Today, Saturday, June 8th, it my sincere joy to visit the first annual South Jersey History Fair held on the ground of the Gabreil Daveis Tavern Historical site in Glendora.
Fortunately on this particular day, the hour I chose to venture east on the Black Horse Pike turned out to NOT be mired in seashore traffic. I left at 10:30 and it only took ten minutes to get to 3rd Avenue in Glendora, where I found a comfortable parking pasture and a paved drive to the grounds where about two dozen kiosks were set up to provide brochures, magazines, vintage books, period costumes, and a wide array of items for sale and for education. A great number of historic sites had tables and representatives and I was happy to see a lot of old friends from my volunteer days.
First I ran into the always chivalrous and friendly Harry Schaeffer of the James and Ann Whittall House in National Park, NJ. I volunteered there for about 6 years until my back problems and knee problems made it too difficult to either stand for four hours or go up and down steps. I loved it there and made a lot of friends. Sadly a good number of the people I had known there have also succumbed to the ravages of age or the demands of family in medical crisis and there are only a few of the original dozen or so regulars that I once knew. Harry is retired now and still very active at the house.
Then I met Bonny Beth Elwell of the Camden County Historical Society, whom I also knew from the Salem County Genealogical Society. It was a great pleasure to attend the many interesting lectures held at Friends Village in Woodstown by the SCGS back when I could still drive at night, or could get a ride with one of my friends from the Whitall House. I still see Bonny on my regular visits to the CCHS for their many fascinating programs which I have blogged about.
Finally, I ran into Sue Hueskin and her husband. Sue is involved in many historical programs. We first met when I bought my costume kit for my volunteer work in the Colonial era programs where I worked for about ten years, such as the Indian King Tavern as well as the Whitall House. Sue and I met again frequently when I attended events at the Griffith Morgan House along the Pennsauken Creek, and the Burrough Dover House, also in Pennsauken on Sorrel Horse Rd. She always flatters me by recruiting me to volunteer for the Pennsauken sites and I would love too, but I am sadly too broken by unfortunately untimely age related problems to be able to do it. I can't stand for many hours, and even sitting is a problem for my spine problems.
I talked briefly with a man who talked about a ship built at the New York Shipyard on Broadway between Gloucester City and Camden. I drove by that site many times during the years when I took the bu from Philadelphia to Gloucester City to work at the Library for the Adult Education Program. There is a museum there that I would love to visit as I am increasingly interested in World War II history in the New Jersey part of the Delaware River Valley.
The weather could not have been prettier or more comfortable, a slight breeze, moderate temperature, lots of shade, and a happy crowd but not too much crowding. I spoke with a vintage china and books seller who had previously tabled at the Country Living Fair at Batsto and we both admitted we had been driven away from attending by the enormous crowds You have to park miles away and it is so thronged with people you can barely see anything. So many of the Pinelands events have become like that - the blueberry festival is another one - too popular to be fun anymore. Although Whitesbog's blueberry festival is still a pleasure and not overrun by throngs as yet.
Some of the other groups represented were the Gloucester County Historical Society, the Sons of the American Revolution, The Revolutionary Roundtable, a Civil War Group, and a fabulous display of gas and manual farm equipment such as a corn shucker!
Today's event was one of my favorites of recent years - it was truly PERFECT. I didn't tour the tavern because I had been inside many many times previously. I am so happy that I made the effort to go to this fair, and I only regret that my eyesight and physical impairment kept me from reading more brochures and enjoying more exhibits! Well there's always next year!
Happy Trails,
Jo Ann
wrightj45@yahoo.com
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