Historical Society Awarded Grant for General Operating Support

For the third year in a row, the Historical Society of Haddonfield has been awarded a general operating support grant from the Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission at Camden County College. The Commission is the officially designated county history agency of the New Jersey Historical Commission.

“This award will make an immediate difference in our efforts to engage and educate the public about Haddonfield’s history through public programs, publications, and partnerships with local schools,” said Doug Rauschenberger, President of the Historical Society. “We are so grateful to the Commission for this ongoing support.”

The Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission was founded in 1972, and recognizes the role of arts and local history in making our communities dynamic places to live and work.

February 26 Event to Celebrate HMHS Student Research about Haddonfield and World War II

The Historical Society of Haddonfield invites you to join us on Tuesday February 26 at 7 pm as we celebrate the work done by Haddonfield Memorial High School U.S. history students this winter as they researched World War II. The event will be held in the HMHS library, located at 401 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield.

This is the fifth year in a row that HMHS Social Studies teacher David Reader has brought his Advanced Placement U.S. history classes to the Historical Society to work with primary sources about World War II.

The students visit the Historical Society several times between November and February, and develop research projects centered on a collection of World War II letters sent and received by then-principal William “Bull” Reynolds. This year’s AP classes are also reviewing issues of the school newspaper, The Haddon Higher, as well as other records in the Society’s archives.

At this free culminating event on February 26, the students will be sharing their research and discussing their experiences. A small exhibit of primary source documents from the Historical Society will also be on display.

We hope you’ll join us at HMHS!

Greenfield Hall and Mickle House Open for “First Sunday” January 6, 1-3 pm

The Historical Society will be open for our usual “First Sunday” hours this Sunday, January 6, from 1-3 pm. Stop by Greenfield Hall or the Samuel Mickle House at 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield.

We will *not* have a pop-up display for this month’s First Sunday, but you can take a tour of the long-term exhibits in Greenfield Hall, test our children’s “Be a Historian” activity, or do some research in our archives center in the Mickle House.

Sunday is also a great chance to pick up your reprint of the 1899 birds-eye-view map of Haddonfield, one of our published books, or one of the last few vintage street signs. See you Sunday!

Book Club To Discuss “The Feather Thief” on February 25

The Historical Society’s Book Club will next meet on Monday February 25, 2019 to discuss The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, by Kirk Wallace Johnson.

This will be a joint discussion with the Haddonfield Public Library Book Club. We’ll meet at the Public Library, 60 N. Haddon Ave., Haddonfield, at 7 pm.

The Feather Thief is a riveting account of how one man stole hundreds of rare bird skins from the British Museum of Natural History, most likely to sell to fly-fishing enthusiasts who recreate Victorian-era salmon flies. The New York Times Book Review called the book, “Fascinating . . . a complex tale of greed, deception, and ornithological sabotage.” Publishers Weekly said the book is an “enthralling account of a truly bizarre crime.”

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

Looking further ahead, the Book Club will also meet on Tuesday April 16 to discuss Rush: Revolution, Madness and Benjamin Rush, the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father, by Stephen Fried.

Historical Society Closed December 22 through January 1

The Historical Society will be closed starting tomorrow, December 22, through Tuesday, January 1, 2019.

We will reopen for our usual hours on Wednesday January 2, 2019. The archives center will be open on Jan. 2 from 9:30-11:30 am and Greenfield Hall will be open 1-4 pm.

If you’ve been hoping to get a last-minute Christmas gift from the Historical Society, today’s your last chance! We’ll be open 1-4 pm today if you’d like to pick up one of our reprints of the 1899 birds-eye-view map of Haddonfield, one of our published books, or a vintage street sign.

Looking further ahead, we’ll be open for our usual “First Sunday” hours on Sunday January 6 from 1-3 pm. For January, we will NOT be offering a pop-up display, but stop by for a tour of Greenfield Hall, test out our children’s “Be a Historian” activity, or do some research in our archives center.

Happy new year!