May Meeting to Focus on Haddonfield Picture Postcards

The Society’s next general membership meeting on Wednesday May 23 will feature a presentation by Haddonfield resident Deborah Garwood, “Haddonfield Picture Postcards: Commerce, Communication and Community at the Turn of the Twentieth Century.”

Garwood will discuss the history of postcards and how legal changes fueled their explosive popularity in the early twentieth century. She will also be sharing postcards from her own collection and discussing what they have to tell us about our past. Her collection includes postcards of the Elizabeth Haddon House, the Indian King Tavern, and the Methodist parsonage formerly located on Kings Highway. One set of cards help document Haddonfield’s transition from farm center to suburban community, with messages about the Grange (an agricultural organization) and an agricultural course at Rutgers.

We hope you’ll be able to join us on Wednesday May 23 at 7:30 pm at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. Members are free, with a suggested donation of $5 for nonmembers.

Next Book Club Meeting Scheduled for May 22

The Historical Society’s Book Club will next meet on Tuesday May 22 to discuss an influential classic: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Published in 1852, Stowe’s book is a fictional tale about a long-suffering enslaved man and the people around him, and focuses on the immorality of slavery. The book was hugely popular in the nineteenth century and helped fuel the abolitionist movement leading up to the Civil War, but it also popularized many negative stereotypes about African Americans.

We’ll meet to discuss the book on Tuesday May 22 at 7 pm at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. All are welcome!

Volunteer Docents Needed for May School Visits

Have you ever thought about volunteering as a docent at Greenfield Hall?

Each year, the Historical Society hosts visits from elementary school students as part of the school curriculum on local history. In May, we are scheduled to welcome nine classes of second-graders, and we’d love your help either as a lead docent or a helper.

Volunteers should be willing to commit to helping with at least two tours of Greenfield Hall on weekday mornings. The tours are scheduled for 9:30-11:30 am between May 1 and May 31.

All volunteer docents are also required to attend a training session at Greenfield Hall on Wednesday April 11 from 11 am – 12 pm. If you’d like to volunteer but cannot attend training on the 11th, please let us know.

If you’re interested, please RSVP to Marsha Marshall at info@haddonfieldhistory.org. Thank you, and if you have any questions, please contact us at info@haddonfieldhistory.org or 856-429-7375.

May 6 “First Sunday” to Include Pop-up Display About Children’s Lives in Haddonfield and Surrounding Areas

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

Historical Society Closed Friday 3/30 and Sunday 4/1

Due to Easter and Passover, the Society will be closed Friday 3/30, and we have cancelled our usual “First Sunday” hours on Sunday April 1. See you next week!