Blacks make up less than 1 percent of the current population. Haddonfield, a borough of 12,500 people in Camden County 16 miles east of Philadelphia, was once one of the most important centers for blacks from before the Revolutionary War through the 20th century.
The town’s Quaker roots are widely credited with fostering an inclusive environment for free and formerly enslaved black people, according to the city’s website. This includes the current loan side. Lawnside, a neighboring town settled in the 1840s, was incorporated in 1926, becoming the first self-governing African American community north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
The Black Haddonfield Historic Preservation Project is now dedicated to reclaiming that heritage.
“We have applied to be part of the first wave of historic marker installations under the Governor’s new law creating the Black Heritage Trail,” said C. Adrian Rose, co-founder of the History Project. told New Jersey Advance Media this week. “And it’s amazing that we were chosen.”
Ms Rose said her organization and the district library had applied for a marker on a section of the district known as “The Point”.
“By the early 20th century, about 10 percent of Haddonfield’s population was black, mostly at the so-called “The Point,” at the end of Potter and Ellis streets and along Lincoln and Douglas streets. “He lived in the area,” the reporter said. Part of a two-volume oral history book published by Mr. Rose’s group. “It was primarily a self-contained community with two churches, a general store, a farmers market, a barber shop, and other businesses serving the residents.”
One of the churches, Mount Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church, has its roots in the early 1800s and was founded by a black colonial Philadelphia pastor, activist, and founder of the AME Church. Richard Allen was a frequent visitor.
Mount Olivet was founded in 1891. Both are still open and have congregations that include families who live or once lived in Haddonfield.
In the early 20th century, more than 10% of Haddonfield’s population was black. Today, 100 years later, Haddonfield real estate is the most expensive and least diverse area in Southern New Jersey.
But Rose said eight generations of her family still own homes here, and with the help of the Haddonfield Memorial High School Alumni Association, her group has connected with former classmates and is looking back to those days. It is said to tell a story about this town that continues to this day. . The History Project is a subcommittee of the Alumni Association.
“We do more than just remember personal memories of Haddonfield’s African American community,” the group’s page on the borough library’s website says. “We celebrate the value added here through the contributions, ideals and legacy of current and past residents.”
The history project is currently working to install markers at walking tour locations significant to Black history throughout part of the 2.8-square-mile borough.
“We have to live together,” said Rose, a former communications executive. “A lot of bad things happen because we don’t know each other well enough.”
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Bill Duhart can be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com
