http://www.haddontwphistoricalsociety.org/

Haddon Township Historical Society, 143 E. Ormond Avenue (Display and Programs only--not a research facility), Haddon, NJ (2026)

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143 E. Ormond Avenue (Display And Programs Only--not A Research Facility)

05/31/2026

Can't let the day end before we wish a Happy Birthday to Walt Whitman! Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819. Did you know that Walt Whitman visited Crystal Lake?
Yes, it is true, the poet Walt Whitman came to Crystal Lake in Haddon Township. It was lifelong Haddon Township resident Walter Stoy (1862-1955) who recalled when Walt Whitman came to the family's farm (today the Stoy house is located at 330 Westmont Ave.) and asked to borrow a rowboat. In a 1950 Newark Star Ledger interview Stoy says: "He [Whitman] said he had come out on the toll-road [Haddonfield Turnpike which is today's Haddon Avenue] and he wanted to think quietly, on the water. We found him a boat and he rowed out in the shade of some willows. Maybe he did a little fishing, I don't know. All I know was that when he rowed in, he wanted to pay and we wouldn't take anything. My father and I knew who he was, of course, and we were glad if the old mill pond gave him some inspiration." (Newark Star Ledger 4/16/1950) As author Dennis Raible wrote in his book "Down A County Lane," Walter Stoy's account is accurate and can be corroborated in Whitman's day book. Walt Whitman purchased his Mickle St. house in Camden in 1884 and lived there until his death in 1892. Whitman had arrived in Camden in 1873, the year his mother died, and he stayed with his brother George on Stevens Street before purchasing his own house.

05/30/2026

Haddon Township Women in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps During World War II

The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps was a federal program established in 1943 by the Nurse Training Act to alleviate the critical nursing shortage during World War II. It was NOT a military training program or associated with military rank or duties. Locally, Cooper Hospital, West Jersey Hospital, and Hahnemann Schools of Nursing participated in the cadet training plan. The same standards and requirements governing becoming a registered nurse were applied to the cadets’ training. Their curriculum was the same, there were no shortcuts or deletions of any part. However, their training was accelerated. Instead of three years, their training took 24-30 months. There was heavy pressure to study, and they had earlier practical experience in hospital wards. It was very challenging, but it also gave cadets an immediate sense of participating in the war effort. In exchange for their pledge to serve in health care facilities for the duration of the war, the program provided subsidized tuition, uniforms, and a monthly stipend. It also gave them an excellent career path as a registered nurse to continue after the war. In its first year (1943-44) the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps enrolled over 65,000 new student nurses. By 1945, Cadet Nurses were providing 80% of the nursing care in U.S. hospitals.
Our research located 5 Haddon Township women enrolled in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps: Julia E. Klopp (29 Wynnewood Ave.), Jane C. Boedker (84 Virginia Ave.), Alice H. Townsend (111 Melrose Ave.), Julia M. Kleinschmidt (58 E. Collingswood Ave.), and Mary M. Berglund (210 Virginia Ave.).
Julia E. Klopp graduated from Collingswood High School, Class of 1938. She enrolled in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps in August 1943 and received her education at West Jersey Hospital’s School of Nursing. Jane C. Boedker attended Collingswood High School, Class of 1945, before enrolling in the Cadet Training program. She received her education at Hahnemann Hospital School of Nursing. After serving in the Cadet Nurse Corps, Jane earned her Master’s in nursing education from West Chester University. She was a registered nurse for 45 years, the final 25 years as a school nurse for the Pottstown School District. Alice H. Townsend attended Collingswood High School, Class of 1929. She went on to earn a B.S. degree in education from NJ State Normal School at Glassboro in 1932, and taught for several years. In 1945 she began her training with the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps at Bryn Mawr College Summer School of Nursing, followed by attending Johns Hopkins Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore, MD. After the war, Alice Townsend became a Baptist missionary nurse and administrator, serving in the American Baptist mission in Assam, India for 27 years. Julia M. Kleinschmidt graduated from Collingswood High School, Class of 1942. She entered the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps in 1944, and graduated from West Jersey Hospital School of Nursing in 1946. Mary M. Berglund was in the Class of 1943 at Collingswood High School. Mary entered the U. S. Cadet Nurse Corps in August 1943, graduating from West Jersey Hospital School of Nursing in 1946. Mary married Bernard Carman in 1949. In 1950 she was active in arranging the West Jersey Hospital Nurses Alumni Association reunion and chairing the annual ball.
The American Hospital Association credited cadet nurses with helping to prevent the collapse of America’s nursing care during World War II, but their contributions are largely forgotten. It is important that we preserve their legacy, honor, and remember the nurses of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps by telling their story. If you are a relative of a former cadet nurse who lived in Haddon Township when she joined the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, please let us know. If you are the relative of any woman who became a nurse through the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, you may also wish to honor her legacy by sharing her story at uscadetnurse.org.

05/23/2026

On this Memorial Day, let us pause to honor and remember those who gave their lives while serving our country.
FIRST LIEUTENANT DONALD C. BOHN, 21, of 216 Burwood Avenue in Haddon Township, NJ, assigned to the 413th Infantry Regiment, 104th Infantry “Timberwolf” Division, was killed on April 19, 1945, at Halle, Germany while trying to rescue several of his wounded men. Bohn was the infantry platoon leader. He voluntarily left his position and moved across fire-swept terrain to give first aid and evacuate five wounded members of his platoon. While performing this self-assigned task, he was severely wounded, but refused treatment until he was certain that his men had been removed to safety. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart, and is buried in Locustwood Cemetery, Cherry Hill, NJ, near his parents and brother.
Born October 2, 1923, he was the son of Frederick H. and Ruth M. Bohn. His father served in the Army during World War I with the 52nd Pioneer Infantry. Donald Bohn was a 1942 graduate of Collingswood High School, Collingswood, NJ, and was quarterback for the school football team. He attended a semester at Western Maryland College before being called to service in February 1943. He was sent overseas in December 1944.
His parents and a brother, Sergeant Frederick H. Bohn, Jr., survived Donald Chant Bohn. His brother also served in the Army with Company A of the 835th Engineer Battalion in North Africa and Italy for 31 months during the war.
You will see Lieutenant Donald C. Bohn's name etched on the WWII memorial at the Westmont Fire Company No. 1 station on Haddon Avenue. On Monday, May 25th at 10:00am the Westmont Fire Company will again host the annual Haddon Township Memorial Day service at the Firehouse located at 120 Haddon Avenue. Weather permitting, the service will be outdoors on West Walnut Avenue in front of the war monuments. All are invited to attend.

05/16/2026

Haddon Township Teen Canteen and The Flamingos

Originating in 1954, the Haddon Township Teen Canteen was organized to provide local teenagers with fun and safe activities and to promote good behavior. Sponsored by the Haddon Township Police, the Teen Canteen was a cooperative effort between Haddon Township teenagers and volunteering adults, including the Canteen’s “founding mother” Bernice Homac-Getzinger. She and her husband, William G. Getzinger, were local residents and owners of Westmont Hardware since 1932. The Canteen’s Friday night dances, held at the Haddon Township Junior High School during the school year and in the schoolyard behind the Westmont School on Haddon Avenue during summer months, had the local band “Ralph Crane and The Flamingos” providing the music. The band members were high school students who all lived in Westmont. The band was composed of the following members (left to right in the circa 1959 photograph): Bill Ludwig –rhythm guitar, vocals; Jim Reid – trumpet; Mike Murray – drums; Ed Shields – bass and accordion; Ralph Crane – lead guitar and vocals; Ray Goebel – saxophone. The band played together from 1958-1961, not only at the Teen Canteen, but also at local parties throughout South Jersey and Philadelphia. Their music was mostly covers of popular rock and roll music, with a few original songs. Prior to the band’s performances, radio DJ and Westmont resident Eddie Mulford played records at the dances. Mulford worked at WCAM radio (an AM radio station broadcasting from Camden) and emceed record hops at Wagners Ballroom in Philadelphia. With money earned by charging admission to the dances, the Westmont Teen Canteen also sponsored a local youth baseball team and provided uniforms for them.

05/09/2026

Harry A. Tull’s Horse(s)
The first Westmont Fire Company firefighting apparatus was the Baxter, a horse-drawn (or man-drawn) chemical truck purchased in 1903. It was temporarily housed in Alfred Matthews’ barn on Glenwood Avenue until the firehouse was built in 1905. Harry A. Tull (b. 1885; d. 1976) was an early volunteer for the Westmont Fire Company. In the fire company’s founding days, the first to arrive with their horse was paid $1.50. Tull was in the local milk delivery business, which he did via a horse-drawn wagon.
Harry Tull’s horse was used to pull Westmont Fire Company’s firefighting apparatus. Harry lived with his parents at 138 Haddon Avenue until his marriage in 1908; the firehouse was located on Center Street & Highland Avenue. The firehouse had a tire rim mounted on two poles. It was given to the Westmont Fire Company by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1902. The tire rim was Westmont’s FIRST fire alarm. On April 22, 1907 tragedy struck when Harry Tull was racing to get his horse with the firefighting truck to a fire at James Rudderow’s home on Haddon Avenue and Cooper Street. Unfortunately, the horse broke its leg while pulling the fire engine and had to be put down.
Some good came out of this tragic situation, though. The people of Westmont rallied immediately to collect funds for a new horse for Mr. Tull. By May 18, 1907, twenty-two dollars had been pledged toward buying Harry Tull a new horse. There were also discussions about the fire company purchasing their own horse.
By 1915 Harry Tull switched from the milk delivery business to an ice and coal delivery business, but for a while he still used a horse and wagon. The Westmont Fire Company, realizing the need for more and better firefighting equipment, purchased its first motorized truck in 1918.

05/02/2026

“Lindy” Attends Westmont School (and Serves as Haddon Twp. Police Mascot)

According to Haddon Township Chief of Police Horace Whitehead (1927-34), in about 1931-32 a stray dog was picked up by Haddon Township police in the Haddonleigh area of Haddon Township. His owner was later located, but decided to give the dog to the Haddon Township Police Department. The story is that the dog was named “Lindy” and was wearing a Lindbergh commemorative medal on his collar when found. Lindy became the official police department mascot, as well as a cherished class pet at the Westmont School on Haddon Avenue.
Lindy slept in the police station and rode in the patrol car. His “second home” was in the classroom at Westmont Elementary School, napping under the teacher’s desk, and enjoying recess treats shared by the children. Lindy also posed with students for their annual class photos throughout the 1930s. Lindy taught the schoolchildren responsible dog ownership by receiving his annual rabies vaccination and getting his annual dog license/dog tag, paid for by the students ($1.12) from their candy-selling earnings when dog licensing became a requirement beginning in 1935. Residents in the area were also known to feed Lindy and invite him into their homes. Everybody loved Lindy!
Although Lindy was reported to have excellent deportment in the classroom, he got into trouble with the police a few times. He chased cats up telephone poles, and on at least one occasion lost his collar. There was even one time when Lindy hopped out of the police car window near Collings Avenue while the car was parked during a police investigation. Fortunately, he was found by a Collingswood resident and returned to the Haddon Township police.
Fast-forward to 1961 when it was announced that Westmont Elementary School would be closed and demolished to make way for the township’s new municipal building. There was Lindy, once again in the newspaper, included in a Courier Post retrospective article about the history of the school, shown posing in a 1938 photo with Mrs. Bennett’s 3rd grade class.
We have no idea when Lindy officially retired from his school and police duties, but we do know that it appears he led a very happy life, well loved by all who met him.

04/25/2026

100 YEARS AGO: Westmont National Bank Robbery

Just over 100 years ago, the Westmont National Bank was robbed on April 8, 1926. Let’s take a look at its history:
The first bank in Westmont, the Westmont National Bank, opened on Saturday, April 12, 1924. It was located at 144 Haddon Avenue, a small, one-story brick and concrete building. Its stated purpose was to provide a local bank to satisfy the financial service needs of residents and local business owners. The bank officers were Alfred M. Matthews, president; James C. Williams, vice president; and Larned Gurnell, cashier. Alfred Matthews and James Williams both lived in Westmont.
The robbery of the Westmont National Bank took place in the morning of April 8, 1926. The daring robbery made headlines and was covered as front-page news throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. According to published reports, a man entered the bank at 8:15 a.m., asked for change for a ten-dollar bill, then pointed a gun at the bank cashier when he returned with the man’s change. Three other armed men entered the bank, bound and tied bank employee Frances Sullivan, and dragged Harold Kirkbridge, the bank cashier, to the bank safe before escaping with around $4,000 in coins and cash into a waiting car driven by a fifth man. Before leaving, the thieves had also knocked Kirkbridge unconscious and bound and gagged him. Two other customers who had entered the bank during the robbery were also held at gunpoint. Two boys, Leslie Redrow and Tommy Hogan, who were on their way to school, witnessed the bandits running out of the bank on Haddon Avenue and into a waiting car, and saw a girl run out of the bank screaming, “The bank’s been robbed!”
Matthew Overnack of Philadelphia was apprehended and charged; he was later tried and convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Westmont National Bank. But the story doesn’t end there. A year later, 2 prisoners, William Juliano and Harry “Slim” Bentley, confessed to robbing the Westmont National Bank just hours before they were put to death at Rockview Prison for unrelated crimes. They refused to name the other men who took part in the bank robbery. Overnack was not pardoned despite those confessions, even though Bentley swore in his written testimony that Overnack did not participate in the Westmont Bank robbery. Overnack was paroled in 1932 after serving six years. In 1934 Overnack was shot in the back by an unknown assailant while walking down a South Philadelphia street. Overnack was seriously wounded but did not die from the gunshot. He resided and worked in Philadelphia General Hospital until his death in 1948 at age 44.
The Westmont National Bank did not survive for very long and closed in 1931. The robbery at the bank was the major impetus for the formation of the Haddon Township Police Department (June 1, 1926).
A cafe currently occupies the former Westmont National Bank building (see the last photo in this post).

04/18/2026

Haddon Township’s Centennial Celebration (1965)
On February 23, 1865, the eastern portion of Newton Township was split off by an act of the New Jersey Legislature, and the Township of Haddon was created. In 1965 Haddon Township celebrated the 100th anniversary of its incorporation. Township planners hosted a week-long variety of activities and fun events celebrating “A Century of Community Progress.” The week began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new municipal building (built in 1962), which included all the mayors of the eight towns that were part of Haddon Township in 1865 (Audubon, Oaklyn, Haddonfield, Collingswood, Audubon Park, Haddon Heights, Camden, and Woodlynne). The color guard of the 3rd New Jersey Hussars, dressed in Civil War uniforms, fired a volley using 100 year old fi****ms. Longtime residents Esterbrook Reeve, at the time Haddon Township’s oldest lifelong resident (b. 1881), and retired Haddon Township teacher Mable Snyder-Springer (b. 1893) were interviewed for local newspaper articles and met with students. They described life in Haddon Township in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including their memories of the Haddon Avenue trolley, the local general store, unpaved streets, the schoolhouse, and the first Westmont fire hall. Mayor William G. Rohrer and Commissioners J. Raymond Chard and Richard C. Hardenbergh enthusiastically hosted events, including a Beard Growing Contest, and a Centennial Dinner Dance. School students wrote essays covering all phases of early life in Haddon Township and performed a play celebrating Haddon Township history. A three-hour bus tour of historic sites throughout the towns that were part of Haddon Township in 1865 promoted an appreciation of our rich heritage. It was a time to express community pride in Haddon Township’s history and accomplishments.
Do you have any memories of celebrating Haddon Township’s 100th anniversary in 1965?
* Thanks to Carol Worthington-Levy for sending us two pennants, including the centennial celebration pennant seen in this post, saved by her husband, Lloyd Levy, who grew up in Haddon Township.

04/11/2026

Westmont String Band (1947 - 1955)

The Westmont String Band was formed in 1947, founded by Edward Sylvester and Charles W. Coyle. Both men were longtime members of the Aqua String Band in Philadelphia, and it looks like the Westmont String Band’s origin was strongly connected to the Aqua Club. Coyle and Sylvester lived in Haddon Township. Sylvester was a member and officer of the Westmont Lions Club, and was active in planning the Westmont Halloween Parade throughout the 1940-50s. The first mention of the new Westmont String Band was an announcement that they would be participating in Westmont’s second annual Halloween parade in October 1947.
The Westmont String Band’s heydays were from 1947-1955. It appears that they were in high demand throughout the Philadelphia-New Jersey area. Besides their engagements in Haddon Township parades, they performed in various Veterans, Halloween, Christmas, and Firemen’s Associations parades in Camden, Riverside, Wildwood, Asbury Park, Woodbury, Haddonfield, Millville, and, of course, Philadelphia’s New Year’s Day Mummer’s Parade. In 1948 they had 30 member musicians. Their officers were William E. Thorpe, president; Harry Warner, treasurer; and Ray Boenning, secretary. Thorpe was named musical director, and Leonard Klotz, assistant. Rehearsals were held on Thursday nights at the Westmont American Legion Post 230 headquarters on Reeve Avenue.
By 1949 the Westmont String Band was a 50-piece string band, with William Thorpe appointed as marching captain. In November 1949 radio station WJLK broadcast a half-hour Westmont String Band program from the American Legion Military Ball at the Asbury Park Convention Center. The annual event benefited ill and disabled veterans of Monmouth County. Also, in 1949, the Westmont String Band participated in the annual Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade from Broad Street to Market Street in Philadelphia that ushered in Santa Claus and the holiday shopping season in downtown Philadelphia. The parade featured floats, television and radio characters such as Howdy Doody and Superman, clowns, and 32 other bands.
In 1952 the Westmont String Band performed at West Jersey Hospital’s annual Horse Show and Country Fair at the Garden State Park racetrack. In May 1952, among other engagements, they also performed at Willow Grove Amusement Park. In 1953 they were once again welcomed back to perform in Asbury Park.
The last mention of the Westmont String Band that we could find in newspapers was in February 1955 when a notice was published about a rehearsal scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post on Reeve Avenue.
Do you have any information about the Westmont String Band? We would love to hear from you!
(A special thanks to Nick Cocco for asking us about the Westmont String Band, which prompted this research.)

04/04/2026

Did your family enjoy Easter dinner at the Collmont Diner?
The property that the first Collmont Diner was positioned on in 1948 near the corner of Haddon and Cuthbert was technically in Collingswood, but it sure appeared to be in Haddon Township. This caused some problems for owner William Sikora in the beginning, as he had to appeal to Haddon Township to supply water and sewer services to the property. It looks like the issues were worked out, because the popular diner thrived, and the building was expanded in 1954 to include banquet rooms that were ideal for wedding receptions, private parties, and business meetings. Even after a major fire on August 20, 1957, the Collmont dining room in the stainless steel diner section was back in business by February 1958. In 1969 the Collmont Diner opened under new manager M. B. Michaels; shortly afterward, it was sold and the building moved down Cuthbert Boulevard to Cherry Hill (Cuthbert & Wisteria Avenue) where it opened as the Bellmont Diner in 1976, followed by NASAS in 1987. Meanwhile, the property at 1 Haddon Avenue became the site of a Hardee’s Restaurant, and today a Wawa convenience store is there.

Haddon Township Historical Society

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