Haddonfield | An Explorative Garden-Island Boardwalk

Colonial History

In 1682, a Quaker bricklayer named Francis Collins set up a house in the 400 acres that would become the Haddonfield settlement. It would later be bought by another Quaker named John Haddon. Roughly two decades after Collins founded the settlement, his daughter Elizabeth Haddon sailed from Southwark, England to the West Jersey colony by herself in order to claim ownership of it on behalf of her father. The town was named Haddonfield in honor of John Haddon, in spite of the fact that he never arrived to see the settlement for himself.

Location

It is within circumference of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and is close to the towns Collingswood and Cherry Hill. It is also a few turns away from the Walt Whitman Turnpike.

What Makes This Town Without Compare?

It is also the place where the first dinosaur fossil was discovered and assembled–in the world. Specifically, it was a fossil of a Hadrosaur, which would be given the name Haddy, that was discovered in 1858. It continues to be in display at the Academy of Natural Science in Pennsylvania. Because of this discovery, the hadrosaur would become the official state dinosaur of New Jersey more than one century later.

It was also the town where the founder Elizabeth (Haddon) Estaugh was very active in the Quaker community, in terms of promoting medical advances. She received a lot of visitors, whether it was from Haddonfield or from the local indigenous tribe. She was also a clerk of the Women\\\’s Meeting. Although she died childless, it can be said that everyone who calls themselves a proud Haddonfield resident is just one among many of her children.

In 1803, the Haddonfield Library was opened and continues to exist to this day. There are 70,000 volumes of books, alongside periodicals, DVDs, and a local history collection.

Haddonfield is also a town that prioritizes the business district, by finding innovative ways of making it more accommodating. One way was to expand the parking space in a comprehensive plan, which specifically included installing a large rail commuter parking lot. Meanwhile, the property taxes along with proceeds from the Crafts and Fine Arts festival. are used to finance the activities that abound in the town, such as business recruitment, retention, and marketing of Haddonfield businesses.

As a result, Haddonfield houses 200 shops and galleries and has been ranked as \”Best Downtown Shopping Area\” by the Courier Post for years.

Sources

• Borough of Haddonfield.
  • About Our Town.
  • Hadrosaurus Foulkii (\”Haddy\”) Information.
• Roberts, Russell. “Rediscover the Hidden New Jersey.” Rutgers University Press. 2015.