Atco, New Jersey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Atco is an unincorporated area in Camden County, New Jersey, in Waterford Township in the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area, located 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Camden at 39.769 North, -74.887 West. The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Atco is the home of the Atco Raceway, and served as the location for movie, Eddie and the Cruisers in 1983. An episode of Viva La Bam was shot at the raceway. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08004.

As of the United States 2000 Census, the population for ZIP Code Tabulation Area 08004 was 14,299.

Contents

[edit] History

The area gets its name from the Atlantic Transportation Company, though other possible derivations have been offered.[1] Camden and Atlantic Railroad was founded in 1854; it crossed the Pinelands from Camden to Atlantic City. The Raritan and Delaware Bay Railroad was established soon after, linking Atco to communities such as Toms River, Waretown, Atsion and Vineland.

The story of the Atco Ghost is set in Atco. The story claims that on Burnt Mill Road(the short one), there is a house, and a few years ago a young boy was supposedly struck by a car and killed while chasing his ball into the street. Legend has it that the boy's spirit still roams the road.[2] A group of ghost hunters from Pennsylvania called BBH Productionz recently did a mini documentary on the Atco Ghost. While they didn't find anything in their search, they still aren't convinced that the legend is entirely false. You can check out the video and pictures from their documentary on their website.[3] The atco ghost is seen only at night when you flash your headlight three times.

[edit] Notable residents

Notable current and former residents of Atco include:

  • Sally Starr, Actress who had a TV show in the fifties that broadcast in and over the Delaware Valley.[4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Beck, Henry Charlton. "Jersey Genesis: The Story of the Mullica River", via Google Books, p. 291. "More pertinent to us is the fact that Atco, in the same neighborhood, took its name from the Atlantic Transportation Company..."
  2. ^ Lotozo, Eils. "Magazine devoted to oddities of the Garden State.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13, 2002. Accessed March 18, 2008. "Disappointed by Indian Curse Road, Sceurman and Moran amuse themselves by grilling Joe about the Atco ghost, the specter of a little boy said to appear at night on the road where he was run over."
  3. ^ The Atco Ghost
  4. ^ Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia: Sally Starr, accessed November 26, 2006

[edit] External links

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