Haddonfield Historical Society @ Greenfield Hall - Haddonfield, NJ - Historical Society Headquarters on Waymarking.com

Today Greenfield Hall has three rooms, a parlor, dining room and bedroom, which are furnished in keeping with the period of Elizabeth French Gill's tenure as the first mistress of the house. Because the building is more than a house museum, but is instead an historical society, other rooms are used to show various items from the Society's large collections relating to other important periods in the history of Haddonfield and vicinity. The Historical Society of Haddonfield also regularly delves into its extensive collections to put on changing exhibits throughout the year.

In 1920 Greenfield Hall was purchased by Colonel Alexander Brodie, former Governor of the Territory of Arizona who owned the property until his death two years later. The property was then sold to Mr. W.P. Hallinger who then sold it to Mr. Ralph Van Hart. The Van Harts lived on the property until it was sold in the summer of 1930. The house was purchased by Mrs. J. Fithian Tatem who owned the adjoining property to the west. The property was bought from Mrs. Tatem in 1931 by Harry A. and Sylvia Tatem Bauer, Mrs. Tatem's daughter and son-in-law. Mr. and Mrs. Bauer and their family resided in the house until 1960 when it became the headquarters of the Historical Society of Haddonfield.

The architectural significance of the house was recognized in the 1930's when it was included in the Historic American Buildings Survey. The house, thanks to a succession of sensitive and caring owners, is very much unchanged from its original 1841 appearance. Although the Bauers added a much needed modern kitchen during their tenure, they carefully left the historic fabric of the mansion intact.

As personal experience, I see signs and work of this historical society all over the place. The have marked many homes and structures, listing dates and original owners. They have affixed blue plaques and signs of history pretty much everywhere. They are also available to answer questions and usually reply promptly to e-mails. The members of this community, that is those who have a vested interest and have been living here for a long time, are themselves historical society workers, all willing to answer a question or explain a brief piece of history. This is a deeply loved and involved community and this society in this building acts as the hub for their on-going efforts to maintain and preserve their rich cultural heritage.