<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4gc66f_0vkrQOUl00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4gc66f_0vkrQOUl00" width="1682" height="867" >Dressed in their garnet red polo shirts emblazoned with an antique bicycle logo, Haddon Heights Historical Society members toured the friendly borough on Friday as they introduced three new historical markers to the community. Joined by mayor Zachary Houck, the historical society recognized Haddon Heights High School, the Lippincott-Kelley House on First Ave., and the Hoyle-Butcher Post No. 149 on West Atlantic Ave. for their historical significance to the borough.According to historical society president Elena Hill, the group used grant money from the Laitman Foundation and the Camden County Cultural and Heritage Commission to hire South Jersey historian Paul Schopp to conduct the research used to create the three markers.The three signs were dedicated in memory of former Haddon Heights resident Lynn Laitman.First on the tour was the dedication of the historical interpretative sign at Haddon Heights Jr./Sr. High School, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the school’s opening. “What you guys do here is really important for our community. It’s a very, very old community, we’re over 100 years old. Personally, my parents went to school here, my grandparents went to school here,” Houck said.District superintendent Carla Bittner, high school principal Warren Danenza, and students from the district joined the history buffs and the mayor for the commemoration. A student in the crowd also echoed Houck’s sentiment, saying both his parents and grandparents attended the school as well.“That is the cool thing that you see more and more of here: generations of families moving back to Haddon Heights and carrying on the tradition of being a part of Garnet Country,” Houck said. “That’s a testament to what a great community we have and what a great school district we have. To memorialize it with this sign is quite the honor and the tribute, and we thank the historical society for all the work you guys do achieving your grants to put these signs throughout our community.”According to the historical marker, the current Haddon Heights High School was originally built as a regional school because of overcrowding at the first district high school on Kings Highway and at other Camden County schools. The Second Ave. school was originally home to Audubon, Barrington, Magnolia, Stratford, Laurel Springs, Clementon, and Heights students.Charles R. Peddle, a Philadelphia- based architect, designed the school, while Wills, Bill, and Company constructed the school over the course of three years. The sign details that the construction firm created the building’s exterior with gothic-revival brick and marble from Georgia, finishing the building for a total of $500,000.Next on the historical tour, the group stopped at the Lippincott- Kelley House, located at 7 First Ave. The large stone residence just off the corner of Kings Highway was home to the first mayor of Haddon Heights, Benjamin A. Lippincott. Its history dates back to 1803, as the property was originally part of an over-300-acre plantation belonging to farmer Paul Troth.In 2022, Don and Jackie Paparone purchased the historic Lippincott House. The couple joined the historic tour to speak about their not-so-new home “We really fell in love with the house,” Jackie Paparone said. “It was just such a unique house,” Don said. “My wife walked in, and she loves old houses, and that was it. The rest was history, so to speak.”The final stop on the tour was Hoyle-Butcher Post No. 149 at the corner of West Atlantic Ave. and Kings Highway. According to the newly dedicated sign, in 1919, 47 Haddon Heights veterans of the Great War formed the post, naming it after the first two male servicemen to die in World War I. William Hoyle and Carl Butcher both died on October 11, 1918 from pneumonia and influenza, respectively.“Although not commemorated in the name of the post, another Haddon Heights resident, American Red Cross Nurse Elizabeth Weimann, passed away while serving in France on November 6, 1918, from pneumonia (1918 pandemic) and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery,” the historical interpretative sign reads. “She is the only woman in Camden County to die during the First World War.”According to the sign’s history, the first American Legion building on the lot stood for nearly 53 years before the borough demolished the structure and built the current building in 1972. Post 149 eventually disbanded due to dwindling membership numbers. The Post’s remaining Haddon Heights members ultimately merged with Post 38 in Haddonfield. The Sons of Italy Lodge #2311 now leases the building from the borough.Peter Hill, previous commander of Post 149, noted the importance of the September 20 dedication date, as it marks National POW/MIA Recognition Day. He thanked Post 38 for continuing his previous Post’s legacy, and the Sons of Italy for restoring the building to its full potential.“I served as commander of Post 149 when we had to close operations and transfer operations to Post 38 in Haddonfield on Veterans Lane,” Peter Hill said. “We are carrying on the traditions of the American Legion at Post 38 for Haddon Heights because of the four pillars of the American Legion.”The color guard of Post 38 stood next to the memorial, honoring the dedication. “We are able to live our lives the way we do because of the brave men and women who fought for us, and we thank them for their service. We are also thankful for the Sons of Italy, who have taken over as caretakers of the building, so that the history will live on forever,” Elena Hill said.Albert Olizi is a trustee of the Sons of Italy in Haddon Heights. Their lodge hosts the annual Memorial Day service in the borough, paying homage to the history of the property and the borough’s veterans.“It has brought everyone together in the town, it’s been a unifying place,” Olizi said. “We are thrilled with it and we are happy that we’ve gotten the opportunity to take care of it and we look forward to continuing to take care of it.”These three new markers now bring the total amount of historical interpretive signs in Haddon Heights to 20.</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

Heights Honors History with Interpretive Signage

Dressed in their garnet red polo shirts emblazoned with an antique bicycle logo, Haddon Heights Historical Society members toured the friendly borough on Friday as they introduced three new historical markers to the community. Joined by mayor Zachary Houck, the historical society recognized Haddon Heights High School, the Lippincott-Kelley House on First Ave., and the Hoyle-Butcher Post No. 149 on West Atlantic Ave. for their historical significance to the borough.