For past Newsletters click here
Current Newsletter: September 2026
View From the Porch
Our celebration of America’s 250th anniversary continued this summer with more great events.
On July 2nd we gave a special nod to the Matlack Family legacy with an evening at the Double Nickel Brewing Company in Pennsauken (it is located along the Pennsauken Creek on land once connected to William Matlack’s original 17th-century property holdings). The evening, billed as “The Dusty Road to Independence,” highlighted the story of Timothy Matlack and his ancestors and descendants with a talk about his contributions, the most famous being Matlack’s inscription of the Declaration of Independence (see story on page 3). It also featured the famous Dusty Road sundaes which were legendary at Matlack’s Dairy Bar (a landmark eatery that was located on Kings Highway near Lenola Road that started as a family farm stand selling homemade ice cream). Family members converged from as far away as Rio de Janeiro, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and of course, Moorestown. We sipped beer made from George Washington’s own recipe and cooled off with the Dusty Road sundaes (the secret ingredient is the malted milk powder sprinkled on top!).
Not only did the Matlack family gather, but some members donated incredible artifacts to our collection. They included wonderful photographs, a beautiful family tree, two amazing crazy quilts (see story on page 8), and albums that not only contain photographs of local homes but memories of the people that lived there. Many of the items relate to pieces we already have in our collection and shine new light on them.
We had an incredible presence at the 4th of July parade, including a float, suffragists riding in a Model T, and both Patriots and British Redcoats marching down Main Street.
At Percheron Park we hosted a reading of the Declaration of Independence (see photos below). Thirteen townsfolk stepped up to read a section of the historic document. And on August 2nd — 250 years after the actual signing of the document — we set up a large chalkboard in Percheron Park and collected over 300 “John Hancocks”!
As fall approaches, we will be preparing for our famous historic ghost tours. This year you can take a “spirited” walk down Main Street and encounter the ghosts of our most noteworthy residents. And plans are underway to add a haunted trolley tour (check our website calendar for the latest info). Spirits will be flying and riding all over town! All the fun starts at Smith-Cadbury Mansion. I hope to see you there!
Linda Vizi, President
moorestownhistory@comcast.net
To view a color PDF of this September 2026 Newsletter, click here.
Top right: Model of Smith-Cadbury Mansion, built by Bill Rose. Image shows north side of the house with the restored side porch.
