A Brief History of Haddonfield
The town of Haddonfield, one of the
oldest communities in what was originally known as West Jersey, has taken
on many different appearances and roles during its lifetime. Located geographically
at a critical point, where the navigable portion of the Cooper River crosses
the King's Highway, which ran between the early settlements of Burlington
and Salem, it was inevitable that a community would be established within
a mile of this site. The first European settler, Francis Collins, owned
a plantation named Mountwell which he built in 1682. Collins farmed his
property but did nothing to encourage further settlement.
 In
1701 a twenty-one year old English Quaker woman named Elizabeth Haddon
came to occupy land that her father, John Haddon had purchased. In 1702
Elizabeth married John Estaugh a Quaker minister. At first the couple
was engaged in simply establishing themselves and running the large
land holdings of Elizabeth's father, John Haddon. In 1713 John and Elizabeth
built a large mansion called New Haddonfield Plantation in anticipation
of the arrival of her parents, an arrival which never took place. The
establishment of the community of Haddonfield, however, was assured
when in 1721 Elizabeth's father gave her a deed for an acre of land
for a Quaker Meetinghouse and burial ground near the intersection of
the present day Haddon Avenue and Kings Highway.
Once the Friends Meeting was established, Haddonfield quickly became
the center of commerce for the large, successful farms of south Jersey.
Farmers came to town for the blacksmiths, tanners, saddlers, general
stores, taverns and all the necessities required for them to be successful
with their farms. Produce and animals from the farms supplied the growing
needs of the nearby city of Philadelphia. The growth of the village
in this era was exemplified by the establishment in 1764 of Friendship
Fire Company, a volunteer fire company which still serves the community
today. Known today as Haddon Fire Company No. 1, it is the second oldest
volunteer fire company in continuous existence in the United States.
 Quaker
Haddonfield tried to limit its involvement in the American Revolution,
but because of its location as a crossroads, the town was unable to
avoid being affected. In 1777 the New Jersey Assembly, fleeing from
the British, met in session at the Indian King Tavern and declared that
this was no longer the "Colony"of New Jersey but was now the State of
New Jersey. In addition the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey was
also adopted by the legislature while at the Indian King. In addition,
both British and American forces encamped at Haddonfield or marched
through here during various campaigns. Lafayette was among the leaders
of the Revolution who was known to have stayed in the town during the
war. In 1904 the Indian King Tavern became the first historic site purchased
by the State of New Jersey.
 Following
the Revolution, the town grew and prospered as a commercial center.
Its character began to change in 1853 with the coming of the Camden
and Atlantic Railroad from Philadelphia to Atlantic City. At first the
railroad made Haddonfield something of a summer retreat from Philadelphia.
It was during this era that one of the most important discoveries relating
to the town occurred. In 1858 William Parker Foulke, a naturalist and
noted Quaker from Philadelphia, while spending some time in Haddonfield
was invited to dinner at Birdwood, the home of William Estaugh Hopkins,
a descendant of Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh. At Birdwood Foulke observed
a large fossil bone being used as an umbrella stand. Finding out that
it was just one of several bones found in an old marl pit on the Birdwood
Farm property many years earlier, Foulke and his mentor Dr. Joseph Leidy
obtained permission to re-open the marl pit to look for more bones.
The result was the discovery of the first nearly intact dinosaur ever
found anywhere in the world. It was named Hadrosaurus foulkii and it
changed forever the scientific understanding of dinosaurs.
As
the railroad expanded and the Victorian era progressed, Haddonfield
saw its first "housing developments" as the farms closest to the center
of town were sold to land companies and lovely Victorian homes were
erected on spacious lots. The town continued its development as a railroad
suburb at a genteel pace until the 1920's and the opening of the Delaware
River Bridge (today known as the Benjamin Franklin Bridge). The Bridge
and the growing importance of cars, led to a new wave of development
as an automobile suburb.
In the 1940's the Haddonfield Civic Association encouraged business
owners to adopt a "colonial" appearance for their shops and were able
to greatly improve the appearance of the downtown area. Late in the
1960's with the coming of the PATCO High Speed Line to Philadelphia,
the community faced a crisis created by developers who were anxious
to tear down much of the historic area for modern office complexes.
The community responded with a Historic District Ordinance which was
established by referendum in 1971. This ordinance protected the historic
core of the town from demolition and has resulted in the "historic"
appearance for which the town is widely known today.
Haddonfield at the beginning of the 21st century is a successful residential
community with historic homes, excellent schools, lovely shops and restaurants
and historic sites like the Indian King Tavern and Greenfield Hall which
are open to the public.
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