Haddonfield United Methodist Church - Haddonfield, NJ - Methodist Churches on Waymarking.com

The Church began in 1772 when Francis Asbury came to Haddonfield to preach. Meetings continued irregularly in Rowantown, (Westmont) and Haddonfield until 1829 when the first congregation was formed. These 32 members initially met in a schoolhouse on Grove and Lake Sts and shared it with congregations from other denominations. By 1835 this group was able to construct their own one-room church located off King's Highway, where the Methodist Cemetery is today.

The Congregation Grew along with the town's population. In the 1850's Haddonfield became a stop on the railroad line and made the transition from small town to suburb. There were now 140 adult members with over 100 enrolled in Sunday School, reason enough to build a full size church in 1857 which still stands today and is known as the Fortnightly Building. This is the building mentioned in the Quick Description.

By 1910 the congregation had grown to over 300 with an equal amount enrolled in Sunday School. Many now owned "horseless carriages" which had to compete with traditional buggies for parking spaces. The Rev. Pennington Corson directed the building of the Graystone Church in 1912, which was situated exactly at the posted coordinates.

This church served the congregation well until 1955. One October night the church was filled with over 125 children rehearsing a play. The wiring, circa 1912, failed, resulting in a massive fire that destroyed almost all of the church. From 1956 to 1958 the congregation met in the auditorium of Haddonfield High School until today's church was built. SOURCE

For a more detailed and informed physical description of this site, I have added the narrative 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.

Methodist Church (corner Kings Highway and Warwick Road). Old Gothic church rebuilt after a disastrous fire. Now a very handsome red brick Georgian Colonial design by noted local architect George Von Uffel. Beautiful high white steeple. Colonial cornice work, cupola, broken pediment arches and entrances. Impressive front facade with brick arches leading to landscaped court. --- 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. There is very limited curbside parking available along this street, in fact, it is very unsafe. I visit this area on weekends and park in the lot when the church is empty as it allows me to explore Warwick Avenue without worrying about my car.

If you are interested in learning more about this well-preserved historic district, you are encouraged to visit their WEBSITE.

At least one photo. You're welcome to be in the picture, but please, No GPSr.