Haddonfield, New Jersey

History

The Haddonfield area was occupied by Lenni Lenape Native Americans. The Lenape disappeared from the local area when settlers arrived. Arrowheads and pottery shards have been found by residents by the banks of the Cooper River, hinting that there was a Native American settlement in Haddonfield at one point in time.

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. 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.

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 12-foot (3.7 m) replica of "Haddy" stands in the center of town.

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 Collingswood.

Haddonfield is home to the second oldest volunteer fire company in continuous service in the United States. Haddon Fire Company No. 1 was established as Friendship Fire Company on March 8, 1764, by 26 townsmen. Each member was to furnish two leather buckets while the company supplied six ladders and three fire hooks.

In 1971, Haddonfield became the second municipality in New Jersey (after Cape May) to establish a historic preservation district. In keeping with the historic appearance of the borough, some candidates for commissioner distribute colored ribbons to their supporters instead of yard signs.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Haddonfield had a total area of 2.871 square miles (7.435 km²), including 2.824 square miles (7.315 km²) of land and 0.047 square miles (0.120 km²) of water (1.62%).

The Cooper River forms the border between Haddonfield and Cherry Hill. Haddonfield shares land borders with Haddon Township, Haddon Heights, Barrington, and Tavistock.

Bodies of water

2010 census

The 2010 United States Census counted 11,593 people, 4,436 households, and 3,181 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,104.9 per square mile (1,584.9/km²). The borough contained 4,634 housing units at an average density of 1,640.8 per square mile (633.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 95.23% (11,040) White, 1.11% (129) Black or African American, 0.03% (4) Native American, 1.85% (215) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.43% (50) from other races, and 1.34% (155) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 2.14% (248) of the population.

Out of a total of 4,436 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the borough, 27.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 20.4% from 25 to 44, 31.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years. For every 100 females the census counted 91.3 males, but for 100 females at least 18 years old, it was 88.7 males.

The Census Bureau's 2006-2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $112,105 (with a margin of error of +/- $10,416) and the median family income was $129,100 (+/- $16,987). Males had a median income of $92,409 (+/- $10,521) versus $61,272 (+/- $6,669) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $55,955 (+/- $5,275). About 3.8% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census there are 11,659 people, 4,496 households, and 3,255 families residing in the borough. The population density is 4,124.7 people per square mile (1,590.7/km²). There are 4,620 housing units at an average density of 1,634.5 per square mile (630.3/km²). The racial makeup of the borough is 96.47% White, 1.27% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.12% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 4,496 households out of which 35.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% are married couples living together, 7.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% are non-families. 24.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.09.

In the borough the population is spread out with 27.2% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 41 years. For every 100 females there are 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough is $86,872, and the median income for a family is $103,597. Males have a median income of $73,646 versus $44,968 for females. The per capita income for the borough is $43,170. 2.2% of the population and 1.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.0% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Parks and recreation

Haddonfield has several parks maintained by the Camden County Parks Department.

Local government

The Borough of Haddonfield has been governed under the Walsh Act since 1913, with three commissioners elected in non-partisan May elections every four years. Amongst themselves, the Commissioners select a Mayor and may select a Deputy Mayor. Each Commissioner oversees a Department within the Borough.

As of 2016, the borough's commissioners are Mayor Jeffrey S. Kasko (Director of Revenue and Finance), Deputy Mayor John Moscatelli (Director of Public Works) and Neal P. Rochford (Director of Public Affairs and Public Safety), all of whom were elected in May 2013 and serving in office until 2017.

Although the commission is nominally non-partisan, Kasko serves as state Republican Party Committeeman from Camden County and previously served as Haddonfield's Republican Party Chairman and as an aide to Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman. Moscatelli and Rochford are unaffiliated voters and are not currently involved with local or state Democratic or Republican party activities.

Borough Hall

Borough Hall, the home of Haddonfield government, is located at 242 King's Highway East and was built in 1928 by Walter William Sharpley. There are four main offices, including those for the tax assessor, the construction office and the municipal court office. Borough Hall includes a police department, a courtroom, and an auditorium. Its walls are of marble, steel, or plaster, although police station main walls are of steel and cinder block. Haddonfield police write about 8,000 tickets and receive about 300 criminal complaints each year.

In Borough Hall's auditorium are paintings of men who signed the United States Declaration of Independence from New Jersey: Abraham Clark, Francis Hopkinson, Richard Stockton, and John Witherspoon. Some of the paintings are original, other copies.

Weddings have been held in Borough Hall, and while asbestos was being removed from the public library, the upper level of Borough Hall became a temporary library.

Borough Commissioner's meetings are held at Borough Hall every second and fourth Tuesday of the month, usually in the courtroom but sometimes, if there is a large attendance, in the auditorium.

Federal, state and county representation

Haddonfield is located in the 1st Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 6th state legislative district.

New Jersey's First Congressional District is represented by Donald Norcross (D, Camden). New Jersey is represented in the United States Senate by Cory Booker (D, Newark, term ends 2021) and Bob Menendez (D, Paramus, 2019).

For the 2016–2017 session (Senate, General Assembly), the 6th Legislative District of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by James Beach (D, Voorhees Township) and in the General Assembly by Louis Greenwald (D, Voorhees Township) and Pamela Rosen Lampitt (D, Cherry Hill). The Governor of New Jersey is Chris Christie (R, Mendham Township). The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey is Kim Guadagno (R, Monmouth Beach).

Camden County is governed by a Board of Chosen Freeholders, whose seven members chosen at-large in partisan elections to three-year terms office on a staggered basis, with either two or three seats coming up for election each year. As of 2015, Camden County's Freeholders are Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. (Collingswood, term as freeholder ends December 31, 2017; term as director ends 2015), Freeholder Deputy Director Edward T. McDonnell (Pennsauken Township, term as freeholder ends 2016; term as deputy director ends 2015), Michelle Gentek (Gloucester Township, 2015), Ian K. Leonard (Camden, 2015), Jeffrey L. Nash (Cherry Hill, 2015), Carmen Rodriguez (Merchantville, 2016) and Jonathan L. Young, Sr. (Berlin Township, November 2015; serving the unexpired term of Scot McCray ending in 2017)

Camden County's constitutional officers, all elected directly by voters, are County clerk Joseph Ripa, Sheriff Charles H. Billingham, and Surrogate Patricia Egan Jones. The Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo was appointed by the Governor of New Jersey with the advice and consent of the New Jersey Senate (the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature).

Politics

As of March 23, 2011, there were a total of 9,081 registered voters in Haddonfield, of which 3,268 (36.0%) were registered as Democrats, 2,232 (24.6%) were registered as Republicans and 3,575 (39.4%) were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered to other parties.

In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 55.3% of the vote (3,849 cast), ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 43.9% (3,054 votes), and other candidates with 0.7% (51 votes), among the 6,985 ballots cast by the borough's 10,054 registered voters (31 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 69.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 59.4% of the vote (4,346 cast), ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 38.2% (2,793 votes), with 7,311 ballots cast among the borough's 8,970 registered voters, for a turnout of 81.5%. In the 2004 presidential election, Democrat John Kerry received 54.1% of the vote (3,946 ballots cast), outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 44.7% (3,264 votes), with 7,300 ballots cast among the borough's 8,912 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.9.

In the 2013 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 62.1% of the vote (2,519 cast), ahead of Democrat Barbara Buono with 36.6% (1,483 votes), and other candidates with 1.3% (52 votes), among the 4,147 ballots cast by the borough's 9,791 registered voters (93 ballots were spoiled), for a turnout of 42.4%. In the 2009 gubernatorial election, Republican Chris Christie received 46.9% of the vote (2,208 ballots cast), ahead of both Democrat Jon Corzine with 46.6% (2,195 votes) and Independent Chris Daggett with 5.3% (249 votes), with 4,712 ballots cast among the borough's 9,138 registered voters, yielding a 51.6% turnout.

Public schools

The Haddonfield Public Schools is a comprehensive public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. The district serves students from Haddonfield, along with those from Pine Valley and Tavistock who attend the district's schools as part of sending/receiving relationships. As of the 2014-15 school year, the district's five schools had an enrollment of 2,586 students and 194.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student–teacher ratio of 13.3:1. Schools in the district (with 2014-15 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Central Elementary School (grades K-5; 404 students), Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School (K-5; 340), J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School (PreK-5; 455), Haddonfield Middle School (6-8; 618) and Haddonfield Memorial High School (9-12; 776).

In 2015, Elizabeth Haddon School was one of 15 schools in New Jersey, and one of nine public schools, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in the exemplary high performing category by the United States Department of Education.

During the 2004-05 school year, Haddonfield Memorial High School was awarded the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. The school was the 33rd-ranked public high school in New Jersey out of 328 schools statewide in New Jersey Monthly magazine's September 2012 cover story on the state's "Top Public High Schools", after being ranked 11th in 2010 out of 322 schools listed.

Private schools

Haddonfield Friends School, a Quaker school that dates back to 1786, served 184 students in Pre-K through eighth grade as of the 2013-14 school year.

Kingsway Learning Center provides special education for students from ages birth to 14 at the Haddonfield campus, which is home to the school's Early Intervention Program and its Elementary Program.

Christ the King Regional School, founded in 1940, serves students in PreK3 through eighth grade and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.

Bancroft is headquartered in Haddonfield and operates an adjacent special education school and neurobehavioral stabilization program. In July 2005, Bancroft began soliciting requests for proposals to purchase its 20-acre (81,000 m²) property, as a precursor to moving from Haddonfield. Bancroft, founded in Haddonfield in 1883 and previously known as Bancroft NeuroHealth, changed its name in 2009.

Special events

There are events such as the community sidewalk sale in the summer, and the fall festival in October. The fall festival is an event where community organizations may have booths along Kings Highway and there is scarecrow-making for kids. Haddonfield hosts a weekly farmers' market on Saturdays from May to November. There is also the Haddonfield Crafts & Fine Arts Festival, where a large variety of vendors line the main street. Another event is First Night, a New Year's Eve celebration of the arts, with a variety of performances. There is also a yearly car show that takes place during the second Saturday of September. There are also events such as historic house tours and designer show houses.

Transportation

Haddonfield prides itself in being walkable; most streets have sidewalks, and due to the small size of the town — 2 miles (3.2 km) or less from any point in Haddonfield to any other as the crow flies — it is possible to walk to any part of the community. The Borough presently has a traffic campaign using the slogan "Haddonfield Drives 25" promoting the borough's speed limit as 25 mph (40 km/h) for all streets and roadways.

Roads and highways

As of May 2010, the borough had a total of 46.74 miles (75.22 km) of roadways, of which 37.67 miles (60.62 km) were maintained by the municipality, 8.85 miles (14.24 km) by Camden County, 0.09 miles (0.14 km) by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and 0.13 miles (0.21 km) by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Route 41 (Kings Highway) passes through the center of the borough and intersects CR 561 (Haddon Avenue) at Haddonfield's main business district. I-295 passes through at the southern tip with Exit 31 straddling the border. The New Jersey Turnpike also touches the town boundary, but the closest exit is Interchange 3 in Bellmawr/Runnemede.

Public transportation

The PATCO Speedline Haddonfield station links it to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the west and to the eastern terminus in Lindenwold, New Jersey, where it is possible to transfer to NJ Transit's bus and rail routes connecting Philadelphia to Atlantic City.

NJ Transit provides local bus service; its 451, 455 and 457 routes all stop at the PATCO station.

Popular culture

Channel 19

Comcast Garden State [cable TV] Channel 19 is a local Government-access television (GATV) cable TV channel for the Borough of Haddonfield and Haddon Township. This content of this channel is shared with several surrounding communities. This is a 'Virtual Television Network', which is made possible to operate with such little effort due to TelVue Virtual Television Networks, which creates virtual television channels where communities can post announcements.

Notable people

People who were born in, residents of, or otherwise closely associated with Haddonfield include: