Collection Spotlight

We continue with our periodic spotlight of some of the objects, documents, photographs and other items you can find in the collections of the Historical Society of Haddonfield. We’re pleased to present our next feature, thanks to the help of summer volunteer Britni Dellinger:

REBECCA FOWLER CASED PHOTOS

1943.048, Gift of Rebecca Fowler

This small collection of cased photographs depicts family and/or friends of life-long Haddonfield resident Rebecca Fowler (1856-1943). Rebecca lived with her sister Elizabeth for most of her life and ran a small school in Haddonfield around the turn of the twentieth century. These daguerreotypes date to the mid-nineteenth century, with one case advertising the studio of Van Loan & Co. in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, we do not know the names of the people depicted here. These items were added to the Historical Society’s collections in 1943, perhaps after Rebecca’s death in October of that year.

Ever wonder what kinds of museum objects, tools, documents, photographs and other archival materials you can find in the collections of the Historical Society of Haddonfield? We collect a wide variety of items to preserve and study the history of Haddonfield and its environs, and only a fraction of it is on display in Greenfield Hall.

In the weeks ahead, thanks to the help of volunteer Britni Dellinger, we will be posting brief collection spotlights to highlight some of these amazing items. First up:

SPICE GRATER

1928.025, Gift of Marion C. Nicholson

This small grater was likely used for nutmeg seeds. Patented in 1870 by James M. Smith, of Seymour, Connecticut, this style of grater has a hinged case with a rasping-wheel inside. In addition to other uses for nutmeg in cooking, some men in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries carried around graters to add nutmeg to drinks as a garnish. This item was added to the Historical Society’s collections in 1928.