Book Club To Discuss “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom” in September

UPDATE: We’ll be holding this discussion on Tuesday September 24 at the Historical Society of Haddonfield instead of the Haddonfield Public Library.

The Historical Society Book Club’s summer book selection is Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David Blight. We will meet to discuss the book on Tuesday September 24 at 7 pm at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield.

After escaping from slavery as a young man, Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) became a prominent leader in the abolitionist movement. He was also an advocate for women’s suffrage, and eventually served as the U.S. ambassador to Haiti, among many other accomplishments.

David Blight’s engaging biography of Douglass won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in History. The Wall Street Journal describes it as “a brilliant book that speaks to our own time as well as Douglass’s.”

As always, all our welcome at the discussion, even if you haven’t read the book.

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.

“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.

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.