McKee City, New Jersey
McKee City was the site of the former Atlantic City Race Course, and is home to numerous commercial businesses, including the Hamilton Mall, which opened in 1987.
History
McKee City was founded by Colonel John McKee in 1884. It was originally a farming community, along with a sawmill, a schoolhouse, a general store, a community hall, and several farms near the former Pennsylvania-Reading Railroad (currently the site of the Black Horse Pike). Colonel McKee intended to build a 4,000-acre (1,600 ha) planned community where African Americans from the south could settle after the Civil War. A number of dormitory-type houses were built without frills like inside plumbing or heating. Leases were carefully designed to ensure that the tenants improved the land. The Colonel had great plans for this settlement, but he died before they could all be realized.
Upon his death, Colonel McKee made a bequest of $2 million (equivalent to $70.4 million in 2023), to be administered by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia headed by Archbishop Patrick John Ryan, to be partly used "to build a Catholic church, rectory and convent in McKee City..." However, the will was disputed by McKee's family, the funds were not distributed, and the facilities Colonel McKee envisioned were not built.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 9,758.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | 9,758 | — | |
U.S. Decennial Census 2020 |
References
- ^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ QuickFacts McKee City CDP, New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 24, 2023.
- ^ Geographic Codes Lookup for New Jersey, Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed June 9, 2023.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: McKee City, New Jersey
- ^ State of New Jersey Census Designated Places - BVP20 - Data as of January 1, 2020, United States Census Bureau. Accessed December 1, 2022.
- ^ Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed June 9, 2016.
- ^ Jim Waltzer; Tom Wilk (2001). Tales of South Jersey: Profiles and Personalities. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-3007-5. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
- ^ Byles, Samantha (October 1, 2012). "Colonel John McKee, Unsung Hero of Fatherless Boys in Need Of Scholarships, Finally Gets Tombstone". The Philadelphia Inquirer; Good Black News. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
- ^ Taylor, Grace (November 11, 2007). "McKee City". eht.com (Egg Harbor Township). Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ Ryan, Patrick (February 26, 2010). Archbishop Patrick John Ryan His Life and Times: Ireland - St. Louis - Philadelphia 1831-1911. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4389-9822-0. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.