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Historical Society of Moorestown
Smith-Cadbury Mansion
12 High Street, P. O. Box 477
Moorestown, NJ 08057
Phone (856): 235-0353
Closed for Summer until September
Please see bottom of webpage for HSM schedule.
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Mission Statement
'The Historical Society of Moorestown is a nonprofit organization preserving the history of Moorestown Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, providing opportunities for the community to learn about the past and further understand and appreciate the history of Moorestown and the surrounding area.'
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| 2008-2009 Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees |
President - Ann Langerhans
1st Vice President - BJ Tetlow
2nd Vice President - Stephanie Herz
Treasurer - Harry Koons
Recording Secretary - Lynne Brill
Corresponding Secretary - Lynne Japka
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- Please be advised that the Smith-Cadbury Mansion will be closed for the months of July and August.
- Our Sacred Honor: Moorestonians in Time of War DVD's for sale! This DVD is one small town's history of courage, sacrifice and honor. Inspired by The Historical Society of Moorestown's 2007 exhibit of the same name, the film traces the town's residents who have fought and in some cases paid the ultimate sacrifice, from the American Revolution to the present day. They can be purchased at the Smith-Cadbury Mansion Gift Shop or by emailing Lenny Wagner at lwagner559@comcast.net
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| Membership is open to all who are interested |
New brick walk leads the visitor to the rear patio which is dedicated to the memory of May Borton. |
By purchasing the very old Cadbury house in 1970, our founding members not only insured the preservation of the Smith-Cadbury Mansion (circa 1738), but laid the groundwork for the collecting of artifacts, furniture, oral histories and other ephemera of the community. As we have inherited the legacy these dedicated men and women, we hope to pay tribute to their efforts by forging new friendships, by being good stewards of the property, by managing the archives and 'stuff' of Moorestown and by growing with the town as it expands.
We are a totally volunteer and not-for-profit 501-3 ( c ) organization. The Society governs with long established by-laws and a Board of Trustees, led by an Executive Committee. Financial support comes from membership dues, fund-raising activities and donations. Members are welcomed and encouraged (but not required) to volunteer. The membership has an Annual Meeting in April and Fall General Meeting, both usually held at the Moorestown Community House, located just a block away from the Smith- Cadbury mansion.
Expansion of our Collections, a community resource, is made possible only through fundraising efforts and donations. Our library offers research material on family and house genealogies, local history, Quaker patterns of life, maps of the area, newspapers (old and new), school yearbooks, city directories, etc., eventually accessible through our Past Perfect Library software. The continually growing collections of local furniture, clocks, accessories, silhouettes, samplers and period clothing are on display. |
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| Objectives |
To cultivate social intercourse and friendship among its members: to collect and preserve data and to engage in historical research touching the history of Moorestown Township, Burlington County, New Jersey and the surrounding area.
To collect and preserve articles, specimens, modes, habits, and history of the times in said Moorestown Township and surrounding area.
To perpetuate the memory of those who by their labors and heroism contributed to make the history of said municipality and the surrounding area. |
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| Standing Committees |
Members are invited to join our all-volunteer staff on the following committees: Docent/Hostess, House and Grounds, Activities/Special Events, Finance and Grants, Gift Shop, Textile/Costume, Library/Research, Acquisitions.
Events include inviting speakers to our membership gatherings, exhibits in the mansion curated by members of the community about the community, historic home showcases, a contemporary gift shop, historically based crafting for K-6 on 2nd Saturdays and the Gingerbread House contest. Membership in the Historical Society offers many varied volunteer and donation opportunities for both new and long-time residents of the area.
We welcome new members and appreciate the continued support of present members. We look forward to seeing you at Smith-Cadbury. The Trustees of the Historical Society are pleased to share the history of this important house and its surrounding town with future generations.
Let us know if there are friends or neighbors that might be interested in becoming a member of the Historical Society of Moorestown.
Contact our Membership Chair, Lynne Japka at (609)315-6515. |
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| Gift Shop |
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The Gift Shop Committee stocks a variety of lovely gifts such as fine jewelry, pottery, handmade baby gifts, note cards, framed original artwork, photo reproductions from the archives, cookbooks, aprons, blankets and local history pamphlets.
The committee decks out the shop for certain holidays and brings in items of interest pertaining to that holiday. This is not your average museum store.
Watch for announcements of our next 'Gift Shop Open House,' usually on a couple of late afternoons that stretch into early evening during the holidays and/or in the Spring.
Pick up your copy of 'Moorestown Old and New, A Local Sketch' by James C. Purdy, recently reprinted by the Society.
This lovely shop helps to raise funds for the Historical Society so stop by and do your part. |
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| A Glance at Moorestown's History |
| Today, as one walks along Main Street from the Friends School west past the old Town Hall, it is hard to believe that the ridge that the road (formerly The Kings Highway) follows was once occupied with the wigwams of the Lenni Lenape Indians. Two fine springs, one to the west (off Main Street before reaching the Perkins Center for the Arts) and one to the east (off North Stanwick Road) were attractive to Indians and traders alike. |
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Although there were property owners as early as 1680 in the present township location, (formerly known as Chester Township), the Village of was 'founded' in 1682 when the first owners built homes and actually lived here. Thomas Hooton and son acquired 600 acres in 1682 and a Roberts family also set up their farmstead in the area. In May of 1686, when Philadelphia was about 3 years old, John Rodman bought 500 acres on the west side of Chester Township, and Thomas Rodman bought 533 acres additional in the same area, where the area soon became known as the Village of Rodmantown. The growing area around the eastern spring was known as the Village of Chestertown.
In 1700, the first Society of Friends Meeting House, built of logs, was erected on The Kings Highway. Originally known as 'Meeting House Lane,' Chester Avenue was laid out in 1720. The Village at that time probably consisted of a few farmhouses along The King's Highway from Stanwick Road to Locust Street. |
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Former location of the Coles Hotel is denoted by this marker and Town Clock. In the background, you will find the Friends Burial Grounds. |
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Thomas Moore and his wife Elizabeth settled here in 1722 and in 1732, Moore purchased 33 acres of land on the north side of The King's Highway. The land ran from the west side of the Friends' graveyard on the northwest corner of The Kings Highway and Meeting House Lane on the east and west to Locust Street on the western boundary of his property and north to Second Street. Mr. Moore set up a hotel on the northwest corner of The Kings Highway and Union Streets (currently, the Shell gas station). With so much land eventually being owned by Thomas Moore, the name Moorestown gradually replaced Chester informally in what is now the center of town. Finally, Moorestown formerly split off from Chester and became a Township.
The Coles Hotel, east of the corner of Main and Chester, was the scene of great activity prior to the building of the railroad in 1867. Before this time, the stagecoach was the only public conveyance between Moorestown and Philadelphia, and the hotel was a stagecoach stop. |
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Cowperthwaite House HAB Survey (Library of Congress) Nathaniel R. Ewan, Photographer April 12, 1938 EXTERIOR - SW elevation |
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Another landmark on Main Street, east of Chester Avenue, is now the present home of the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company. In 1745 John Cox erected a tavern there that was to become famous in the early history of Moorestown. Town Meetings were held in the tavern prior to 1812 when 'Old Town Hall' was then errected.
The home now standing on the northwest corner of Main and Schooley Streets, then the home of Joshua Bispham, was commandeered by Hessian officers during the Revolutionary War as they retreated from Philadelphia in 1778.
The old homestead on the northeast corner of King's Highway and Lenola Road was constructed in 1742 by John Cowperthwaite. Because of its excellent example of an 18th century home, record of its construction was made in 1937 by the U.S. Department of Interior and is now recorded in the Library of Congress. |
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| Incorporation of Moorestown (formerly Chester Township), New Jersey |
Although Moorestown is over 300 years old, it was incorporated by an act of the NJ State Legislature approved on March 11, 1922. That is from Chapter 68 of the Laws of 1922 published in the 'Acts of the One Hundred and Forty-seventh Legislature of the State of New Jersey and Seventy-ninth Under the New Constitution' MacCrellish & Quigley Co., State Printers, Trenton,N.J., 1923.
Chester Township was a large expanse of land which included what is now known as Delran, Cinaminson, Maple Shade and part of Mount Laurel. |
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| Historic Preservation Updates |
For information the Historic Preservation in Moorestown, please contact Ann Bernice Segal, Township Council Liaison to the Appearance Committee or see the website:
http://www.moorestown.nj.us/council_committees_boards/appearance(copy and paste into your search browser) |
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| Information filed with the Attorney General concerning this charitable organization may be obtained from the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey by calling 201-504-6215. Registration with the Attorney General does not imply endorsement. |
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Publications
(types avail:
Newsletters,
Items of Interest,
Forms,
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 Newsletters |
| | September 2007 Newsletter
 HSM_Sept_2007_NL.pdf
Size = 1,372,202 Bytes
(approx. 12 minute(s) to download by modem,
and 23 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Friday, Feb 15, 2008,
4:00PM by Charlie Langerhans
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| | December 2007 Newsletter
HSM_Dec_2007_NL.pdf
Size = 2,348,014 Bytes
(approx. 21 minute(s) to download by modem,
and 40 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Friday, Feb 15, 2008,
3:58PM by Charlie Langerhans
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| | June 2007 Newsletter
HSM_June_2007_NL.pdf
Size = 2,963,773 Bytes
(approx. 27 minute(s) to download by modem,
and 50 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Friday, Feb 15, 2008,
3:57PM by Charlie Langerhans
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| | Historical Society of Moorestown Mission Statement
 Mission Statement Adopted 3 07.doc
Size = 19,456 Bytes
(approx. 11 second(s) to download by modem,
and 1 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Tuesday, Sep 04, 2007,
11:24PM by Charlie Langerhans
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| | March Newsletter
HSM_Mar_2007_NL.pdf
Size = 4,319,457 Bytes
(approx. 39 minute(s) to download by modem,
and 1 minute(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Monday, Jul 30, 2007,
2:07PM by Charlie Langerhans
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| | From the Front Porch
HSM_June_2006_NL_Archive[1].pdf
Size = 3,918,803 Bytes
(approx. 36 minute(s) to download by modem,
and 1 minute(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Friday, Sep 01, 2006,
4:14AM by Sara Homer
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Items of Interest |
| | Local Interest Hardback Book
purdyorder.doc
Size = 27,136 Bytes
(approx. 16 second(s) to download by modem,
and 1 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Sunday, Mar 02, 2008,
2:57PM by Charlie Langerhans
Kevin Stephany coordinating
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| | Informal look at Moorestown, NJ
 Rendering of Moorestown Landmarks.jpg
Size = 222,596 Bytes
(approx. 2 minute(s) to download by modem,
and 4 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Friday, Mar 19, 2004,
9:57AM by Sara Homer
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Forms |
| | New Membership Form
1870.doc
Size = 43,008 Bytes
(approx. 24 second(s) to download by modem,
and 1 second(s) by Cable Modem/DSL Line)
Last updated: Sunday, May 04, 2008,
2:01PM by Charlie Langerhans
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Postcards of Moorestown, NJ |
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Visit the Historical Society website for a glance at history through postcards.
These particular images are in public domain, not scanned from the collection of the Historical Society. However, the archives of the Historical Society does maintain a collection as well.
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contact email:
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website: http://moorestown.com/community/history |
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| Last updated: Sunday, Mar 02, 2008,
2:59PM by Charlie
Langerhans
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'Moorestown, Old & New' |
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'Moorestown, Old & New' by James C. Purdy was originally written in 1886 and has since been re-published by the the Historical Society of Moorestown in 1976 and again in 2002. Includes fold out maps, familiar names and explanations for local traditions. Order form online. Please see above for link to 'Local Interest Hardback Book.' The Historical Society gratefully acknowledges Dave Ramsey Cabinetmakers, Inc. for their generosity in storing the Purdy book inventory.
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contact email:
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website: http://moorestown.com/community/history |
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| Last updated: Sunday, Mar 02, 2008,
3:01PM by Charlie
Langerhans
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