Camden County History Alliance Events for December 2018

Welcome to the December 2018
Camden County History Alliance E-Newsletter

The Camden County History Alliance wishes all our friends a happy holiday season! Many of our historic sites are festively decorated this month, with holiday house tours and open houses. Find out below about some of the historical programs and tours available at sites all around Camden County during the month of December!

Camden County Heritage Magazine Fall 2018


The Fall 2018 edition of the Camden County Heritage magazine has been distributed throughout the county, with the theme of Industry & Commerce in Camden County! This is the fifth edition of the History Alliance’s biannual publication, filled with articles and historic photos of Camden County’s past. For more information or to receive past editions of the magazine, please call 856-964-3333, email admin@cchsnj.org, or contact your local Camden County History Alliance Partner Organization.
DECEMBER EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
Click each link below to open the event flyers, or scroll down to view all events.
November 30-December 2: Holiday House at the Barclay Farmstead
December 2: House Tours at Gabreil Daveis Tavern
December 7: Rich Carty on the Hammered Dulcimer at the Indian King Tavern Museum
December 8: Breakfast with Santa on the Battleship New Jersey
December 9: House Tours at Gabreil Daveis Tavern
December 11: "Ten Crucial Days of the American Revolution" at the American Revolution Round Table of South Jersey
December 13: "Hinsonville’s Heroes: Black Civil War Soldiers of Chester County, Pennsylvania" at the Old Baldy Civil War Round Table
December 14: Ebenezer's Elizir Musical Group at the Indian King Tavern Museum
December 15: Gingerbread Decorating & Storytime at the Indian King Tavern Museum
December 21: Guitarist Nat Wiseley & Friends at the Indian King Tavern Museum
December 31: New Years Eve on the Battleship New Jersey

Windows/Store Window Displays

Macy's in New York, originated the Holiday Window Display in 1874.  I just read this in the Sunday New York Times Styles section under the caption "Holiday Store Window Displays Still Matter."

As I have mentioned often, I grew up in Philadelphia an one of the great holiday joys for me was to visit Market Street in the greatest days of the holiday displays, the 1950's.  Actually, an aunt of mine was married to a window 'dresser' and when I worked at the Gloucester City Library and at Mary Ethel Costello School, I took great creative joy in decorating the entry-way windows for the seasons, holidays, or special events.  

All decorating is a creative act, and a generous act as it costs a great deal in time, effort, and often in money, an it is done for the pleasure of strangers, passers-by.  Except of course store displays which are done to delight and attract customers.  

Do you remember the scene in A Christmas Story, when Ralph first lays eyes on the Red Ryder Beebee Gun in the store window?  My favorite was always the holiday train display.  I love trains large and small, and I am especially entranced by village and city train lay-outs.  This stems from the platform my ironworker father put up every year at Christmas with a very impressive system of tunnels, track changes, and elevated tracks.  We had the "made in occupied Japan" post World War II cardboard houses with cellophane windows and glittery snow, and the lead figures skating on a mirror pond.  The magic will be in me for life.

The store windows in the city at Christmas in the old days, up until the 1970's were a child's wonderland of toys, Charles Dicken's Christmas Village, animatronic Santa Claus and Elves in North Pole sets, and glittering arrays of colorful items in glorious gift wrap.  

When I again lived in the city in the 1980s the magic was GONE in a big way.  I even cut up my Gimbals charge card and sent it to them with a complaint letter because the window where I stood to catch the bus was festooned with black leather bikini clad mannequins in deep sea masks which generated leers and rude comments from passers-by on the street.  What kind of display was that for Christmas?  That window dresser must have been deranged.

Well, I don't live in the city anymore and I don't go to Philadelphia or New York, they are too busy and too crowded and hectic for my autumnal years.  Instead I enjoy the window decorations in nearby small towns which are often charming and bring that long ago delight back to me.  Collingswood is a good example.  So is Pitman.  Soon the small towns will all be lit up, sporting their parades and Main Street decorations and the windows will be dressed for company.  

Let me know your favorites!  wrightj45@yahoo.com

I have two wonderful Christmas events coming up in the first part of December and I will let you know what I hear about as December draws closer.  One event is the annual "Child's Christmas in Wales" party given by a friend with whom I taught before we retired, and her husband.  We enjoy delicious food and drink, and gather around the fireplace to read the wonderful children's story aloud.  The week after, on December 9th, a friend will drive two other friends, plus me, to Greenwich for the historic house holiday tour and the Lucia Fest at the local church.  We have gone many times and love it more each year.  I like to go to all the Main Street events that I can make over the holidays, and share in the cheer that brightens the dark time of the year!

Happy Holidays and always - Happy Trails!
Jo Ann

Rancocas Woods

I can't think of a more jolly, festive, or holiday spirited place to be than Rancocas Woods, Creek Road shops, this time of year, so for my birthday my daughter drove me there and we shopped.

Fortunately, I had sole four paintings so we had a little shopping money.  I bought a primitive carved small reindeer, a lap desk and I bought my daughter three small RED bottle brush Christmas trees.
My favorite things were a battered white trunk, and a chair with a set woven of old leather belts.  My daughter's favorite things were a turquoise footstool with fancy feet and the RED bottle brush trees that I bought her  

We had so much fun.

There are two events still coming up if you are doing Christmas shopping for yourself, your house, or for gifts:

MADE & FOUND Outdoor Antiques Market
November 24th and December 8th from 10 am to 4 pm
118 Creek Rd., Mt. Laurel

And if you are an artist or crafter and would like to sell your work
Contact Michael madeandfoundmkt@gmail.com (for vending opportunities)

There is a delightful coffee shop and also a good place to eat lunch although we went to my perennial favorite Maritsa's for lunch yesterday when we shopped at Rancocas!
Happy Hunting!
Jo Ann

Holiday Gathering - Pomona Hall

A Flyer from Camden County Historical Society came with the latest issue of their historical Camden periodical.
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"Enjoy old time music and refreshments in decorated Historic Pomona Hall and a living history presentation of Lucretia Mott, Women's Rights Activist, Abolitionist and Social Reformer performed by Kim Hanley of American Historical Theater - 
Thursday November 29th, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Refreshments will be served.
RSVP by November 28th please - 856-964-3333 or admin@cchsnj.org
Historic Pomona Hall is adjacent to and connected to Camden County Historical Society 1900 Park Boulevard, Camden, NJ (right behind Lady of Lourdes Hospital and next door to Haleigh Cemetery)

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Textile Art and Historical Connection: SHEEP TO SHAWL

at the Burlington County Historical Society
November 11 at 2:00 p.m.
$5
454 Lawrence Street, Burlington City, NJ
856-386-4773

Throughout my several years of experience with historical programs as a volunteer, docent, and tour guide, I have been fascinated with the place of fabric in Colonial lives and indeed, in modern lives as well.

I have actually tried several kinds of fiber arts, I have knitted, and woven, and at one point in my life, I made all my own clothes, and all my daughter's clothes.  Learning how to sew in high school was a great benefit to my future.

My grandmother was a quilter which added to my interest.  When you think of flax farming, harvest, preparing the plant to remove the fiber, spinning the flax into yarn and weaving it into linen, you see the arduous process it took to make the most stable fiber product of the 1700's.  Right next to it of course was wool production, especially for winter use, in blankets, cloaks, shawls, mittens heavy stockings and other essentials.

I hope I can get to this event and I hope you can too!

Happy Trails,

Jo Ann