Book Club to Discuss “Tasting Freedom” on June 4

The Historical Society Book Club’s next meeting will be Tuesday June 4 at 7 pm at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. We’ll be discussing Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America, by Daniel Biddle and Murray Dubin.

(You may recall that the Historical Society welcomed Biddle and Dubin for a general membership meeting presentation about Catto in September 2018.)

An educator in Philadelphia, Catto’s accomplishments included leading a successful effort to desegregate streetcars and to have Pennsylvania ratify the 15th Amendment, which granted black men the right to participate in elections. He was murdered in 1871 by a member of a white mob while on his way to vote.

The Philadelphia Inquirer called the book “a marvelous historical feast,” while historian Eric Foner said, “This dramatic book not only rescues the intrepid Octavius Catto from obscurity but reminds us that this struggle—and the violent opposition to it—long predated the modern civil rights era.”

As always, all our welcome at the discussion, even if you haven’t read the book. Light refreshments will be served.

Looking further ahead, the Book Club’s summer book selection will be Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David Blight. This is a joint book club selection with the Haddonfield Public Library, and the discussion will be held Monday September 23 at 7 pm at the public library, 60 N. Haddon Avenue, Haddonfield.

Historical Society to Hold Open House and New Pop-up Display on Saturday June 1 During “Skirmish on the Highway”

The Historical Society will be holding an open house and new pop-up display on Saturday June 1 from 10-12 pm and 2-4 pm, in conjunction with the “Skirmish on the Highway” sponsored by the Friends of the Indian King Tavern Museum.

The pop-up display will be held in the first floor of Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. We’ll be pulling out a selection of items from our archival and museum collections from the 1730s-1770s. These treasures will include textiles, recipe books, property records, correspondence, and other items that help shed light on what life was like in a small Quaker village in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War.

During the open house, the Historical Society will also be offering tours of Greenfield Hall, and upon request, the Archives Center and Research Library will be available for researchers next door in the Samuel Mickle House.

Free, but donations welcome.

Please note that we will NOT be holding our usual “First Sunday” hours the next day; come see us on Saturday instead!

The pop-up display will continue through most of June and be available for viewing during Greenfield Hall’s public hours (Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1-4 pm) or by special appointment at another time.  

The Historical Society will also be holding Colonial Haddonfield Walking Tours on June 1 at 10 am and 2 pm. Tickets are $25 per person, and space is limited to 20 participants on each tour. We recommend purchasing your tickets ahead of time; these tours are likely to sell out.

 Questions? Contact the Historical Society at info@haddonfieldhistory.org or 856-429-7375.

May 22 Membership Meeting To Highlight the 1777 Battle of Gloucester

For our next general membership meeting, we will be partnering with Friends of the Indian King Tavern Museum to host a presentation by historical archaeologist and author (and former Haddonfield resident!) Garry Wheeler Stone on “The Battle of Gloucester: 1777 – Where Lafayette Won His Spurs.”

The presentation will be held on Wednesday May 22 at 7 pm at Haddonfield Borough Hall, 242 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. Admission is free, and parking is available in the rear of the building.

Stone will be sharing some of his findings as chief researcher in an ongoing study of the Battle of Gloucester by the Camden County Historical Society, working with Paul Schopp among others. The project has received grant funding from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program.

Just what is the Battle of Gloucester? In November 1777, troops based in Haddonfield attacked a Hessian outpost at the western edge of Haddon Heights and chased them—and British reinforcements—all the way to the hamlet of Gloucester Court House. The battle also established the reputation of one of the American Revolution’s greatest heroes: the Marquis de Lafayette.

Before retiring, Stone served as a Regional Historian for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and as a Historian with the Monmouth Battlefield State Park and the Indian King Tavern Museum.

We hope you’ll join us for this special presentation!

Tickets On Sale Now for June 1 Colonial Haddonfield Walking Tours

For the second year, the Historical Society will be offering Colonial Haddonfield walking tours on Saturday June 1 at 10 am and 2 pm in conjunction with the “Skirmish on the Highway” sponsored by the Friends of the Indian King Tavern Museum.

Tickets are only $25 per person, and space is limited to 20 participants per tour. We expect these to sell out, so don’t wait!

The walking tours will depart from Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield, and continue to Haddon Avenue and back. Participants will also have a chance to view the inside of the Guard House / Timothy Matlack house on Kings Highway, opposite the Indian King Tavern.

The 10 am tour will be led by Joe Haro, who has for many years led architectural walking tours in Philadelphia and Haddonfield. The 2 pm tour will be led by Co-Borough Historian Kathy Tassini.

All proceeds to benefit the Historical Society. Contact the office at 856-429-7375 or by email at info@haddonfieldhistory.org to get your tickets today.

“Rush” Book Club Discussion Rescheduled to April 23

The Historical Society’s Book Club has rescheduled its upcoming discussion of Rush: Revolution, Madness and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father, so that we can attend author Stephen Fried’s scheduled talk at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia on April 16.

(Learn more about the Museum of the American Revolution’s April 16 “History After Hours” event here. Admission for that event is $10, or free if you’re a member of the Museum.)

Our Book Club will meet to discuss Rush a week later, on Tuesday April 23 at 7 pm. We’ll still meet at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. And as always, all are welcome, even if you haven’t read the book.