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2279008

Haddonfield, New Jersey

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2279008

Haddonfield, New Jersey

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Haddonfield, New Jersey

Haddonfield is a borough located in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 12,550, an increase of 957 (+8.3%) from the 2010 census count of 11,593, which in turn reflected a decline of 66 (−0.6%) from the 11,659 counted in the 2000 census.

Haddonfield was incorporated by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 6, 1875, within portions of Haddon Township following a referendum on the same day. The borough became an independent municipality in 1894. The borough was named for Elizabeth Haddon, an early settler of the area.

The Lenape were indigenous to Haddonfield and the surrounding area, but this Native American tribe largely disappeared following European arrival. Arrowheads and pottery shards have been found by the banks of the Cooper River. The Lenape heritage of the borough is marked with a monument marking their connection to the area.

On October 23, 1682, Francis Collins, an English Quaker and a bricklayer by trade, became the first settler within the boundaries of what today is Haddonfield. Collins soon built a house, "Mountwell," on a tract of 400 acres (160 ha). Haddonfield was further developed by Elizabeth Haddon (1680–1762), whose Quaker father, John Haddon, bought a 500 acres (2.0 km2) tract of land in the English colony of West Jersey to escape religious persecution. Elizabeth set sail alone from Southwark, England to the New World in 1701. Shortly after her arrival, she made a marriage proposal to John Estaugh, a Quaker minister, and they were married in 1702. The town was named for John Haddon, though he never came to America.

The Indian King Tavern, built in 1750, played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War. During that war, the New Jersey Legislature met there, avoiding British forces, and in 1777, declared New Jersey to be an independent state. Today the tavern is a state historical site and museum. Nevertheless, since 1873, Haddonfield has been a dry town where alcohol cannot be sold though it can be brewed and distributed in town.

Haddonfield is a significant historic paleontology site. In 1838, William Estaugh Hopkins uncovered large bones in a marl pit in which he was digging. Hopkins displayed the bones at his home, Birdwood; and these bones sparked the interest of a visitor, William Foulke. In 1858, Foulke dug from the marl pit the first relatively complete skeleton of a dinosaur found in North America, Hadrosaurus foulkii. The skeleton was assembled in 1868 and is still displayed at Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences. A 17-foot (5.2 m) long bronze sculpture of “Haddy”, by sculptor John Giannotti, stands in the center of town. Hadrosaurus was recognized officially as the state dinosaur of New Jersey in June 1991.

In 1875, Haddonfield became the first community to secede from Haddon Township and become a self-governing borough. Haddonfield is noted for its historic homes, quaint shops, and legions of lawyers. As a legal center for southern New Jersey, the town houses the offices of more than 390 attorneys.

Haddonfield once was home to Symphony in C (formerly the Haddonfield Symphony), which is now based in nearby Collingswood, and performs at the Gordon Theater at Rutgers University-Camden.

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