It has its own fire company, its revered Odd Fellows Cemetery, and once had its own elementary school on Mail Avenue and its own newspaper, the Herald. The former Jericho elementary school, that Allen and her father attended, was deeded last year to the First Baptist Church. It will be used as a community center, said church Pastor Clabon Bogan. At least five churches still have services in Jericho. Named for the biblical walled city of Jericho, according to the Gloucester County history Under Four Flags, the neighborhood has remained a family enclave.
Relatives are everywhere.
Just the Jericho Corseys comprise a vast network. Deputy Deptford Mayor Jacquelyn Love counts four generations of her family who have lived in Jericho. We still have people that will build in Jericho that are from Jericho. Settled in the 1840s and once a stop on the Underground Railroad that gave refuge to escaped slaves from the South, Jericho has been home to prominent blacks in professions, civil rights, government and education. Jericho's winding main street, Mail Avenue, has a history of its own, said Allen.