Moorestown & the Great War Opens!

The opening of the Historical Society’s “Moorestown During the First World War” exhibit on Sunday, April 15, was well-attended despite the dreary weather. People of all ages showed up, including grade-school children!

This exhibit, which will be open to the public during our regular hours of operation going forward, had visitors moving from room to room, from the parlor to the dining room to the kitchen at the Smith-Cadbury Mansion, finding many fascinating artifacts on display, such as military shirts and jackets, metal helmets, leather shin guards, leggings, medals, photos, and letters – even a couple of 100-year-old pop records! Strains of hits of the day, such as “Over There” and “It’s A Long Way to Tipperary,” provided a cheery, musical backdrop for appreciating a time that mixed tragedy and hope in equal measure.
Just inside the front door, visitors saw a genuine gas mask used by the World War One soldier to protect against the dangerous chemical warfare waged on both sides. Strangely whimsical and hanging above the gas mask was a framed photo of the Liberty Bell, made up of hundreds of Camp Dix (now Fort Dix) soldiers standing in a precise pattern. It has to be seen to be believed. Our 18th-century town crier, Bill Archer, greeted attendees and helped steer them in the right direction.
Just about everything one would want to find out about Moorestown and the war was available in one form or another at the exhibit opening. Poster boards told the stories of prominent Moorestonians in words and pictures. There was a large, poignant display honoring the town’s fallen World War One soldiers. Visitors learned about the experiences of Moorestown women – with such names as Strawbridge and D’Olier – at home and at the front. African-Americans in the northern work force during the war were featured, too. 
In what is usually the Smith-Cadbury dining room were easy-to-read excerpts from letters locals wrote to family members serving overseas, enlarged newspaper clippings about how the war impacted Moorestown on a daily basis, a feature concerning the unique experience of the African-American Moorestown soldier, and an overview of the challenge of Quaker conscientious objectors. The soldier’s spade for digging trenches sat beside a diagram of the typical trench the soldier found himself in. A World War One Red Cross nurse’s uniform clothed a mannequin so lifelike you could be tempted to start a conversation!
In the kitchen, young Moorestown citizens ate cookies and other goodies while a video about Moorestown World War One soldiers ran on a continuous loop. Another display related the story of the calamitous Spanish flu epidemic that killed millions around the world at the end of the war (1918) and well into the following year, taking its toll on many Moorestonians and other people in southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia region.
All items in the exhibit, such as uniforms and other things the soldiers had with them overseas, were either very generously donated or loaned to the Historical Society especially for the exhibit. We look forward to seeing you at our exhibit sometime soon!