There was excitement in the air on June 14 as more than 40 people gathered in the outside section of the Kings Road Brewing Company in Haddonfield to learn more about the history of African Americans.
“We have converted oral history reporting by Haddonfield High School students into a docuseries,” said Adrienne Rhodes, coordinator of the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project. “The stories are powerful.”
Under the direction of class advisor Stacy Brown-Downham, the young reporters interviewed 12 people about the history of the Black neighborhoods in the borough and their personal stories of growing up, getting educated and raising families.
“Welcome to Haddonfield,” Mayor Dave Siedell said. “It is exciting seeing students and adults working together. History isn’t always rosy.”
Brewery owner Bob Hochgertel also greeted the audience, and announced he was introducing the Blazing Rag craft beer named after “the tavern that did not discriminate,” and that $1 of every sale of the product would be donated to the history project.
Just across the Cooper River from Haddonfield and located in Cherry Hill near the intersection of Ellis Street and Haddonfield-Berlin Road, the Blazing Rag eventually became the Kress Liquor store, now closed permanently.
African Americans, many of whom were domestic workers for Haddonfield’s upper-class families, were welcome at the tavern from the 1800s until Prohibition in 1920. They would enjoy a few beverages after a hard day’s work and join the Snow Hill Shakedown dances on Saturday nights.
“Haddonfield was not always known for its diversity,” noted Amy Lackpour, a special advisor to the history project, adding that a screening and presentation of the docuseries’ part two, “Preserve: Narratives,” was to be held across the street at Sparrow’s restaurant. The docuseries was produced and edited by Kevin Harewood.
Overall, there are 12 interviews with people in the production whose families have been connected to the borough since the 1760s, Harewood explained, adding that the student reporters “did a great job” asking questions and recording the interviews.
“I’m very excited about the screening,” continued Harewood, who grew up in Brooklyn and studied film and television production at Brooklyn College. “Adrienne and I have been friends for a long time, and I’m thrilled to be part of this project.”
Before asking everyone to walk over to Sparrow’s for the screening, Rhodes called up students Molly Patton and Moriah McMillan and presented them with college scholarship awards from the history project. Once at Sparrow’s, viewers got free popcorn and settled in before the large screen to watch “Preserve: Narratives.” Before that came information about Preserving Black Haddonfield and what the organization has done to promote African American history.
Next was the interview by the high-school students with the Rev. Dr. Gregory McMillian, a resident of Haddonfield who is pastor of Hamilton Square Baptist Church in Mercer County.
“We grew up in Haddonfield and all the kids played together and hung together,” McMillan recalled during the interview. “We were outside all the time. My grandfather was a Teamster (union member) and my grandmother did laundry for other people.
“We were a very close-knit community.”
As a young man, McMillan complained to then Mayor Jack Tarditi about the Douglas Avenue playground in his neighborhood “not being as well kept” as others in town. After listening, “Mayor Tarditi got me involved” with finding a solution, McMillan explained. “He became a father figure.”
McMillan also remembered how the pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church lent him his car “to take my driving test.” Other neighborhood legends included Miss Henry, the “Candy Lady,” and the Ryan family, whose members rang the cowbell when it was time for lunch or dinner.
“I still have lifelong friends on Douglas Avenue and I am still involved,” McMillan said. He assists in raising funds for scholarships and helps out with the high-school’s fall play and musical.
Rhodes said that the docuseries has also hit the airwaves on PhillyCam in honor of Juneteenth. It was made possible with an Independence Public Media Foundation Community Voices Fund grant and produced as part of an interracial, intergenerational project in collaboration with student interviewers from Haddonfield Memorial High School.
For more information about the history project and Haddonfield’s past, go to https://www.haddonfieldlibrary.org/local-history.
