Research Library and

Mansion Hours:

Tuesday 1-4 PM

Second Saturday of

the Month 1-4 PM

Address

Historical Society of

Moorestown

Smith-Cadbury Mansion

12 High St.

Moorestown, NJ 08057

Phone

856-235-0353

Web Site

www.moorestown.

com/history

E-mail

moorestownhistory@

verizon.com

Published by

The Historical Society

of Moorestown

JUNE 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:Samplers and what makes

them special (p. 3)The art of John James

Audubon (p. 6)Roberts Family Gift (p. 6)

History in a Bottle (p.8)Calendar of Events (p. 11)

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE

HISTORICAL SOCIETY

OF MOORESTOWN

FRONT

PORCH

FROM

THE

View From the PorchThis spring, thanks to the cooperation of the teachers of Moorestown Schools

and the organizational skills of the Society’s docent chair Cathy Ruff along with our wonderful volunteer docents, the fourteen classes of Moorestown’s third grade children will be visiting Smith-Cadbury Mansion. It is always an exciting time when so many bright and eager young Moorestonians see our museum, most for the first time. Well prepared by our teachers, they know quite a bit about the early history and events surrounding one of Moorestown’s earliest structures. However, to see the beautiful architecture, period furniture and objects in person truly seems to thrill them. Repeatedly as the classes move through the building you can hear exclaims of astonishment that uncivilized Hessian soldiers dared “slaughter and cook a pig” in the parlor or the excited exclamation at the top of the steps that “it must have been right here that the soldier grabbed and kissed Elizabeth Murrell!” The children all seem very happy to be there and we can only wonder which of them will go on to appreciate history the way we do. Some of us collect old furniture, objects or textiles, some of us love the architecture and still others have a fascination with the people and events. Yet those interests bring us all together in a Society that reveres the past and its importance to us today.

I was quite sad recently to learn that the Indian King Tavern c. 1750 in Haddonfield is being threatened by State closure effective June 1, 2008. On the National Register and the only tavern museum in the Delaware Valley, it is the site where it was decided in 1777 that the colony of New Jersey would become a State. The executive director would be reassigned, the contents placed in storage and the doors locked indefinitely. How can this happen, you ask? This historically significant site, like the others that are government owned, do not control their own destiny.

Last month, for the first time in ten years, our Society sent a town wide membership invitation to every household in Moorestown. The Trustees felt that it is important to let the entire populace know of the tremendous opportunity to belong to a Society that offers so much to the town through its museum, library and programs. If you are a new member, welcome and thank you! If you have

(continued on next page)

The Historical Society

of Moorestown

Officers

President

Ann Langerhans

Vice-Presidents

BJ Tetlow

Stephanie Herz

Treasurer

Harry Koons

Recording Secretary

Lynne Brill

Corresponding Secretary

Lynne Japka

Trustees

Susan Acker

Lynne Brill

Lisa Cash

Ann Condon

Laura Cooper

Stephanie Herz

Debra Hojsak

Midge Ingersoll

Lynne Japka

Lisa Knell

Dolores Kocyan

Harry Koons

Ann Langerhans

Julie Maravich

Joseph MacMichael

Nan Pillsbury

Gloria Senno

Jay Taylor

BJ Tetlow

Jr. Trustee: Charlie Langerhans

Newsletter EditorLisa Knell

Library

Stephanie Herz

2

(View From The Porch, continued)

renewed your membership, welcome back, old friend! Throughout the next pages, you will read about what we have done, what is going on now and some future plans. There are many ways for you to support the Historical Society of Moorestown if you would like to get involved, meet new “kindred souls” and have some fun as you help to shape our destiny as a museum and library. This is, after all, our Society.

I look forward to seeing you “up at the house!”

Ann LangerhansPresident

Harris - Audubon Exhibit Planned for Fall ‘08

Items/Help WantedAn exhibit about former Smith-Cadbury resident Edward Harris, Jr. (1799-1863) and his friend John James Audubon (1785-1851) is planned for this fall at Smith-Cadbury. A naturalist, Harris met Audubon through his interest in ornithology in 1824. If you have items pertaining to either man or pertinent to the times and would loan them or are interested in working on the exhibit, please contact Ann Langerhans at 235-5747 or thelangerhans@yahoo.com.

3

Appraising the Appraiser

Things to look for that

increase the value of a

Sampler:

Name of the seamstress

Date stitched (before 1830)Town and County where the sampler was made

Needlework instructor’s name

“If you don’t collect samplers, begin!” Mr. Ronald Schaffer delivered this sound advice at the Annual Meeting of the Historical Society of Moorestown on April 10, 2008 at the Community House. Mr. Schaffer, a member of the International Society of Appraisers, gave a presentation on collectible and antique samplers that was both informative and interactive.

Mr. Schaffer began his program with a whirlwind lecture on the long and colorful history of samplers. He spoke about how samplers were used for darning, mending, alphabets, and numbering. In a clever turn of phrase he told the group how the “darn Dutch took darning to a whole new level.” Regarding alphabet samplers, he explained lettering that fell below the base line was a trademark of the legendary Quaker Westtown School.

He demonstrated some samplers that didn’t have the letters of the alphabet in order. He also showed one that had unhyphenated single words carried on to two different lines. These weren’t necessarily what a modern person would consider “typos”: seamstresses often arranged characters in an order that made the sampler look better.

During the second portion of the program, Mr. Schaffer invited members of the audience to share samplers they brought with them. He determined the age of one sampler by using a “raking light” technique. He held a flashlight at an angle near the side edge of the frame and exposed the date in bas relief. He determined that another sampler was also a pocketbook. His keen eye noticed two small holes about one quarter of the way down from the top of the frame. Someone then handed him a fascinating sampler the likes of which Mr. Schaffer had never seen before. The seamstress who made it stitched a message that required the sampler be turned around in a circular fashion to read.

Mr. Schaffer described the attributes that increase the value of a sampler. “All the bells and whistles” that sampler collectors look for are: if the seamstress’ name is on the sampler, if the sampler has the date stitched on it, if it shows the town it was made in, if the county in which the sampler was made appears, and if the needlework instructor’s name is shown. In addition, he said that serious collectors generally aren’t interested in samplers made after 1830. He added that if the sampler is from one of the Burlington County schools (i.e. Westchester, Easton, Brick, et al) that adds “prestige and value” to the sampler.

Mr. Schaffer also talked about the importance of taking care of samplers. He showed a few examples of “staining.” He said that once they appear on a sampler these ugly brown stains cannot be removed. He encouraged anyone with a sampler that they would like preserved to take it to a fabric conservator. A list of conservators in the area is available at the Historical Society of Moorestown.

Mr. Schaffer said at one point that “when you buy things, you can buy with your heart.” After looking at some of the unique sampler designs he showed such as weeping grape trees, unusually large roosters, and unique buildings; that was his greatest appraisal of all.

— Kevin Stephany

Sampler from the collection of the HSM; by Hannah Roberts, Brick School, 1826

4

OUR NEW

JERSEY STATE

ARCHIVES

The State Archives

operates New Jersey’s

research center for

public records of

enduring historical

value. Selected parts

of their collection

are online.

Image

Databases

Over 3,000 images

from the photograph

and manuscript

collection at the

Archives are available

for online vieiwing.

Go to www.state.nj.us/state/darm/links/

imgcollections.html

Searchable Databases

The Archives also has

searchable databases

online including the

1885 Census and

Marriage Records from 1666-1799.

Go to www.state.nj.us/state/darm/links/

databases.html

Library NewsSeveral new and interesting items connected to Moorestown history have been

added recently to the library’s holdings.

We’re proud to announce two new additions to our collection of over thirty oral histories. We have both DVDs and written transcripts of interviews with Burlington County judge, Honorable Martin L. Haines and prominent Burlington County attorney, Francis J. Hartman. The oral histories are the result of a joint initiative by the Burlington County Superior Court and Burlington County Bar Association and provide interesting insights into the judicial and legal history of the area from the standpoint of these two prominent Moorestown residents. Also just in from the same source, a copy of One Judge’s Contribution to the Legal History in Burlington County, NJ: Selected Works and Opinions of Honorable Martin L. Haines, A.J.S.C., Retired –Volumes 1 and 2.

One of the dilemmas faced by many historical society libraries is how to provide access to important books, newspapers and documents when they are old and very fragile. We recently solved such a problem with the help of the NJ State Archives in Trenton. Our library possesses what may be the only remaining collection of issues of the Moorestown Republican from September 8, 1908 to April 14, 1910. Unfortunately, the pages were starting to crumble when they were touched. The State Archives generously offered to microfilm the issues, over 100 in all. These can be viewed on the microfilm readers at the Moorestown Public Library.

Election day seems like a long way off but we’re already preparing for our first ever mini-exhibit at the Moorestown Community House. From September to November 2008, the locked display case near the rear entrance of the Community House will house our collection of presidential election and inauguration memorabilia. We have several interesting items but in order to round out our display, we would really welcome any loans or donations of items pertaining to presidents, their campaigns, and their inaugurations. Please contact Stephanie Herz at 856-235-0353 or moorestownhistory@verizon.net with questions or suggestions.

Without the help of our dedicated volunteers, the library could not function. Many, many thanks to both Bill Archer and Kevin Stephany for all their assistance throughout the year. We’d like to welcome and thank new volunteer, Valerie Herz, a high school junior who has offered her considerable computer skills on a weekly basis for the past four months. Volunteers of all skill levels who are available to work on Tuesday afternoons, Thursday evenings or on the second Saturday of each month are needed and would be much appreciated.

— by Stephanie Herz

5

All the fashion in May of 1946. Image from a fragment of The Philadelphia Inquirer found when an old porch was repaired.

DO YOU HAVE

ANY Vintage

Clothing?

The HSM Activities Committee

wants to know if you own

antique or vintage clothing

that you would lend for

an afternoon fashion

show next spring.

If so, please contact

Lynne Japka by phone

at 856-802-0204 or

email: lynne_japka@

earthlink.net.

We’re

looking

for items

from

the 18th

century to

the 1950s

Society Honors Volunteers

Approximately 45 of the Society’s 100-plus volunteers from the past twelve months attended the Volunteer’s Reception held at the Mansion on Friday, May 9. A group of Trustees organized by Membership Chair Lynne Japka provided the delicious variety of hardy hors d’ourves served by candlelight. Our thanks go out to Lynne Japka, Lynne and Bob Brill, BJ Tetlow, Lisa Cash, Harry Koons, Maureen Fries and Ann and Olivia Langerhans and to member Carman von Wrangell for her gorgeous spring fl ower arrangements.

CLEAR YOUR CALENDARS Be sure to save the date — Thursday, October 16. The General Meeting

will be held at 7 PM at The Community House and there will be a very special speaker. Dr. Donald H. Cresswell, owner with a partner of The Philadelphia Print Shop on Germantown Avenue, will bring us up to date on the works of John James Audubon, famous artist of birds and mammals, and friend of Edward Harris who once lived in the Smith-Cadbury mansion.

Dr. Cresswell’s talk will be the perfect complement to the coming Fall exhibit on the Audubon-Harris connection. Many of you are probably already acquainted with him as he has appeared frequently on the television program, Antiques Roadshow. His friendly approach and great wealth of knowledge and experience have him much in demand as a speaker.

A worthy outing would be a visit to The Philadelphia Print Shop in the city, but if that is not convenient, the website (www.philaprintshop.com) is informing and entertaining. Recently, I purchased a hand-colored print of Audubon’s Red-Headed Turkey Vulture from the Print Shop [see back page]. It is now framed and will make its debut in the Fall exhibit.

— Ann Condon

ACQUISITIONSJust this week The Historical Society received two hefty volumes of Selected

Works and Opinions of Honorable Martin L. Haines, A.J.S.C., Retired. They will complement the text of the oral interview with Judge Haines given to our library and reported in the last newletter. Unfortunately, Judge Haines died in April. At his memorial he was much lauded by the Bar Association and all who worked with him as a brilliant jurist, courageous and fair. It would be well worth while to dip into these opinions selectively. This is truly local history as enacted in the courts.

Another gift came from the family of Winifred Schneider, nee Roberts. It is of particular interest as Winnie was once in charge of Acquisitions here in The Society. The donation is still being processed. There are some photos of students at Moorestown Friends School, the 1938 yearbook from MFS, family bibles with Roberts’ genealogy in them, children’s clothes from the 19th century, a pair of spectacles, and the 1894 Friends’ Society Rules of Discipline and Advice. There are numerous photos whose subjects are unknown. If they can be identified successfully they will be absorbed into the collection.

— Ann Condon

6

ABOUTJOHN JAMES

AUDUBON

“Audubon’s story

is one of triumph

over adversity; his

accomplishment is

destined for the ages.

He encapsulates the

spirit of young America,

when the wilderness

was limitless and

beguiling. He was a

person of legendary

strength and endurance

as well as a keen

observer of birds and

nature. Like his peers,

he was an avid hunter,

and he also had a

deep appreciation

and concern for

conservation; in his

later writings he

sounded the alarm

about destruction of

birds and habitats. It

is fi tting that today

we carry his name and

legacy into the future.”

from the web site of

the National Audubon

Society

(www.audubon.org)

Handmade children’s clothing and a pair of spectacles

7

Students at Moorestown Friends School (left), and a photo from 1938 yearbook from MFS (below).

Can anyone identify any of the students?

Page from a Roberts’ family book. Asa Roberts was a dealer in Horses and Mules.

Notice the date. The pre-printed date of “189 ” is crossed out and “1900” is written on top.

Hires Root Beer is

currently owned by Dr

Pepper Snapple Group,

Inc. and according to

their web site (www.

drpeppersnapplegroup.

com):

“Hires continued to

experiment with his

original recipe and

introduced Hires Root

Beer at the 1876 U.S.

Centennial Exposition in

Philadelphia, an event

that also marked the

introduction of other

notable inventions such

as Alexander Graham

Bell’s telephone, the

Remington typewriter

and Heinz Ketchup.”

“Hires Root Beer quickly

became a sensation.

Many homes in America

had a Hires Root Beer Kit,

which allowed families to

brew their own root beer

by mixing dry extract

with water, sugar and

yeast at a cost of five

cents per gallon. Despite

the success of the home

kits, Hires decided in

1884 that he could sell

more root beer if people

didn’t have to brew it. He

later developed liquid

concentrate and soda

fountain syrup, as well

as bottled root beer.”

ROOT BEER: “The Greatest Health-Giving Beverage in the World” *

8

AMERICA’S

ORIGINAL

ROOT BEER

DIG IT! . . . in your yardToday we take out our trash every week and recycle our bottles and cans, but that

wasn’t always the case. Not all that long ago, people buried their trash and burned

rubbish in their yards. Consequently, back yards of older homes can yield some

interesting finds and reveal a little history. Here are a few items found recently in a

yard in a 19th century neighborhood.

Four and 1/2 inch tall, pale aqua glass bottle, with embossed inscriptions on all four of its flat sides:

HIRES IMPROVED

ROOT BEER

MAKES FIVE

GALLONS OF A

DELICIOUS DRINK

MANUFACTURED BY

THE CHARLES E HIRES CO

PHILADELPHIA PA

U. S. A.

Charles E. Hires marketed and sold bottles of liquid concentrate that, when mixed with water, sugar, and yeast, produced Root Beer.

Hires was from Cumberland County, New Jersey and according to Eileen Bennet writing in The Press of Atlantic City: “Hires almost named his new concoction ‘root tea.’ It was, after all, made of tea brewed from roots and herbs. But through a twist of fate, or perhaps just a clever marketing ploy, Hires was persuaded to switch the name to ‘root beer’ to appeal to the large market of hard-drinking Pennsylvania miners.”

There are differing versions of how and when Hires “invented” the drink, but they all have a South Jersey connection [read more in Bennet’s article at www.co.cumberland.nj.us/content/163/241/597.aspx].

* A one-time medicinal claim about Hires Root Beer.

DR. KILMER: Everybody may have a sample bottle of Swamp Root by mail free *

9

Broken clear glass bottle, with this embossed inscription on the bottom:

WHISTLE BOTTLING CO

CAMDEN NJ

A google search reveals that there were “Whistle Bottling Companies” all across the United States and that they bottled all sorts of things, including seltzer, ginger ale and root beer (including Hires).

Four inch tall, round, pale aqua glass bottle, with embossed inscriptions:

SAMPLE BOTTLE

DR. KILMER’S

SWAMP-ROOT KIDNEY CURE

BINGHAMTON, NY

Dr. S. Andral Kilmer prepared and sold many medicines including his famous Swamp Root Kidney Cure. It contained a mixture of exotic herbs and roots and alcohol (it may have included Buchu leaves, Oil of Juniper, Oil of Birch, Colombo Root, Swamp-Sassafras, Balsam Copaiba, Balsam Tolu, Skullcap leaves, Venice Turpentine, Valerian Root, Rhubarb Root, Mandrake Root, Peppermint herb, Aloes, and Cinnamon).

According to a web site about Binghamton (http://www.westsidebinghamton.org/famouswestsiders.html) Dr. Kilmer’s Swamp Root medicine is still made and can be purchased on the internet.

* From an old advertisement for Dr. Kilmer’s Swamp Root.

10

NEW MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONNAME(S): ADDRESS: MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY:

BASIC MEMBERSHIP: Student $10 ___ Individual/Family $35 ___

DONOR LEVELS: Contributor $100-499 ___

Patron $500-999 ___Benefactor $1,000+ ___

DATE: TELEPHONE #:

Make check payable to: Historical Society of Moorestown Mail to: Historical Society of Moorestown P.O. Box 477 / Moorestown, NJ 08057

For Membership information,

contact: Lynne Japka

at 856-802-0204

Membership

renewals

were mailed this

spring. Please check

to make sure that

you have mailed your

renewal.

Thanks!

Note that this will be

your last newsletter

if you do not renew

your membership.

Please don’t miss out

on all that’s “new” at

the Mansion.

MEMBERSHIP NEWSA warm welcome to our new members and thank you to all members who renewed so promptly. All of us look forward to an exciting year with many events planned for the Fall. We look forward to seeing you then!

The Moorestown Historical Society appreciates your continued support. For additional membership information, please contact: Lynne Japka at 856-802-0204 or call Smith- Cadbury Mansion at 856-235-0353.

If you’d like to become more involved with the museum or work of the Society, please call or email us.

TEA FOR TWO?

Another find from the yard: a fragment of a tea cup that was probably part of a child’s tea set that would have included a tea pot, sugar, creamer, plates and cups. Probably from the 1950s. The cup is cobalt blue and white in the Blue WIllow pattern, made in Japan. The bottom is marked:

TRANSORWAREJAPAN

11

OCTOBER 2008

Audubon/Harris Exhibit Opens

11 Second Saturday Tours 1-4 &

Children’s Craft (1-3:30)

16 Fall Meeting: John James Audubon Program: 7:30

10, 17, 24 Ghost Tours

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

JUNE 2008

Exhibit: Samplers

7 Moorestown Day — visit our booth

14 Second Saturday Tours 1-4

24 House closes for summer break

JULY-AUGUST 2008

House closed for summer. Museum and Library by appointment only

Visit our booth at Memorial Field on July 4th

SEPTEMBER 2008

9 House re-opens

13 Second Saturday Tours 1-4 &

Children’s Craft (1-3:30)

HISTORY IS ALL AROUND US: Yellowed and fragile newspaper

fragment found during a recent front porch repair

A page from the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Morning May 12, 1946 introducing “The New Radio Permanent Wave” at Lombardo of Geuting’s on Chestnut St. in Philadelphia. Notice that a “Feather Curl Cut” is $1.50 and the old method of giving telephone exchange numbers: KIN 2577 and PEN 6800. Have you come across the original Moorestown exchange written as BE5-#### (the old way of describing the “235” exchange) ? According to a list from AT&T/Bell’s publication “Notes on Nationwide Dialing, 1955,” you probably would have said “BElmont-5” instead of “235”. If you were giving out a number for Riverton, Palmyra, or Cinnaminson you would have said “TAlmadge-9” instead of “829”.

Historical Society of Moorestown

Smith-Cadbury Mansion12 High Street, Box 477Moorestown, NJ 08057

Non-ProfitOrganization

U.S. Postage PaidMoorestown, NJ 08057

Permit NO. 183

JUNE 2008

The HSM is

planning

an Edward

Harris /

John James

Audubon

Exhibit for

the Fall and

is looking

for items.

For more

information,

see page 2.

Audubon’s Birds (First Edition Octavo)“Red-headed Turkey Vulture.” Print by John James

Audubon. From The Birds of America. Philadelphia:

John Bowen, 1840-44; first edition. Royal octavo.

Lithographs. Original hand color. Very good condition.

John James Audubon, known both for his romantic

life and his superb prints, is the most famous of all

American natural history artists. For his pioneering

travel around the United States in search of new

subjects in the wild, his lifelike and dramatic style, and

his monumental works on the birds and animals of

North America, Audubon is, perhaps, also the greatest

American natural history artist. Beginning in 1827,

Audubon began to issue the prints for his monumental

The Birds of America, which when completed ran to a

total of 435 double elephant folio prints. [paper size of

approximately 25 x 38 inches]

This spring, Moorestown was full of Turkey Vultures soaring through

the air and perched on chimney tops, sunning their feathers

Below: detail from an Audubon print purchased from The Philadelphia Print Shop and information provided with the print; for more information, see page 6.

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