November 15 Meeting To Feature the Home Front During World War I

Join us Wednesday November 15 at 7:30 pm for our next general membership meeting, featuring a presentation by Peter John Williams about the home front during the World War I years.

As the centennial of World War I continues to be observed, Williams will be chronicling how the turbulent years of 1914-1918 brought people together despite tragedies both at home and abroad. He will also be sharing photographs, posters, and other imagery to paint a picture of how Philadelphia and the surrounding area looked during this era. He will also have copies of his book, Philadelphia: The World War I Years, available for purchase and signing.

For this meeting only, we’ll be gathering in the meeting room at the Lutheran Church of our Savior, 204 Wayne Ave., Haddonfield.

The event is free for members, with a suggested donation of $5 for nonmembers. We also invite you to bring a canned good or non-perishable food item to share with the Lutheran Church’s food bank collection.

For more information about World War I and its impact on Haddonfield and the surrounding area, make sure to plan a visit to the Historical Society’s temporary exhibit: “The First World War — Haddonfield and Abroad.” The temporary exhibit will open with a special “First Sunday” open house Sunday November 5 from 1-4 pm and will be available for viewing during Greenfield Hall’s open hours (generally Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-4 pm).

Don’t Miss Tonight’s Haunted Mansion!

Tonight, October 30, is the Historical Society’s annual Haunted Mansion at Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East, Haddonfield. The event will begin right after the town Halloween parade, approximately at 7 pm and continue to 9 pm.

The cost is $3 for kids and $5 for adults, and tickets will be sold at the door.

For those who haven’t visited the Haunted Mansion before, we aim to make this event appropriate for elementary school aged kids, roughly second to fifth grades. We add seasonal decorations to the first floor of Greenfield Hall and offer lights-out spooky tours. Light refreshments are served in the back garden.

This year, we’ll also be offering spooky story time in the back garden for younger visitors who aren’t sure about taking the inside tour.

This year’s event is sponsored by Lisa Wolschina and Associates from Keller Williams Realty and Jason Barnes from Citizens Bank.

Collection Spotlight: Mt. Peace Cemetery Burial Ledger

We continue with our periodic spotlight of objects, documents, photographs and other items you can find in the collections of the Historical Society of Haddonfield. Thanks again to summer volunteer Britni Dellinger for helping to compile these features. Next up:

MT. PEACE CEMETERY BURIAL LEDGER

2004.011, Gift of Bryson Armstead

This ledger contains two decades of burial information for Mt. Peace Cemetery on the White Horse Turnpike in Lawnside, NJ. Covering 1937 to 1959, the ledger lists names, residences, burial dates, grave locations, and undertakers. It is part of a small collection of Mt. Peace records that were collected by Bryson Armstead during his work to document the long history and significance of the cemetery. The burial ledger has lost its cover and has water damage, but the information it contains is irreplaceable for family historians and other researchers.

The Historical Society compiled all of the burial data from the ledger and other cemetery records in the collection into a digital database to further improve access to this information.

The ledger is currently on loan to the Lawnside Historical Society for a special exhibit at Camden County Historical Society, opening soon!

New World War I Exhibit On Display November 5 – December 8

Members of the Historical Society have begun work on a new exhibit telling the story of residents from Haddonfield and vicinity who served in World War I, as well as the story of life on the home front during the war years.

The exhibit will open on Sunday November 5 and continue through Friday December 8, 2017.

The exhibit will feature three World War I uniforms from the Society’s collections, as well as scrapbooks, photographs, newspapers, flyers and posters that were meant to motivate the folks at home. Stories and items from some of those who served highlight the impact of the war on participants and their families.

In order to make the exhibit more accessible to visitors, the exhibit will be located on the first floor of Greenfield Hall in our double parlors. The exhibit will be open during Greenfield Hall’s open hours: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1-4 pm. In addition to those hours, we will be holding several special events during the exhibit:

Sunday November 5, 1-4 pm: “Sacrifice and Service”

On the opening day of the exhibit, we’ll be holding a special collaborative open house with our neighbors at the Indian King Tavern. At the Historical Society, view the opening of our new exhibit and make a replica of the gold medal presented by Haddonfield in 1919 to residents who served in World War I. At the Indian King Tavern, learn about the Revolutionary War and the role of the community in hosting the state Legislature. There, you will have the opportunity to make a Badge of Merit, the precursor to the Purple Heart that was designed by George Washington.

NEW: Saturday November 18, 1-4 pm: Honoring Our Veterans

We’ll be hosting special Saturday hours for the exhibit (and the rest of Greenfield Hall’s exhibits) the weekend after Veterans Day.

Saturday November 25, 1-4 pm: HMHS Alumni Exhibit Open House

We’ll be hosting special Saturday hours for the exhibit (and the rest of Greenfield Hall’s exhibits) the weekend after Thanksgiving during “Small Business Saturday.” Come learn why HMHS is a “memorial” school, and explore the collection materials on display.

Sunday December 3, 1-3 pm: First Sunday hours

Greenfield Hall will be open for our usual First Sunday hours from 1-3 pm. The World War I exhibit will close the following week, with the last tours available on Friday December 8.

Haunted Mansion Planned for Monday October 30

The Historical Society of Haddonfield’s annual Haunted Mansion at Greenfield Hall will be held on October 30 right after the town Halloween parade, approximately at 7 pm and continuing to 9 pm.

The cost is $3 for kids and $5 for adults, and tickets will be sold at the door.

For those who haven’t visited the Haunted Mansion before, we aim to make this event appropriate for elementary school aged kids, roughly second to fifth grades. We add seasonal decorations to the first floor of Greenfield Hall and offer lights-out spooky tours. Light refreshments are served in the back garden.

This year, we’ll also be offering spooky story time in the back garden for younger visitors who aren’t sure about taking the inside tour.

This year’s event is sponsored by Lisa Wolschina and Associates from Keller Williams Realty and Jason Barnes from Citizens Bank.