleteBlue Waters Music Hall.
DeleteThe name of the club was Blue Waters Music Hall.
ReplyDeleteNice info about Cherry Hill on this blog. I find it incredible that I did not know ANY of the history of Cherry Hill and never once set foot in that part of the city. I grew up in West Baltimore and ironically did not have any family members that lived in Cherry Hill. Pretty much never had a reason to go down there. I did, however, have friends from high school that were from Cherry Hill. I grew up in Baltimore in the 70's and 80's and left that area for good in 2006. I'm in Florida now but I'm pulling for you guys up there. I hope the Cherry Hill area gets through the changes OK. Sending messages of strength and hope from down here in Florida.
ReplyDeleteKevin
Hello!
ReplyDeleteThanks Spence for writing this-- I've been catching up on a lot of posts and it's great.
I am doing research about Cherry Hill and the neighborhood's origin/relationship with environmental racism. I am looking to interview a longtime Cherry Hill resident and many of you would be perfect from your comments! Please let me know soon if you are interested. I am currently in the DC area but can travel to Baltimore.
Best,
Dakota David
Keep up the posts like this, this is incredibly entertaining to watch unfold. Thanks for the share.
ReplyDeletePhilippines properties for sale
I live out Brooklyn/ Cherry hill everybody seem to hav the negative side but we aint make our neighborhood the way they are..ppl cant blame ppl for being on section 8 nd ppl cant help how they kids grow up to be instead of ppl tryn to close or rebuild everything try helping the community out because everybody needs help because they not going to help all those woman and children to help then find a place to go in time..
ReplyDeleteI lived in cherry hill for 4 yrs and I agree that cherry hill is not the worst place to live in this city in the 4 years I lived there it was actually peaceful I believe it is not where you live but in fact how you live and I would like to see cherry hill become some place great.
ReplyDeleteCherry hill
ReplyDeleteI believe it is not where you live but in fact how you live -Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThat's a great motto,
Yes! I grew up in Cherry Hill! The best time to raise children. My parents raised 5 kids. All grown and working adults, great kids we all turned out be! Growing up in the 70's and 80's was the best time of our lives!
DeleteAll of the above posts are relevant, and most are very interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs a participant (however you choose to define "participant") in my interest to both maintain the local neighborhood yet create an economic environment that is viable for the lives in that community, a recent episode has taken me back to the analysis train.
Last month I was driving from Dundalk to Annapolis and got lost. I ended up in the heart of Cherry Hill. This was 10:45 in the morning and I knew I was at risk because even at that time there was drug and alcohol activity in a very blatant way.
My car stalled at a stop light (I was told later to *never* completely stop at a stop light in the area I was at and was car-jacked. I was approached by four men, one (at least) with a gun. My car was stolen, I had a semi-auto stuck in my mouth, and I ended up with 28 stitches. And this with complete compliance -- I did not resist in the least little bit. The cops didn't even arrive after 45 minutes because, I was told, that the corner I was on was too dangerous (told by locals, not by cops).
As coarse as this may sound, I no longer care about Cherry Hill. I care only about those areas/neighborhoods that pique my interest, and my interest is piqued only if I can be involved in the locality.
Clearly, I can't be involved in Cherry Hill. Next time it may not be a gun barrel in my mouth -- it may be a bullet in the back of my head.
Local interest and focus needs to be increased in these areas for both policing and growth. Until that happens people like me, who actually have the resources and political influence to make a difference, will shun these places. I disdain the taste of cold metal and gunpowder in my mouth and throat.
Thanks.
I been in cherry hill for about a month and I don't see WATS wrong ok yea u have drugs but there's barely anything goin on compared to west n east Baltimore were u can get jumped or in a fight just walkin down the street everyone get along well its like its own little town n I love every bit of it p.s you can have killings in the rich neighborhoods to just as cherry hill has killings stop trying to fix things that's not broken in the last 5months there have been only 2 murders now in the west and east Baltimore area there was 17-43 murders you tell me who is getting better
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in Cherry Hill (1964). For a hot second my family and I lived in Fairfield, but Cherry Hill was my stomping grounds. As a small child growing up there in the late '60s early '70s it was wonderful. Yes, we all knew the bad reputation outsiders had about our community but it was like Mayberry back then. There were beautiful lawns, wandering hills and huge blooming trees. In short, people then took pride in their homes and community. Cherry Hill was a self-contained community. The "shopping center" had everything we needed; an A&P grocery store, a High's store, Rite Aide, hardware store, dress shop, theater, sub shop, liquor store, gas station, and there was even an outdoor and indoor pool. If we wanted Chinese food we'd walk to Westport. If we wanted the best fried trout sandwiches, we went to Blue Waters. I left Cherry Hill after I graduated high school but still have family who lives in Cherry Hill. I can't recognize the place anymore. Perhaps it should be razed. Location, location, location. Cherry Hill is situated in the perfect spot for redevelopment. I would even be interested in moving back (after 30 years) if that happened. Don't sleep on Cherry Hill, it's a jewel in the right hands.
ReplyDeleteThank you for Comment Anonymous I like that you can still look back on Cherry Hill and remember the good. Perhaps one day the good Neighborhood you remember will return.
ReplyDeleteI was up late last night reading your article and I gotta say this is one immaculate piece. Cherry Hill may have been nice at one time, but it's been bad for years. I have some cousins and an aunt who still live there, she doesn't live on Seaman Ave anymore, but they live closer to the shopping center. Last time I checked, they got rid of that Shur Fine market and put up a Family Dollar. In fact, my mom didn't go in Cherry Hill until my aunt first moved out there in '99. Last night, when I mentioned something to a lady about how bad Cherry Hill and Brooklyn Park was she got so defensive because she lived there. She also told me that other people from there might beat me down because of what I said. Now, I question why she reacted the way she did in regards to Cherry Hill. I mean, she and anyone else who lives there knows the place is not exactly Mr. Rogers neighborhood. Does it embarrass them when people say how bad it is or do they refuse to acknowledge that they live in a slum? Anyway, I'm just glad this old lady wasn't a hood rat. I live not too far from Cherry Hill in Lansdowne and let me tell you this area has gone down too. And it's mainly because people from the inner city areas like Westport, Lakeland, Cherry Hill, Brooklyn and so forth moved in bringing their crime, drugs and whatever else with them. But if I told someone from these places that, they'd be ready to kill me...literally. :(
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Cherry Hill. I lived there from 1960 2001. Cherry Hill was once a self sustaining community. It had all of the amenities that the residents needed. The shopping center had an A&P grocery store, a High's convenience store, Rite Aide drug store, hardware store, dress shop, theater, sub shop, liquor store, gas station, and an outdoor and indoor pool. Once outside developers saw the value of the waterfront property, they swooped in like vultures. My family lived on Larue Square, across from Harbor Hospital (formerly South Baltimore General Hospital). My parents along with all of the neighbors were offered money for the property. They refused to sell, because most of them brought their homes while they were under construction. Not only that, back during the 50's it was one of the few places Black citizens could purchase homes. Cherry Hill has a rich history. The author of this blog appear to be an outsider who is working for a developer trying to sell the residents a bill of goods that will not be fulfilled. If by some chance developers do get their hands on the property by hook or crook. any revitalization of the area will not include the current residents. I wanted to add so much more, but I will leave this note with homeowners, revitalize Cherry Hill without outside influences. It is in your best interest.
ReplyDeleteNope I'm not working with or for a developer. I receive no money for doing this and my wish is that Cherry Hill makes a comeback without displacing a single Resident.
ReplyDeleteI lived in Cherry Hill from 1959-1972. I loved it there and due to my young age, did not know why people were so afraid of Cherry Hill. Had a boyfriend who lived on Windsor Mill Avenue who refused to get out of his car when he came to visit. Everything was there - theater, drug store with soda fountain (had my first cherry Coke there), A&P, dress shop, sub shop, barber shop, beauty salon, and much more. I had fun just like any other teenager and enjoyed school.Because of limited (or non-existent) job opportunities, hopelessness, deterioration of the nuclear family, gang proliferation, increased drug activity, little support (financial and otherwise) from Baltimore City government and no interest in helping from those in a position to do so. With residents not caring about their own community, I don't see how this can be changed but I hope that it can for the sake of the hardworking individuals residing there and their young children who simply need a chance.
ReplyDelete_
I moved to Cherry Hill in 1953 when I was 5 years old and left in 1959 because my family's income exceeded the limit. Cherry Hill was the Columbia of its day--a planned community with different levels of housing. It was the most beautiful place that I had ever seen where you could ride your bike and skate all over. It was full of 2-parent, working black families, and we had self determination. I am currently working on a history of Cherry Hill from 1945 to 1965 with a group of other residents. If we have anything to say about it, we want Cherry Hill to retain its original character and composition. The history will be both factual and anecdotal with stories from many of the early families. I am glad I have stumbled on your blog because I will share your blog and encourage the group to unite to lobby for keeping Cherry Hill Homes as originally planned.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Cherry Hill from 1952 to 1962. I would not change the experience for anything. It will always be in my heart it's by the many negative comments I'm reading on this post!
ReplyDeleteIs there anyone out there that remembers the Comprehensive Modernization plans that took place in the early 1990s? What was actually done other than tearing down older houses?
ReplyDeleteCherry hill is not bad at all,yeah there's a lot of killings going on,but chill is only one of the fewest reported I had the best fun in my life.I lived in the 800 block of Bethune rd.candy bus was down the street.we used to call it Clea bus.we had the best fun out there .it was a small community and everybody knew each other and looked out for one another.I remember the shopping ctr,jimmy briscoe &the lil beavers(singing group.)lol.blue waters and so much more.if they rebuild,I will go back.!!!!!cherry hill4 life.
ReplyDeleteOkay, Spence I have been reading your post for over a decade now. I lived in Cherry Hill from 1998 - 2016, raised two sons who did not use drugs or commit any crimes and the residence knew and respected my family. We all worked and believe it or not Public Housing is not cheap if you are a working family. What we were paying monthly was enough for a mortgage payment. Sometimes I wish that I never left Cherry Hill. But I was writing to see what were the updates on Cherry Hill. I was thinking about moving back but into a private home, like the houses on Terra Firma or La Rue Square. I guess that the red dirt was too soft for the Waterview Townhouses. But anyway keep us informed and keep blogging.
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in one of the private homes that's now being targeted. My mom still lives there and that particular neighborhood has remained basically in tact. No boarded up homes just well maintained (for the most part) homes that people have worked hard to acquire and keep. I pray that the residents in that area do not get swined out of their homes that they have become accustomed to living and feeling safe. There is a lot going on in the community...two brand new schools...and a new recreational center on it's way. They have upgraded power lines and sewer lines. They have removed several gangs and the drug and murder rate has gone down tremendously! The drug activity that is more overwhelming are the people coming into the community to attend the drug programs located here. Praying for a better outcome for a community with so much potential.
ReplyDeleteI loved my cherryhill and yes it is very personel and is engraved in my heart rich living on the water my childhood wAS the best IN THAT community crabbing fishing spacious play area the best recreation centers churches for all catholics baptist methodist etc strong since of communityand pride i lived there 1962_1985 i have some relatives that still live in cherry hill god has that community love and blessings from lilcookie
ReplyDeleteI loved my cherryhill and yes it is very personel and is engraved in my heart rich living on the water my childhood wAS the best IN THAT community crabbing fishing spacious play area the best recreation centers churches for all catholics baptist methodist etc strong since of communityand pride i lived there 1962_1985 i have some relatives that still live in cherry hill god has that community love and blessings from lilcookie
ReplyDeleteThank so much for sharing your positive experiences.
ReplyDeleteHi Spence,
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog & thought I would post something to see if you or someone in Cherry Hill might have any info I am seeking.
It is about the 1800's History of the Cherry Hill area. Also the Cherry name. Does anyone have any way back history from that area?
What I am mainly looking for is CHERRYVALE. It was a place somewhere on the outskirts of Baltimore, an Estate---an area?. I had thought that CHERRY HILL was a good place to look with CHERRY in the name, but as I can see with a little bit of looking that the history of Cherry Hill is short.
I found an article in the Baltimore Sun from the 1800's that says that there was a bumper crop of CHERRIES that year and TONS had to be shipped to New York. Historians don't even know the reasons for the multi origins of CHERRY-CHERRIES in the Baltimore area. To the North in Reisterstown there is a CHERRYVALE shopping center & many Cherry named streets. South in Beltsville there is a neighborhood called CHERRYVALE & many Cherry named streets. These are all to far away from the hub of Baltimore but all close enough to be connected ? somehow... Maybe a family with the last name of CHERRY??
This is a very exciting project of Authentication and it has to do with the childhood of young George Herman BABE RUTH.
Anyone that may have information or an idea of where I should look please share... storme444@yahoo.com
Thank you in advance. Storm
CherryDALE APTS. Not “vale.”
ReplyDeleteHi Spence,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog and the comments, especially the section about the older projects that were renovated. I was not happy with the changes on the outside of the house where I lived and would love to see it returned to the original design.
I lived in the Cherry Hill projects from 1946-1964 and loved living in Cherry Hill.
I am now a retired NASA Mathematician and inventor; and I am working with an author who is writing a book about my experiences. Cherry Hill will have major coverage in the book.
Valerie
My book, "Cherry Hill: Raising Successful Black Children in Jim Crow Baltimore", mentions Valerie Thomas above. She is mentioned as one of many of the successful first generation of children raised in Cherry Hill. The book is available at Red Emma's book store on Preston and Cathedral Streets, and on-line at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. There are a lot of myths about Cherry Hill, but I did the research to set the record straight. Did you know that Bob Dylan, the Nobel Laureate, wrote a song in 1963 called "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll?" Her death signaled a change was coming.
ReplyDeleteLinda G. Morris
I lives in cherryhill on seagull Ave from 1956 to 1968. I went to school 160 and 180 and of course Southern high. I loves living in cherryhill. For the most part there were hard working families that knew each other.
ReplyDeleteI''ve lived here in Cherry Hill since I was 3 years old. I went 160 and 180. My mother worked in the BCPS for 40 years. I like C.H. and I want to leave from where I am right to La Rue Square. Anybody have opinions about that area? How bout the landlords?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello Linda,
How are things going with your book?
I have written a book but it's been put on hold while I heal from a back jury.
Valerie