Women’s History Month Haddonfield, New Jersey

An educational resource for teachers and students interested in learning about the contributions women

from Haddonfield, New Jersey, made to their community, country or world.

Prepared by: Christie Castorino, HMHS Class of 2017

Illustrations by: Jennifer Cossaboon, HMHS Class of 2008

Why women’s history?

“Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society. The United States has observed it annually throughout the month of March since 1987.”

SOURCE: http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month

Can women from a small town make a difference?

Absolutely.

Elizabeth Haddon

• Born March 25, 1680 in Bermondsey, England

• At the age of 21, traveled to America to claim her Father’s land • Elizabeth called the land “Haddon Field”

• Married John Estaugh in 1702 • John was a Quaker minister and they never had children

• Built home on Wood Lane for Elizabeth’s parents in 1713 • Elizabeth named it “New Haddonfield Plantation” and her parents never visited

• In 1721, on behalf of her father, donated one acre of land for a Quaker Meetinghouse and burial ground • In 2016, the Meetinghouse and burial ground is still in use

Why is an apron used to represent Elizabeth Haddon? The only article of clothing known to belong to Elizabeth Haddon is an apron. The apron has the initials “EH” embroidered on it. To see the apron in person, visit the Historical Society of Haddonfield located at 343 Kings Highway East in Haddonfield, New Jersey.

Beulah Sansom Morris Rhoads

• Born in 1829, her family home was located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia • Her childhood home was declared a National Park Service site because President

George Washington lived there during the 1793/1794 yellow fever epidemic • At the age of 42, she married Charles Rhoads, they lived in Haddonfield • Beulah and her husband noticed African American children from Saddlertown had to

walk many miles to get an education in Haddonfield • Beulah and her husband donated money to build a two-story school house in

Saddlertown which, in 2016, is still in use as a church on Rhoads Avenue in Haddon Township, New Jersey

• In 1875, Beulah was elected a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia • Beulah made donations of $100 in her own name to the Academy in 1896 and 1900 • In 1902, she was one of seven donors who helped the Academy acquire valuable

birds including the Galapagos penguin. The bird collection continues to help with educational studies in the 21st century!

Why is a road sign and bird used to represent Beulah Sansom Morris Rhoads? The Borough of Haddonfield named Rhoads Avenue after Beulah and her family. The bird represents the contributions Mrs. Rhoads made to the study and continuing education of ornithology (the study of birds) at the Academy of Natural Sciences which is located at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Margaret Bancroft

• Born on June 28, 1854

• At the age of 25, Margaret rented a house in Haddonfield and started a private boarding school for one student

• In 1883, acquired property on Kings Highway East as headquarters for the first private school in the United States for children with developmental disabilities or neurological impairments

• Died on January 3, 1912

• Margaret left specific instructions in her will for her school to continue forever

• In 2016, with multiple locations throughout the Southern New Jersey region, Bancroft Neurohealth continues to help thousands of children and adults with autism, acquired brain injuries and other intellectual or developmental disabilities

Why show a child reading a book to represent Margaret Bancroft? Margaret Bancroft recognized the need to create a safe environment with specially trained instructors to provide all children, no matter what their economic situation may be, with a compassionate place to learn.

Joan Aiken

• Born on October 10, 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• In 1967, founded the Haddonfield Preservation Society

• In 1971, Joan helped Haddonfield establish a historic district which was the second historic district in the State of New Jersey (Cape May was 1st)

• 488 homes are in the Haddonfield historic district

• No home in the historic district may be torn down

• The historic district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places

• Joan is remembered for challenging a homeowner for painting their home located within the historic district purple

• The homeowner won, purple is a Victorian color!

Additional source: http://articles.philly.com/2000-07-11/news/25608998_1_historic-district-historic-buildings-preservation-council

Why is a “no purple” sign used to represent Joan Aiken? In a very public and controversial debate between a homeowner and Mrs. Aiken, who was instrumental in the establishment of the Historic District in Haddonfield, Mrs. Aiken did not believe homeowners should paint a historic home purple. In the end, the homeowners had the right to paint their historic home any color they desired. In fact, purple is considered a Victorian color!

Dorcas Bates Reilly

• Born on July 22, 1926 in Camden, New Jersey

• In 1947, graduated from the Home Economics program at Drexel University

• Today the program is called Goodwin’s Hospitality Management Culinary Arts and Food Science Program

• Worked as a test kitchen supervisor at Campbell’s Soup Company

• In 1955, her team was tasked with creating a side dish using Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup, green beans and fried onions

• After the first taste, Dorcas added a dash of soy sauce to the side dish

• This side dish recipe became the most requested recipe in the history of the Campbell’s and is now known as the Green Bean Casserole – a Thanksgiving tradition in the United States!

• In 2002, Dorcas was inducted in the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame

• In 2013, Drexel University created the Dorcas Reilly Scholarship and presented her with the first ever, Drexel University Cultural Contribution Award

Why use a dragon to represent Dorcas Bates Reilly? Take a closer look at the dragon. You will see a scholarship scroll in one talon and green beans in the other! The dragon is the mascot of Drexel University, where Mrs. Reilly is an alumni. Drexel University also created a scholarship in her name for her innovative work leading the team that created the Green Bean Casserole.

Rosedale “Rosie” Hymerling

• Born in Vineland, New Jersey on April 29, 1946 • Rosie is the daughter of first-generation immigrants

• As a daughter of immigrants, love of country is an important lesson for Rosie to share

• Rosie taught kindergarten for 40 years • In 1971, Rosie started teaching at the J. Fithian Tatem Elementary School in Haddonfield • After retiring, Rosie serves on the Board of Directors at The College of New Jersey

• Rosie has led kindergarten students in patriotic songs at the annual Flag Day ceremony in Haddonfield for over 40 years

• Rosie and her husband Lee are philanthropists and enjoy supporting the arts, such as the Markeim Art Center, the Garden State Discovery Museum, the Symphony in C and Interfaith Care Givers

• In addition, Rosie and Lee are known for their annual Halloween open house, since 1987, when hundreds of ghosts and goblins are invited inside their home to receive fresh, hot, homemade sugar doughnuts made by Rosie and friends

Why use a pumpkin surrounded by doughnuts to represent Rosie Hymerling? Since 1987, Mrs. Hymerling has opened her home to thousands of ghosts and goblins on Halloween. Each visitor is offered a fresh, hot, homemade doughnut while they trick or treat.

Debra Hill

• Born on November 10, 1950, Debra was a 1968 graduate from Haddonfield Memorial High School

• During her high school years, Debra would babysit her neighbor’s children on weekends. While babysitting, neighborhood kids would try to scare her by knocking on the doors and windows after she put the children to sleep

• Debra took writing classes and her instructor suggested she write about what she knows as a starting point – she used her babysitting experiences as a baseline story for a screenplay

• In 1978, Debra and director John Carpenter co-wrote the scary film, “Halloween” about a psychopath terrorizing a babysitter in a fictional town called Haddonfield, Illinois.

• In 2003, Debra was honored by Women in Film for breaking barriers in an industry dominated by men. Debra was one of the few women in the filmmaking industry

• Debra formed a production company that produced “Adventures in Babysitting,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Clue”

• Debra passed away at the age of 54 from cancer

Why use a scary slasher to represent Debra Hill? Ms. Hill rose to fame as a groundbreaking writer and producer in Hollywood with the film, Halloween, which was released in 1978. Today, Halloween remains the top, cult classic in this genre.

Letitia Colombi

• Born on February 10, 1945

• Grew up in Odessa, Texas

• Best known as “Tish” Colombi

• First woman elected to the Haddonfield Board of Commissioners in 1985

• 2001, became the first female mayor • Held the office of mayor for 12 years

• Served the residents of Haddonfield for 28 years • Retired from public service in 2013

Why use a ballot box to represent Letitia Colombi?

Letitia “Tish” Colombi is the first woman to serve as an elected official in the Borough of Haddonfield. First, as a Commissioner and later as Mayor, when “Tish” received the most votes after all of the ballots were counted!

Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh continues to influence the Haddonfield community, 300+ years after her arrival in in the United States.

The Elizabeth Haddon Impact

“I feel a strong connection to Elizabeth Haddon, who we all should be indebted to for being brave enough to come to Haddonfield at 21-years-old [in 1701] and establish this community. Hopefully I have been a role model for other women who I hope will step forward in the future.”

Letitia “Tish” G. Colombi First female mayor of Haddonfield, New Jersey

The Elizabeth Haddon Impact

Can you match the icon with the icon?

Answers to icon match

Dorcas Reilly Margaret Bancroft Elizabeth Haddon Beulah Sansom Morris Rhoads

Joan Aiken

Debra Hill

Letitia Colombi

Rosedale Hymerling

Additional Haddonfield icons to research:

• Aimee Belgard

• Joanna Cassidy

• Betty Cavana

• Erin Donahue

• Julia Bedford Gill

• Debbie Meyer

• Sarah Kay Norris

• Mary Previte

• Bess Taylor

Acknowledgements

• Special thanks to: • My 8th grade history teacher: Mr.

Travis Thomas, for the idea to create this presentation

• Mrs. Kim Custer, for her review and input for historical accuracy

• Ms. MaryEllen DeMille, for sponsoring my Gold Award

• My mom, who I asked to lead my Girl Scout troop when I was in first grade and she saw me through to the end

• The Borough of Haddonfield, for a wonderful place to grow up and live

• Additional sources: • History.com: Women’s History Month • Philly.com: Obituary of Joan Aiken • Heroines of Haddonfield, 2013 • Rosedale Hymerling, interview • Dorcas Bates Reilly, interview • Academy of Natural Sciences website:

Beula-Morris-Rhoads • The Historical Society of Haddonfield

Research Library

For more information Visit your local library, the Historical Society of Haddonfield or visit a living icon for a live discussion and add her to the list of Haddonfield women who have made the world a better place.

2016 Gold Award Project, Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey: Christie Castorino

Prepared by:

Christie Castorino, HMHS Class of 2017

Illustrations by:

Jennifer Cossaboon, HMHS Class of 2008