Scary times? It could be worse.

Imagine the emotions of the townsfolk of Riverton, Palmyra, and Cinnaminson as they gathered in the Parish House of Christ Church at this December 17, 1941 meeting, ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The purpose of the meeting was to prepare the community for an air raid drill to be held the next night at 11:30 pm.


In September, 1944, The New Era, Riverton’s hometown newspaper published a list of persons serving in the conflict that still had a year to go.

WWII Honor Roll Veterans List from The New Era, Sept 14, 1944

I see the names of Carl McDermott and his two brothers about a third down the second column.

McDermott Bros L-R – Bill, Paul Carl

THANK YOU for your service, Carl!

Who do you know in this list? (PDF here)

screen capture from an issue in our online newspaper collection

The New Era of August 16, 1945 issue records the jubilant celebration over the war’s conclusion and gave a sober reminder of the supreme sacrifice given by those “so that this Nation might live.”

We sincerely thank Kate Washington Hickey for gifting the Society the air raid fliers seen above as well as many other items, some of which we will show here another time.

postcard scan courtesy of Mrs. Betty Hahle

We are proud to be caretakers of Riverton history and invite you to join the conversation with your recollections and remarks. This archive is made richer every time another part of local history emerges and readers can simply learn from it or even contribute more to it.

While we enjoy getting likes and comments on Facebook, your thoughts are more likely to become part of the record here. If you think the history of our community is work keeping, scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on the link – Leave a comment.  – JMc