HSR’s Museum for a Day event piggy-backs with RFL Candlelight House Tour Sat. Dec. 1

Almost ready – countdown to Saturday

During Riverton Free Library’s 2018 Riverton Candlelight House Tour this Saturday 4-9pm, be sure to make a stop at the Library where the Historical Society will offer a glimpse at some seldom seen items in our collection.

The Historical Society’s Museum-for-a-Day, last seen in 2016, returns with displays on the first floor as well as in the basement.

See this Riverton mini-mansion on the House Tour

On the first floor, be sure to see the tiniest house on the tour. This painstakingly detailed doll house is a replica of the real dwelling at 806 Main Street. You will have to come on Saturday to see the inside furnishings and details, complete with a Christmas tree and doors with crystal doorknobs.

RFL Then&Now mug

Among the local history themed items for sale are our mugs, Romance of Riverton DVDs, Bay Ruff’s Ruff Copy, Bill Washington’s Historic Riverton, gift memberships to the Society,  and some reproduction prints and enlargements.

Yacht Club illustration from Reddy by Mary Biddle Fitler, 1929

Downstairs, see displays of vintage clothing, photos of old Riverton, our salute to veterans, a number of Dreer’s Nursery garden implements and photos, plus original manuscripts, novels, and scrapbook by Riverton author Mary Biddle Fitler, and much more.

Mrs. Biddle’s fictional book series for children began with the publication of Reddy in 1929 using Riverton as a backdrop.

As publicized by the RFL Assn., tickets for the Candlelight House Tour are $15 Pre-Sale/ $20 Tour Night and are available at The Riverton Free Library, The New Leaf and The Guitar Guild. Ticket proceeds benefit Riverton Free Library.

Admission to the Historical Society’s exhibition is free. 

In addition to seeing the five beautifully decorated homes on the Tour, local establishments will offer entertainment & refreshments. And while here, don’t forget to the visit downtown Riverton’s Christmas Village, with horse & carriage rides and local vendors! -JMc

Added 1/26/2019: Highlights from our Museum for a Day

 

HSR merch for sale at RFL Sunday

After restocking some of our mug inventory that had sold out, I will be at Riverton Library on Sunday from 2-3 pm to offer some items for the history buffs on your list.

Our exclusive historically themed designs feature vintage images of Riverton, Riverside, Palmyra, and Moorestown from our archives. Back in stock are mugs depicting Christ Church, Palmyra train station, Riverton’s 1890 map, Riverton Golf Club, and the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge matchbook.

Biddle Mansion mug
Joseph Campbell mug

Riverton’s rich history provides no shortage of inspiration for designing these mugs.

Here are two of the latest.

This 5-page PDF shows all the mug designs we offer. Not all are in stock. New orders can take two weeks so those taken after this week may not arrive before Christmas.

The Romance of Riverton DVD, Bay Ruff’s Ruff Copy, or Bill Washington’s Historic Riverton, and a gift membership to the Society also make great gifts. – JMc

 

Events conspired against getting this month’s GN to members in time to publicize the Nov. 14 meeting

It’s not like I didn’t try to get done on time.

The feature article about the history of the recently razed Cinnaminson Home was already running long, but I was missing some bits, so colleague Paul W. Schopp helped direct me to more sources.

Reshuffling the story delayed my getting the issue to the printer, which pushed back the job to Monday. After quickly stuffing envelopes with the issue this morning, I rushed to the post office only to find them closed for Veterans Day.

So, there’s no way that folks will get the issue in time to tell them of the November 14 meeting @ 7pm  featuring Keith Henley’s presentation on the life of World War I hero Sgt. Henry “Black Death” Johnson.

So, that’s my excuse for my homework being late.

Check out the November 2018 GN issue #177 here.

Look for the enclosed 2019 membership form. 

We hope to see you at the Nov. 14 meeting and at our display at the Library during the Candlelight House Tour on Dec. 1, 2018.

A “like” or “share” on Facebook might circulate this in time to help some people to show up Wednesday night. -JMc

Redevelopment of former Cinnaminson Children’s Home will provide low-income senior housing

 

site of former Cinnaminson Home, 10-25-2018

Demolition of the Cinnaminson Home, at 1410 Riverton Road, is a sign that the long-awaited $12 million project to transform the site into 54 units of low-income senior housing is finally underway.

So what was the Cinnaminson Home?

The answer depends on when you mean.

Children’s Home 1897 from The New Era 75th Anniv Issue, 1965, p15

Most recently, the Cinnaminson Home for the Aged served as an assisted living facility for elderly adults. It closed in 2002, and Cinnaminson Township purchased the site in 2005.

Cinnaminson Home for Convalescent Women

But long before that, the building opened for ten weeks in the summer of 1897 to give a visit of one week for a total of three hundred poor children of Philadelphia. The story of how that endeavor originated and how the home evolved is the subject of a developing story for The Gaslight News.

Children’s Summer Home, Riverton, NJ

The HSR has some images from the 1890s, early 1900s, and very recent ones, plus a Cinnaminson Home Cookbook, and some newspaper articles but would like other photos and information to help in completing this story. -JMc

 

Mugs for sale Sunday in RFL basement 1-3pm

If there was ever a gift idea for someone from this area that would make them ask, “Where did you get this?” it’s one of these mugs with a local history theme derived from vintage photos, postcards, and maps from the archives of the Society

We even turned an old matchbook into a mug! The new Tacony-Palmyra Bridge mug sold out at its first showing at our Sept. 26 meeting.  More are on order.

Our area is too rich in history to just offer two or three choices for mugs.

If you have a memory of a place in Riverton, we probably have a mug about it. Our exclusive designs depict vintage images of Riverton Golf Club, the Porch Club, Riverton Fire Co., Riverton Yacht Club, churches, businesses, railroad stations, street scenes, old maps, and more.

Riverside, Palmyra, and Moorestown are also represented.

See dozens of mugs on Sunday, Oct. 7, from 1-3 pm. (The RFL runs its used book sale at the same place and time.) Cash or check accepted. All proceeds benefit the Historical Society of Riverton.  – John McCormick

 

Today’s nonagenarians are in this 1946 PHS Washington, DC Trip photo

PHS Class of 1946 – Wash DC Trip

We have had this photo in a heavy wooden frame for a while, and nobody gets to see it in the Library basement. Resolution here is not ideal*, but maybe someone out there can make out a familiar face.

Some of these kids would be about 90 today.

Taken May 2, 1946, this was the first class to graduate after World War Two.

The New Era, June 6, 1946, p8

A month later, a commencement program on June 6, 1943, marked the end of a high school experience that had been so overshadowed by the specter of that global conflict.

The New Era, June 13, 1946, p1

 

 

To help place a name with a face, here is a list of Palmyra High School Class of 1946 grads.  The June 13 issue of The New Era also acknowledged those students receiving awards.

See the asterisks that indicate several members of the US Navy.

Holler if you see someone you know.

*I used a photo scan app on my phone to capture the class photo. -JMc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody wants one

Sometimes two.

A limited quantity of our exclusive mugs with local history themes derived from vintage photos, postcards, and maps in the archives of the Society are back in stock.

Some styles are limited in quantity so call ahead or message us if you want one reserved for that night.

See all the available styles on our STORE page.

revised 11/10/2022: We find that not only do suppliers come and go, they change how we place orders. Although unintended, some earlier designs have turned out to be limited editions. Please email rivertonhistory@gmail.com if you have questions about mugs.  -JMc

 

Hurricanes Then & Now

Trenton Evening Times Oct 29, 1954, Page 12

You may date yourself if you remember Hurricanes Hazel, Diane, or Gloria, but it is likely you or someone you know, can probably recall the effects of other tropical storms on our area.

Previously here, in August 2011, we reported on the effects of Hurricane Irene on our area. Only a year later, the Frankenstorm known as Hurricane Sandy resulted in the cancellation of classes for two days at Riverton School and pushed back the Palmyra Halloween Parade two days to November 1.

Time will only tell what effects this next hurricane has on our area.

Yesterday the National Weather Service upgraded Florence to a Category 4 storm, and governors of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina declared states of emergency.  While a hurricane’s effects on New Jersey are rare, Hurricane Florence could bring its residual effects to New Jersey.

According to Newsweek, parts of the state may experience heavy rain, coastal flooding, and high surf as Florence’s tropical storm-force winds pound the shore.

THE VAGABOND HURRICANE of 1903 killed around 35 people and caused millions in damage, particularly near the coastline. Dozens of buildings were destroyed, like this home in Sea Bright, New Jersey on Sept. 16, 1903.

Looking way back to September 1903, a hurricane dubbed “The Vagabond Hurricane” by the Atlantic City Press directly struck the state, making landfall on Atlantic City as an 80 mph hurricane.

Philadelphia Inquirer Sept 17, 1903 Philadelphia, PA p2

The September 17, 1903 Philadelphia Inquirer summarized the destuction sustained in New Jersey communities by that storm. It reported that the Vagabond Hurricane had damaged a score of sailing craft at Riverton Yacht Club and almost cost John Bell his life.

Trenton Evening Times Sept 23, 1938 p2

The western edge of the New England Hurricane of 1938 caused tropical storm-force winds and high waves on its way to landfall on Long Island. Storm surge along the Jersey Shore destroyed much of the boardwalk in Atlantic City.

The New Era, Sept 21, 1944, p1

The path and ferocity of the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944 echoed effects of the 1938 storm and inflicted heavy damage to the shore towns on Long Beach Island, Atlantic City, Ocean City, and Cape May.

The New Era, Sept 21, 1944, p1

Riverton’s  The New Era newspaper described the toll taken on residents’ shore properties by the storm.

During World War II, military meteorologists working in the Pacific began to use women’s names for storms. In 1953, the National Hurricane Center adopted the method for use on storms originating in the Atlantic Ocean. Meteorologists for the Atlantic Ocean began using men’s names in 1979. Names for hurricanes are chosen from a list developed by the World Meteorological Organization.

Names of especially deadly and destructive hurricanes, like 2012’s Hurricane Sandy, are often retired, and will not be used again.

If you remember a year for a hurricane but not the name of it (or vice versa), this historical list of hurricanes that affected New Jersey may help.

Finally, click here for nj.com’s 12 monster storms that rocked New Jersey.

Please share your recollection of a past hurricane’s effects on Riverton, and let us know how your neighborhood fares as we endure this latest tropical storm. Send text or photos to rivertonhistory@gmail.com or share a Facebook post to our Facebook page.