Emerging technology librarian Andrea Elson starts the presentation of the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project’s acclaimed walking tour on Oct. 6 in the library’s children section.
On a recent pleasant evening at the intersection of Tanner Street and Haddon Avenue, residents walked along the brick pathway into the Haddonfield library to learn more about the town’s history.
They gathered in the children’s library meeting room to watch “Preserve: Narratives from Historic Haddonfield’s African American Community, The Walking Tour.”
“This is our back-to-school special presentation,” said emerging technology librarian Andrea Elson, who introduced the documentary. “People can relax on a Tuesday night and learn about our history. We are giving out cards to the young people so they can ask questions, write or draw.”
As parents and children walked into the room, they were greeted by Adrienne Rhodes, founding president of the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project.
“This tour aims to strengthen Haddonfield’s reputation as a welcoming town by amplifying and preserving its long-overlooked African American residents, their descendants, businesses and other institutions,” she noted. “This digital version covers 12 sites and the history behind them as interpreted by the tour guide and local filmmakers.”
Rhodes added that the project is an inter-community collaboration between local historians; religious leaders; students and teachers; the Haddonfield and Rotary Club foundations; the library; Haddonfield Memorial High School; and current and former residents, according to Rhodes.
The film opens with photos of 12 historic sites in Haddonfield’s African American neighborhood and a powerful gospel song as its soundtrack. The narrative begins with tour guide Craig Hutchings saying, “Welcome to the Point,” an area that has been home to a majority of Haddonfield’s Black residents since the 1700s. “The town predates the Revolutionary War.”
At the turn of the 20th century in 1900, The Point was an alive and vibrant neighborhoods, with more than 250 former slaves and their descendants living life to the fullest. According to the 1950 census, there were 230 Black Americans in Haddonfield, and “219 of them lived in The Point,” Hutchings pointed out.
That represented 2.2% of the town’s population of 10,495. But in the 2020 census, they represented just 1.2%.
“I am so proud of the students, the entire community and Adrienne for helping to spread more information about our town’s history,” offered Haddonfield board of education president Jaime Grookett, who spoke after the presentation.
“This project brings to life the story of Black residents whose contributions have been too often left out of history and the traditional narrative of Haddonfield,” observed Grookett, adding that screening the documentary at the library was a great opportunity to bring that rich history to the wider community.
Her son, Thomas Grookett, was in the audience and was one of the high-school students who interviewed prominent people in the African American community for the two Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project books the organization has published.
“I wrote and edited the anthologies,” said Thomas, who conducted the interviews when he was a freshman and sophomore. He is now a senior. “The teachers helped me a lot.
“It was a great experience,” he added. “It was really eye-opening to me to learn about the history of Haddonfield.”
One of the people interviewed for the collection of essays, “Preserve: Narratives from Historic Haddonfield’s African American Community,” by the high-school students was Dr. Khayriyyah Chandler, a family physician, who sat next to Rhodes.
“I like living here,” said Chandler, who praised the documentary for “showing that Haddonfield is not a monolith.”
Also in attendance was Christopher Collins II, owner of Collins Digital Services, who helped produce the film. When Rhodes had approached him about the Black history project, “I also thought the event and message behind it is important, interesting, and relevant,” Collins observed.
“We were able to show the rich history in the area.”
“We wanted a digital version of the walking tour so we could reach them in the comfort of their home,” said Rhodes, adding that people can access “Preserve: Narratives from Historic Haddonfield’s African American Community, The Walking Tour” @PhillyCAM.
And in collaboration with the library – featuring Mt. Olivet Baptist Church’s gospel choir and funding from Haddonfield Lions Club and others – a second annual celebration concert and sing-along will be staged at Library Point on Sunday.
As part of the Coalition on Slavery, Abolition and the American Revolution, which includes Haddonfield Friends Meeting, the Historical Society of Haddonfield, Indian King Tavern & Museum and the Lawnside Historical Society – the history project will present a discussion on Monday with Dr. Maurice Jackson of Georgetown University about discourse around slavery of the time.
And Rhodes is looking forward to the country’s 250th anniversary next year.
“In preparation for the celebration of America’s independence,” she pointed out, “the Preserving Black Haddonfield History Project is partnering with several organizations to deepen understanding about the role and impact of African Americans during the Revolutionary Period.”
