Yancy-Adams park in Burlington County will be receiving renovations and new lease on life
Deep in the heart of the West end of Moorestown lies a park built on a forgotten past.
The park, behind a lot that was once the West End Community Center, is a memorial to two of Moorestown's historical figures; Yancy-Adams Park will soon receive a facelift and renovations.
Who was the Yancy-Adams Park named after?
Some residents seeing Yancy-Adams Park might think they were the same person according to
Moorestown Deputy Mayor Quinton Law explained the park is named for two separate people, each a prominent figure in the township's history during the Civil Rights movement.
Roxanna Yancy created the first kindergarten for Black children in Moorestown. Yancy was a teacher for 35 years spending parts of her entire tenure in Moorestown and Cinnaminson. Yancy used her own home until classrooms were made available for the children at the new school.
James Adams headed the West End Community Center throughout its 25 years of service to Black youth who weren’t permitted in the Moorestown Community House.
In 1944, the West End Community Center was just a building on the West end of Moorestown. It stood vacant until two North Church Street residents, John Lucas and Henry Graves, approached the Recreation Association requesting to use the building. A member of the association agreed to go before the township on behalf of Lucas and Graves and the township granted the request.
While there were some issues early on with getting the West End Community Center up and running, Adams stepped forward as its director, leading it for more than two decades.
With the township installing a fire escape and putting asphalt down for a basketball court, friends and members of the community donated a drinking fountain, chairs and even a sound film projector. With a kitchen added and baseball fields in the back, which would host the Moorestown Crescents Negro League Baseball team, the center was up and ready to run.
Revival project of the Yancy-Adams Park
Long forgotten, the park’s history is only noted by a small plaque on North Church Street that commemorates its dedication in 1977.
When Law was voted into office he said his big goal was to fix up the Yancy-Adams Park. Hosting listening sessions, Law and the other council members would hear what residents wanted of the park.
"Residents were pitching ideas of a dog park. Others were asking for a skate park, but once they learned about the history of this park, residents wanted it to be renovated and become a memorial.”
The early stage of the restoration, Law said, included cleaning up trash and broken glass from street lamps.
The goal now is to get the park statues and plaques detailing historic events from both Yancy and Adams, but also detailing the parks history so that it may never be forgotten.
"A lot of the stories I know about the park are from the older residents who lived here during the time of segregation. I used to play tee ball at this park growing up and never knew the history behind it. Now, I feel like the new generation of residents want to see this place thrive once again."
And while the dead end streets and landscaping meant to enforce segregation remain in place, "that time is over and will remain as reminders from a time long past,” Law said.
Nick Butler is an impact reporter for the Courier Post, the Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times covering community news in South Jersey. Have any tips or stories? Reach out to NButler@Gannett.com. Subscribe to stay in the loop.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Historical Park in Moorestown receiving renovations.
