Cropwell Friends Meetinghouse - 200 Years - Marlton, NJ - Commercial Commemorations on Waymarking.com

This is a very special peace pole. It was dedicated at the end of the official anniversary celebration of Cropwell Friends Meeting House. It sits in a small clearing, to the left and in front of the meeting house and can be seen from the road. A newspaper article written by our local rag, the Courier Post, covered the 200 year commemorative peace pole and can be found HERE.

Sunday, June 28, 2009 was a very special day. We were all gathered under the tent just as celebrants before us were in 1909. Well, they did not have a tent but they were seated the same way and in the same direction. Lot's of history was spoke of and speeches were made and there was a wonderful song sung, too. At the end of it all, the peace pole was officially dedicated. There were four different people there to read and interpret the four different languages on the pole. There is Arabic, Farsi, Swahili and of course English. The pole is made of Red Wood. A peace banner was also unveiled in conjunction with pole.

There were ribbons hung from a clothes line across two trees in back of the pole which bore messages of peace. These were made by the children. We all had our pictures taken with the pole and it was a proud moment for all of us. It was very exciting to be a part of history. I think one of the more tasteful highlights of the day was the home-made ice cream. That was entirely delicious!

We were able to tour the historic building and examine artifacts from the time the Religious Society of Friends, which we call Quakers, first settled into their gathering place here @ Cropwell. On display were bed warmers, foot warmers, an apple barer and a Bible from 1572, handed down through Connie Evans' family. Evans is a BIG name in this community's history. Ms. Evans attended the ceremony and she appeared in the newspaper the next day next to the peace pole along with Shirlee DiBacco and David and Nancy Barclay of Cherry Hill (I assume descendants from the Barclay Farmstead NRHP site down the road a piece also in Cherry Hill). I saw the original cemetery layout with the names of those buried. We also saw the original charter, a marriage certificate and too many other curiosities to list here. They were all on loan from the Evesham Historical Society which his located at the John Inskeep House In marlton, a NRHP site too. There was a really excellent exhibit of Burlington County Meeting Houses by photographer Doreen Webber.

The Courier Post newspaper had this to say: "Cropwell Quaker Meeting House will celebrate its 200th Anniversary with the dedication of a Peace Pole. Constructed in 1809, the Cropwell House is one of the area's oldest historic structures. The Peace Pole will be a lasting memorial to the anniversary and the centerpiece of a quiet landscaped meditation area for the public.". SOURCE

There is one last article on the anniversary celebration and the peace pole dedication which can be found HERE