The historical society spent three months preparing for its anniversary in September.
Members of the Southampton Historical Society wanted to do something different to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
“We had some dinners (at Old Town Hall) with catering and speakers set up,” former society president Robert Ritter said of the group’s 40th and 35th anniversaries. “We didn’t want to do that … We wanted something a little bit different.”
Society members decided to hold open-house tours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at three of their museum buildings – Old Town Hall, the Telephone Museum and a one-room schoolhouse. All of the buildings are within walking distance of each other.
The society spent three months preparing for its anniversary on Sept. 21, noted Ritter, who spent about a decade as the society’s president and is now more like the historian of the group.
“We met every other week checking in on how members were doing on their committees,” he explained.
Society members discussed how they would publicize the day, what buildings would be open and what they would do in terms of food. A sign outside the Telephone Museum let the public know about the open-house tours. They also set up a tent during Southampton’s annual Arts in the Village in May.
There were docents at each of the buildings in two-hour shifts. Coffee and light snacks were available for people during the morning hours. A local Boy Scout troop set up outside the schoolhouse and made hot dogs and light snacks for purchase. A Mr. Softee ice cream truck also came by.
The society worked with Burlington County’s J&B Bakery to produce commemorative cookies handed out to tour guests, as well as green souvenir pens with the society’s logo.
“It was just a little something for the reminder of the day,” Ritter noted of the gifts. He and his wife were docents at the Telephone Museum during the morning portion of the day.
“I was amazed about the number of folks that were showing up, not just Southampton people, but from Pemberton, Mount Holly and Mount Laurel,” he marveled. “So our advertisements worked. As I was mentioning the history and different things in (the Telephone Museum), in walks a guy that I had as a student at Lenape High School.
“He went through this community and lived in that building from 1950 to 1954,” Ritter added. “It was a good connection. I took his picture next to the building so I can add that to our archives.”
On the whole, society members made “some nice connections and produced good feelings” during the anniversary tours.
The historical society, founded in 1974, is the repository of historical information about Southampton and the custodian of several historical museums in the township. It is also dedicated to preserving the history of Vincentown and disseminating information about the rich history of the community through its museums, publications and special events.
Old Town Hall
The Town Hall at 23 Plum St. was built in 1884. Over the years, it’s been used as the township’s municipal building and houses activities like movies, dances, rollerskating and plays. The masons have rented the second floor for more than 100 years, according to a pamphlet on the history of the site. The historical society holds its meetings and programs on the first floor and operates a one-room township museum.
Behind the building is a Lock-Up that was built in 1891 at a cost of $300. The last time it was used for that purpose and as the township police headquarters was in 1956, when the township had a force. Now the New Jersey State Police patrol the township.
A person was detained there until transported to Mounty Holly. The town hall was also later used as the Civil Defense and Disaster Control Center. It was restored by the historical society in 1996.
The township owns Old Town Hall and takes care of all repairs to the building, according to Ritter. “The only thing that we may do is try to keep the jail house clean and touch up on some things,” he said.
Telephone Museum
The building at 11 Mill St. has held many occupants over the years. It is now a telephone museum and houses the society’s offices. The Vincentown-Tabernacle Telephone Co. operated there from 1911 to 1930 and its second floor depicts how it used to look. New Jersey Bell purchased the company in 1930 and remained at the building until 1942.
The downstairs exhibit area traces the progression of communication, highlighting Alexander Graham Bell and the development of the telephone. The township purchased the building in 1975 and the society has leased it since 1976. The building was placed on the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places in 1987 and the National Register in 1988.
The township owns the telephone building, while the historical society arranges new displays.
One-Room School House
The schoolhouse was once a private institution known as a helping school attended by students who needed more help than the public schools could offer. The most well-known schoolmaster was Billy K. Haines. The building originally stood on the Allen Oil Co. property on Main Street. The Allens donated and moved the building to its present location in Saw Mill Park off Race Street.
The school was reconditioned and furnished by society members and dedicated to Southampton school children in 1984. The township owns the schoolhouse land, but the society owns the building. Volunteers traveled as far as New England to find artifacts from the schoolhouse days, Ritter recalled.
“We are one of a few in the county … it’s not just an empty room,” he emphasized. “It’s open for tours and has artifacts that are pretty authentic to the time frame of when it was a one-room schoolhouse.”
Just like the open house tours to celebrate 50 years, the third-graders in the township tour the museums ever year.
For more information about the Southampton Historical Society, visit www.southamptonnj.org.
