April 7 “First Sunday” To Feature Pop-up Display About Parasols

The Historical Society of Haddonfield will be creating a new pop-up display about parasols for our next “First Sunday” hours on April 7 from 1-3 pm.

We will be pulling out a sampling from the Society’s rarely displayed collection of parasols from the 18th, 19th and 20th century, as well as a few archival materials related to ladies’ fashion. The pop-up display will be on view in the first floor of Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield.

As with other “First Sundays,” the Historical Society will be offering our usual tours of Greenfield Hall, and the Archives Center and Research Library will be open for researchers next door in the Samuel Mickle House.

The pop-up display will continue through most of April 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.

Free, but donations welcome.

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

Volunteer Docents Needed for Spring School Tours

With springtime upon us, it’s time to start planning for our annual school tours for Haddonfield elementary school students.

We’d love your help either as a lead docent or a helper — all training will be provided! Volunteers should be willing to commit to at least two school tours of Greenfield Hall on weekday mornings in April or May.

We’ll be holding a meeting for new and returning docents at Greenfield Hall on Friday March 22 at 1 pm. Please RSVP to Marsha Marshall at info@haddonfieldhistory.org or by calling the Historical Society at 856-429-7375.

Of course, if you’re interested in volunteering but can’t attend training on the 22nd, please let us know that too. Questions? Contact the Historical Society at 856-429-7375.

Tickets and Sponsorships Still Available for Candlelight Dinner

Do you have your tickets yet for our annual Candlelight Dinner and General Membership Meeting on Wednesday March 27? Tickets will be on sale only through Sunday March 24 — don’t miss out!

The event will be held at Tavistock Country Club. The cocktail hour begins at 6 pm, and dinner and the program will begin at 7 pm. This year’s event will feature a presentation by author Irene Levy Baker on “Unique Eats and Eateries of Philadelphia.”

We also have a few sponsorship opportunities still available: Gold Sponsors ($500) receive two dinner tickets, a Lost Haddonfield book, a name in the event program, and a feature on our web site before and after the event. Silver Sponsors ($250) receive one dinner ticket, a name in the event program, and a feature on our web site before and after the event.

You can order your tickets online, call the office at 856-429-7375, or stop by during our open hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 1-4 pm.

We look forward to seeing you at the dinner!

Buy tickets now

Book Club to Meet April 16 To Discuss “Rush”

The next meeting of the Historical Society’s Book Club will be Tuesday April 16, 2019 at 7 pm at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield.

We’ll be discussing Rush: Revolution, Madness and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father, by Stephen Fried.

Benjamin Rush was a physician and internationally known writer and agitator, and was only 30 years old when he added his signature to the Declaration of Independence. Publishers Weekly called the book a “comprehensive and fascinating biography . . . that will keep readers engaged until the last page.” The Philadelphia Inquirer said, “Reminds us eloquently, abundantly, what a brilliant, original man Benjamin Rush was, and how his contributions to Philadelphia and the United States continue to bless us all.”

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

After April, the Book Club will next meet on Tuesday June 4 at 7 pm to discuss Tasting Freedom: Octavius Catto and the Battle for Equality in Civil War America, by Daniel R. 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.)

Four Historical Society Events On Tap This Week

This will be a busy week for the Historical Society of Haddonfield! We hope you can join us for one or more of our events:

Monday February 25: Our Book Club will be holding a joint meeting with the Haddonfield Public Library Book Club to discuss The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, by Kirk Wallace Johnson. We’ll meet at the Public Library at 7 pm. All are welcome, even if you didn’t read the book.

Tuesday February 26: We’ll be hosting a celebration of the work done by HMHS U.S. Advanced Placement history students this winter as they researched World War II in the Historical Society’s archives. “HMHS Students Reflect on World War II Research Projects” will be held at 7 pm in the HMHS library, located at 401 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. Free, and all are welcome.

Wednesday February 27: The Historical Society will be holding a “Dine and Donate” fundraiser from 5-10 pm at P. J. Whelihan’s Pub & Restaurant at 700 Haddon Avenue, Haddon Township. Just let your server know that you’d like to help the Historical Society that night, and drop your final receipt in the designated bucket when you leave to have 15 percent of your meal charge donated to the Historical Society!

Sunday March 3: The Historical Society will be open for its usual “First Sunday” hours, 1-3 pm. Due to popular demand, we’ll be continuing our pop-up display from February, “Weddings in Haddonfield,” for another month. We will also offer our usual tours of Greenfield Hall, and the Archives Center and Research Library will be open for researchers next door in the Samuel Mickle House. Free, but donations welcome.