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 from the 2010 census count of 11,593, which in turn reflected a decline of 66 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.

History

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.
File:Hadrosaurus Foulkii.JPG|thumb|right|Plaques at the Hadrosaurus Foulkii Leidy Site showing National Historic Landmark status and a plaque from Philadelphia's Academy of Natural Sciences. At right, toy dinosaurs have been left by visitors. A deep pit or ravine is straight ahead about 10 yards
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. Haddonfield was further developed by Elizabeth Haddon, whose Quaker father, John Haddon, bought a 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 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, which is now based in nearby Collingswood, and performs at the Gordon Theater at Rutgers University-Camden.
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 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, the borough had a total area of 2.84 square miles, including 2.80 square miles of land and 0.05 square miles of water.
The Cooper River forms the border between Haddonfield and Cherry Hill. Haddonfield shares land borders with Audubon, Barrington, Haddon Township, Haddon Heights, Lawnside, and Tavistock.

Bodies of water

  • Hopkins Pond, covering, is contained by a large earthen dam, and Hopkins Lane is built atop it. The pond was created in 1789, when John Estaugh Hopkins built a dam on a tributary of the Cooper River to power a gristmill that operated until the 1850s. In recent years, local officials have raised concerns about the pond being contaminated with cyanobacteria that can produce toxic algae blooms.
  • Driscoll Pond, contained by a small wooden dam, is below Hopkins Pond, and Hopkins Pond flows into it. Driscoll Pond is part of the Hopkins Pond park.
  • Evans Pond is part of Wallworth Park and located above Wallworth Lake with a dam separating the two. Formerly Evans Pond was deep enough for small boats to sail on it.
  • Wallworth Lake, in Wallworth Park, is below Evans Pond, and contained by another dam.

Demographics

2010 census

The 2010 United States census counted 11,593 people, 4,436 households, and 3,181 families in the borough. The population density was. There were 4,634 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup was 95.23% White, 1.11% Black or African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.85% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population.
Of the 4,436 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18; 61.7% were married couples living together; 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present and 28.3% were non-families. Of all households, 24.9% 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.
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 population had 91.3 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 88.7 males.
The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 Community Survey">Community (TV series)">Community Survey showed that median household income was $112,105 and the median family income was $129,100. Males had a median income of $92,409 versus $61,272 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $55,955. 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 were 11,659 people, 4,496 households, and 3,255 families residing in the borough. The population density was. There were 4,620 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the borough was 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 were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 4,496 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the borough the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $86,872, and the median income for a family was $103,597. Males had a median income of $73,646 versus $44,968 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $43,170. 2.2% of the population and 1.3% of families were 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 were living below the poverty line.

Notable locations

The Indian King Tavern was a colonial American tavern where, in 1777, the New Jersey General Assembly held a meeting at which they officially declared New Jersey to be an independent state. It has since been declared a State Historic Site, restored to its original layout, and turned into a museum with guided tours available to the public.
On the "Main Street" of Haddonfield, Kings Highway, there is a statue of a Hadrosaurus, a type of dinosaur discovered in Haddonfield. The statue, unveiled in October 2003, has been described as "the central landmark of downtown Haddonfield." The statue serves as a mascot of sorts for Haddonfield.

Parks and recreation

Haddonfield has several parks maintained by the Camden County Parks Department:
  • Hopkins Pond covers and contains both Hopkins Pond and Driscoll Pond.
  • Pennypacker Park contains the Hadrosaurus Foulkii Leidy Site and is near the Cooper River.
  • Wallworth Park contains Evans Pond and Wallworth Pond. Evans Pond is dammed and flows into Wallworth Pond, which is also dammed. Each of these ponds is actually a section of the Cooper River, and the early headwaters of the Cooper flow into Evans Pond.
It also has several parks maintained by other groups:
  • The Crows Woods Complex contains community gardens, fields for public use, and a hiking loop.
  • Mountwell Park contains a small playground and a baseball field along with wooded areas.

Government

Local government

The Borough of Haddonfield has been governed under the Walsh Act since 1913. The borough is one of 30 municipalities statewide that use the commission form of government. The governing body is comprised of three commissioners, who elected to concurrent four-year terms of office on a non-partisan basis as part of the May municipal elections. At a reorganization meeting held after the new council is seated, each Commissioner is assigned to oversee one of the three departments within the Borough and the Commissioners select a Mayor and may select a Deputy Mayor.
, the borough's commissioners are
Mayor Dave Siedell,
Itir Cole and
Frank Troy, all of whom are serving concurrent terms of office ending May 15, 2029.
In 2018, the borough had an average property tax bill of $15,182, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.

Borough Hall

Borough Hall, the home of Haddonfield government, is located at 242 Kings 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. From May through August 2021, the Haddonfield Police issued an average of 395 tickets per month.
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.
Regular meetings of the Board of Commissioners are held twice each month, usually on Mondays, in the Borough Hall auditorium: A work session at 6:30pm at the beginning of the month and an action meeting at 7:30pm the end of the month. The dates are posted on the Borough's website.

Fire department

Since 1764, Haddonfield has been the home of Haddon Fire Co. No. 1, the second-oldest fire department in continuous service in the United States.

Federal, state and county representation

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

Politics

As of March 2011, there were a total of 9,081 registered voters in Haddonfield, of which 3,268 were registered as Democrats, 2,232 were registered as Republicans and 3,575 were registered as Unaffiliated. There were 6 voters registered as Libertarians or Greens.
In the 2012 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 55.3% of the vote, ahead of Republican Mitt Romney with 43.9%, and other candidates with 0.7%, among the 6,985 ballots cast by the borough's 10,054 registered voters, for a turnout of 69.5%. In the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama received 59.4% of the vote, ahead of Republican John McCain, who received around 38.2%, 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, outpolling Republican George W. Bush, who received around 44.7%, with 7,300 ballots cast among the borough's 8,912 registered voters, for a turnout percentage of 81.9.

Education

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 Tavistock who attend the district's schools as part of sending/receiving relationships. As of the 2022–23 school year, the district, comprised of five schools, had an enrollment of 2,766 students and 209.5 classroom teachers, for a student–teacher ratio of 13.2:1. Schools in the district are
Central Elementary School with 437 students in grades PreK-5,
Elizabeth Haddon Elementary School with 376 students in grades PreK-5,
J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School with 432 students in grades PreK-5,
Haddonfield Middle School with 647 students in grades 6-8 and
Haddonfield Memorial High School with 866 students in grades 9-12.
In 2023, J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School was one of nine schools in New Jersey that was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. In 2015, Elizabeth Haddon School was one of 15 schools in the state and one of nine public schools, recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School in the exemplary high performing category. Haddonfield Memorial High School was also awarded the National Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence in 2004-05 by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. In 2023, J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School became the third Haddonfield public school to receive the award. Additionally, Haddonfield Memorial High School was ranked 33rd in 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

, a Quaker school that dates back to 1786, served 167 students in Pre-K through eighth grade.
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. The school closed down in 2019, and was purchased by the Haddonfield Board of Education in February 2023 for $1.495 million. The district plans on converting the building into a fullday kindergarten and preschool by 2025.
Christ the King Regional School, founded in 1940, serves students in Pre-K3 through eighth grade and operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden.
Bancroft School, founded in Haddonfield in 1883 and located there until 2017, is special education school and neurobehavioral stabilization program. In July 2005, Bancroft began soliciting requests for proposals to purchase its property, as a precursor to moving from Haddonfield. Bancroft is now located in neighboring Mount Laurel, but during the late 2010s, redevelopment of the Bancroft property in Haddonfield became a locally contentious issue and remains to be resolved.
The Beechwood School, founded in 1951, is a private pre-school educating children 2.5 through 6 years old.

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 was held in town until 2016. 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.
There is also an annual skirmish that takes place on Kings Highway East in June every year, hosted by the Haddonfield Historical Society. Residents of Haddonfield dress as redcoats and militia men, reenacting the battle that took place as the British retreated from the Battle of Red Bank. Their efforts to "annoy" the redcoats worked as Gen. Washington defeated the British army at the Battle of Monmouth a month later. The event includes many additional activities such as a yelling contest, colonial dancing, pillory prisoners, character reenactors, and tours of Historic Haddonfield.

Transportation

Haddonfield prides itself on being very walkable; most streets have sidewalks, and due to the small size of the town— 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 for all streets and roadways.

Roads and highways

, the borough had a total of of roadways, of which were maintained by the municipality, by Camden County, by the New Jersey Department of Transportation, and by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.
Route 41 passes through the center of the borough and intersects County Route 561 at Haddonfield's main business district. Interstate 295 is adjacent to the southern tip with Exit 31 straddling the border. The New Jersey Turnpike briefly crosses through the borough, 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

Notable people

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