As the new year continues, the US has begun celebrating the semiquincentennial, the 250th birthday of America. Haddonfield, which is filled with all kinds of history throughout the 250 years since America’s birth, is also finding ways to celebrate this momentous occasion in our country’s history.
Throughout this year, several events honoring our country’s founding are taking place, which started with a performance called the Ministers of Apollo. This performance is dedicated to celebrating the five New Jersey signers of the Declaration of Independence: Abraham Clark, John Hart, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton, and John Witherspoon. The performance highlights the lives of those in 1776, and New Jersey’s role in the birth of the new nation.
The Historical Society of Haddonfield is also starting off the year with new plans for the semiquincentennial, including the restoration projects for historic buildings like the Greenfield Hall and the Samuel Mickle House. The Hall is full of different historical pieces, showing various items from collections relating to the rich history in Haddonfield. The Greenfield Hall that is still standing today has history dating back to 1795, while the property the house now resides in dates back to 1728, after Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh gifted the original house to her cousin John Gill I. The house holds all types of archives, and carries history from before the US was established.
Some of the upcoming events in Haddonfield are the Historical Harp performance, playing colonial-era music, as a way of celebrating the birthday of the US. A Stitch in Time, which will hold a display of over 22 displays of needlework, resembling the art and history that took place in the 1800s. Furthermore, “Martha Washington” will be coming to Haddonfield to have tea and talk about the rich history that took place in Philadelphia and Haddonfield during the first few years of the new nation.
These events are continuing to be planned throughout the year to broadcast Haddonfield’s history, as well as the history of the US.
