Haddon Heights Historical Society

Historical Society
Bulletin: July, 2005 (Vol 30, no 3)

WELCOME TO THE NEW HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER FORMAT!!
Now that we have entered the 21st Century with a web site and digital pictures galore, the Board figured it was about time to change the look and feel of your newsletter. With that in mind, I set about piloting this new format. In this new configuration, we will be better able to bring you photo coverage of Society events, along with other interesting images, and more room to spread out our features and articles. Please look this edition over and let us know what you think. We value your opinion.

OUR NEXT MEETING TOPIC- Our next meeting will be Tuesday July 19th at 7:30pm downstairs in the Library. The featured speaker for our next General Membership meeting is Mr. Ralph Siegel of Mercerville, NJ. Mr. Siegel is proprietor of Trenton Battlefield Tours.org. His multi-media presentation will highlight many interesting aspects of the "Battles of Trenton". That's right, I said BATTLES. That is because there two major battles fought in and around the city of Trenton during the winter of 1776-77. The Battle of Trenton is widely acknowledged as a critical moment and turning point in the War for Independence, when the patriot army was in its greatest danger of falling apart and taking with it the hopes and dreams of the colonists.

Mr. Siegel has been providing Trenton Battlefield Tours of the city since 2000. He is a former reporter, and is Executive Director of the Garden State Preservation Trust, the financing agency for open space and farmland preservation in NJ. He is a certified Battlefield Guide and authored the NJ Assembly Resolution 58, passed by the Assembly and Senate, and signed into law in March of 2005. This legislation designates a 24 block section of the city as the Trenton Battlefield Historic Area. Please join us on the 19th to hear how Washington's forces attacked the German garrison and then fought off and outmaneuvered a vastly larger British force.

H.H. HISTORICAL SOCIETY LOGO APPAREL- With so much going on with your historical society, you really can't tell your players/society members without a uniform . . . Actually they're just shirts; but what great shirts! We have in stock several items of apparel bearing the HHHS logo. You can buy/order your shirts at the General Meeting on July 19th, or you can call Marshall Hatfield, at 546-0391. The current inventory is listed below.

Men's short sleeve burgundy polo shirt - 100% Pima Cotton Pique Sport $27 (available: 1-sm, 2-med, 2-lg, 1-xl)
Women's short sleeve burgundy polo shirt - 100% Pima Cotton Pique Sport $27 (avail.: 1-sm, 2-med, 1-lg, 1-xl)
Unisex long sleeve Twill Button down shirt $32 (available: I-med, 1-lg)

If we do not have your size or style in stock right now, please contact Marshall to get your order in for the next shipment! Show your spirit and your colors . . . you can also view the shirts at the Historical Society Website.

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2006 BOARD- Over the last few years, we have added some new members to the Historical Society Board. Many of the new ideas and changes you may have noticed have come from these enthusiastic folks. Being a greedy bunch, the Board is looking for more people willing to become active and give a little of their time to make the Society even better than it is now. Our Vice President Bob Hunter chairs the nomination committee. If you are interested in joining the Board, or know someone who is, please call Bob at the H.H. Library (856-547-7132) to get on the ballot for our October general Meeting.

AND NOW . . . PICTURES !!!- For my next trick, I will attempt to combine the written word with the captured image on a single page. This dangerous feat has only recently become possible through the wonders of modern home computing and LOTS of fiddling around to figure it all out. I hope you like the results . . . Here we have two photos from the 2005 July 4th Parade in Haddon Heights. On the left, you will see our

Banner Carriers- Board Members Cheryl Alexander (l) and Jodi Clark followed by the great Historical Society Sousa KAZOO Band. The photo on the right shows your Editor in period garb, driving his 1929 Model A Ford. Bringing up the rear of the HHHS contingent (not shown) was a 1930 Model A Ford Sedan driven by Mr. Mark Zimmerman of Mt. Laurel. This photo thing really works. I think we may be onto something here . . .

MEMBERSHIP REPORT- We currently have 83 households registered as paid-up members of the Historical Society. Please share the newsletter with friends and family. Extra copies are usually available in the Library. We are a "Grass Roots" organization, so spread the word. Let others know about upcoming meeting topics and events. Why not bring a friend, son, daughter, niece, or spouse to our next meeting on July 19th?

HISTORY ON THE WEB- the Haddon Heights Historical Society Web Site is full of information, pictures of our events, and many editions of the Newsletter over the past 5 years. Additionally, you will find the latest updates to the town Resident and Business Directories. Please take a moment to log on and visit our website. We are very proud of it and owe great thanks to Jack Witzig for his continuing efforts to make it the best. While I am talking about the web site, let me mention that we are trying to accumulate a directory of e¬mail addresses for our members. If you have e-mail, please e-mail jack@hhhistorical.org so he can add your address to our roster. Our hope is to be able to get important and timely information or changes out to our members via e-mail. We also hope to be able to offer this Newsletter to members via e-mail as an alternative.

ALICE BROWN RECOGNIZED- Although this sounds like a headline from the National Enquirer, it actually describes a touching presentation which took place at our April meeting. Alice, who has served the Historical society as Board Member, President, and most recendy as Trustee, was presented with a commemorative plaque and clock by current President Peter Hill. Alice thanked the Society for the kind gesture of appreciation, and had the crowd of 93 members and guests roaring when she told a story involving a letter she received from a former student who presumed that she was no longer among the living. On behalf of the Society, I too, say THANKS!!

HEIGHTS FALL FESTIVAL- Haddon Heights will hold its annual Fall Festival on Saturday Oct ber 1st. Look for our table where we will be selling various collectible items and working hard to sign up new members. We always need volunteers, so please see Jodi Clark at the July meeting or write her at our address.

ANNUAL HEIRLOOM DISCOVERY DAY- On Sunday October 2nd, The Historical Society will be hosting our annual Heirloom Discovery Day at the Library. Mr. Ronald Shaffer of the International Society of Appraisers will be speaking and giving his opinion of value for items brought to the Library. Hours for this popular event will be from 1:00pm-5:00pm. Members and visitors are welcome. $8.00 fee (non-members) includes membership. Bring your family heirlooms see what they're worth . . . or just come to observe!

CATS MEOW ITEMS- We still have available the special commissioned collectible rendering of the long-gone Haddon Heights Inn. THIS JUST IN! The Haddon Heights Train Station piece is being re-issued!!! Look at the meeting, or stop by the Library to purchase them.

HOUSE PORTRAITS- If you have thought of buying a house portrait as a gift, you still have enough time to order one to be completed for the Holidays. Create your own piece of history and a future family heirloom painting of your home, with these double-matted, framed watercolor house portraits at the very reasonable price of $130. A portion of the price for these 16"x20" custom paintings benefits the Historical Society. Help continue this great fund-raiser. "Picture" your historic home!

JOIN US IN OCTOBER- Each October we elect our Board of Officers for the coming year. Please come out and support the members nominated to serve you in 2006. Gail Stern, executive Director of the Historical Society of Princeton, will be presenting a talk about the l00th anniversary of Einstein'S Miracle Year.

GENEALOGY: CLIMBING THE FAMILY TREE- When you think you haven't got a clue, we have just the thing, as the topic for our January 2006 General Meeting! Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, author of four unique genealogy books and lead researcher on the PBS Ancestors series, will share some of her unexpected and interesting stories of family history researchers, and how DNA is currently being used to repatriate families of servicemen killed or MIA in Korea and Vietnam.

WE HOPE TO HEAR BELLS- At our April meeting, Peter Hill (center) presented a check to members of the Haddon Heights Fire Department in memory of the late Tom Conway. Tom was a long-time member of the Historical Society, as well as a dedicated volunteer fireman. The donation was designated to be put toward refurbishing of the town fire bell which is being done in Tom's honor.

APRIL MEETING HAS BANNER ATTENDANCE- Our April General Meeting was attended by 93 members and guests! I have been a member since about 1989, and I do not ever recall such a tremendous response to one of our programs. We owe thanks to our Publicity Assistants, who really got the word out. The topic for this meeting was "Memories of the Trains and Trolleys of South Jersey". Our guest speaker was Mr. Richard Magee of Audubon. He is a member of our Historical Society, as well as the National Railway Historical Society. Several members of that group were present with items on display and for sale. This was a great presentation with many historic photos and stories.

TWISTER HITS HADDON HEIGHTS- How many of you remember the day when the local headlines read something like that? The following account is reprinted from the July 1991 edition of this Newsletter. The information came from a Courier-Post article which was _____,

On Friday July 13, 1956 at 2:26pm, a freak twister visited Haddon Heights during a typical summer Storm. Police said the storm seemed to swoop down in the borough at 11th Ave., coming from the West. Trees were felled on 9th, 8th, and 7th avenues, between Kings Highway and Green St. All trees on 7th Ave. were knocked over and scores of cars were damaged by falling tree limbs. Brick chimneys, TV antennae, tre_____lis, and garages were all sucked up, knocked over, and tossed around.

The Empire Diner, on the comer of Kings Highway and the White Horse Pike, was struck next. Part of the roof and sturdy metal vestibule were blown away, together with George W. Ross, Jr., who was going through the vestibule when the twister hit. The Mt. Ephraim man received bad cuts. The force of the wind shifted four cars parked on the Diner lot, and scattered the contents of a bakery truck.

A 75'x12' plate glass window on the front, and a 50'x12' window on the side of the old ACME store were smashed all over the parking lot and inside the store. Many people were cut and taken to the hospital for treatment. The Beth Shalom Synagogue also lost many windows. After the ACME was struck, the tornadic winds rose up into the sky and did little more damage_____. Debris was carried aloft and dropped over a wide area.

A 26,000 volt electrical transmission line was knocked down. PSE&G had m any crews working in the area to clean up and restore power. The White Horse Pike was a main route to the shore and was busy with Friday traffic, which had to be diverted. The Empire Diner did not rebuild according to one source. The ACME building was repaired. It was demolished some years later as the newer ACME store building (now CVS) was built on a different part of the same lot at the comer of Fourth Ave. and Kings Highway . . .

The newspaper reported that those needing medical attention were taken to Audubon Hospital. The Newsletter Editor asked members to write in with information about the location of the hospital. Although I was not living in this area when the hospital was in operation (pun intended . . . ) I can tell you 14 years after the request, that as I understand it, the hospital was located on the White Horse Pike at 607-609 WHP. While the original two homes which comprised the hospital have long since been demolished, the site now holds a red brick building and is the location for Senior Care Services. The hospital business was relocated to Stratford with the working name of "Valley General Hospital" before it was completed, the name was changed to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, with the permission of the Kennedy family. The hospital opened in 1965 and is now part of a multi-hospital organization known as Kennedy Health System. Do you have more details about Audubon General? Please drop me a note or an e-mail (funkhken@msn.com) and let me know.

THANKS for listening . . . I hope you like the new format! Ken Funkhouser, editor