Haddon House - Haddonfield, NJ
N 39° 53.967 W 075° 01.721
18S E 497548 N 4416597
Beautiful 70 year old postcard shows a much younger and smaller Kings Hwy. The Haddon House, with an obscene amount of property back then, was used as a hotel according to the 1940 postcard, part of a series of postcards released in the 1940s.
Waymark Code: WM93XH
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 06/24/2010
Views: 4
This is an embarrassingly huge house at the intersection of Potter Street and Kings Highway. Entirely made of bricks and can comfortably house a family of 12! It is a pre-Victorian home in line with the rest of the nearby architecture. I had to stand on the other side of the highway and face southeast to get the angle just right on this monster. Except for a sign out front in the 40s and overgrown trees today, and the removal of a wraparound porch, the building is exactly the same. Interestingly enough, in back of me was a building identical to the subject across the street, kind of a sister structure. Look also to the left of today's picture and see the building and look at the old pic and there is no structure there. Such is progress. The postcard is unsent and hand colored.
From my previous waymark:
Not much to say about this house. It is older than about 50 years than some of the other homes across the street. It would best fit the Late Federal style of architecture, perhaps. Today, this house serves commercial interests. It is a complete mystery as to why it is called the Haddon House. The only thing I can speculate, after reading the below narrative, is the house was looked after by the community of Haddonfield, and under their protection, it survived. Hence, the collective name shortened, Haddon, comes from the collective effort to preserve the house.
For a more detailed and informed physical description of this site, I have added information from the original nomination form sent to me by John P. Byrne, National Register Database Manager (John_Byrne@nps.gov), Department of the Interior.. This narrative was created March 16, 1979, mailed in to Washington, D.C. and evaluated April 18, 1980 and finally approved on July 21, 1982. Thanks to this designation and the efforts of the community to stop developers in the early 70s, Haddonfield is permanently protected and is one of the best example of an intact Colonial America. This house adds to that with its Colonial facade
"Historic "Haddon House," built by George Hanold in 1820. Charles Hammit Shin purchased the house in 1863 and added a mansard roof and curved dormers. Original house has beautiful bracketed cornice with classic dentils. Original red brick now painted white windows have 6 over 6 lights. Handsome pedimented entrance with an arched doorway and fan light. To save the structure, after the heirs died, a group of local citizens used it as a restaurant, unprofitably. It was sold and is now used as a lawyer's office. Entire historic facade preserved under Historic District Ordinance. Outstanding corner property on King's Highway." --- National Register of Historic Places Inventory -- Haddonfield Historic District Nomination Form.
If you have half a mind to explore this waymark and the hundreds of others in this historic area, go to this WEBSITE, you will see where all the free parking in town is located as well as all the other historical areas. The are several close-by public parking areas. The public parking area takes nickels, dimes and quarters. There is no parking available in front of this house. I recommend parking in front of the French House or the Historical Society headquarters or somewhere thereabouts. Foot and regular traffic can be a very overwhelming, especially at this location, and especially in the warm months, but easy pickings in the colder months. People park on the street for hours at a time so go early or on Potter Street. This home marks the heart of the historic district.
If you are interested in learning more about this well-preserved historic district, you are encouraged to visit their website.
