Evesham residents Pinky Donda and Rohith Reddy had their wedding officiated by Burlington County Clerk Joanne Schwartz, who typically oversees about 200 ceremonies a year.
Burlington County Clerk Joanne Schwartz officiated weddings for six couples during her traditional Valentine’s Day ceremonies.
Schwartz typically officiates about 200 weddings a year and always makes herself available to do so on Valentine’s Day, as well as other holidays and special occasions such as Halloween and Bordentown’s annual Pride parade.
Next month, she will perform weddings on St. Patrick’s Day for the first time.
“My husband died 10 years ago on Valentine’s Day,” Schwartz said, “so as a tribute to him … I always make sure to (officiate) weddings on Valentine’s Day.”
The special ceremonies occurred in the county’s Historic Olde Courthouse, a late 18th-century structure that is one of the oldest – and still operating – courthouses in America. The building’s architect was Samuel Lewis, who designed a virtual identical twin of Congress Hall and Old City Hall, the buildings flanking Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
The courthouse bell was removed from the county’s first courthouse in Burlington City when it closed. It is the same bell that rang for independence in 1776 after the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Weddings officiated by Schwartz are scheduled mostly every Wednesday in the county’s historic Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences in Mount Holly. Weddings are by appointment only. Built in the 1830s, the building was home to the Langstaff family and became the original Lyceum of History in the 1860s.
The building was home to the Mount Holly library until 2013, when it was purchased by the county. Schwartz has also officiated weddings at Historic Smithville Park, the Burlington County Prison Museum and the Burlington County Agricultural Center.
“We try to highlight all the wonderful things Burlington County has to offer,” Schwartz noted. “There’s just so much here that people might not be aware of, and by doing weddings at all of these venues, we’re able to remind people that we have all these wonderful places in this county that you can go see and be a part of.”
