On August 4th, we participated in Delran’s Freedom Fest. It was a wonderful event. Please read The Rivertowns Sun (a.k.a. The Delran Sun) article for more information.
Star-Spangled celebration brings 4,000 to Delran Community Park
Author: Greg Boehmke (Page 1 of 8)
At our May 19th membership meeting, Fred and George Pfeffer did a wonderful presentation on their childhood and your military and law enforcement careers. Their comments and stories were funny and fascinating!!!
Now
Then
A Special Honor:
At the March 10th Township Council Public meeting, former president Mal Anderson and former treasurer Nancy Anderson were recognized by Mayor Barnes Hutchins and Township Council for serving in those roles for 15 years and all the advancements they made to the Historical Society in that time.
Mal and Nancy are continuing as Trustees.
In front of our lobby display
Shown with the Historical Society Board members that were present
Mayor Hutchins presenting the proclamation to Nancy
Mayor Hutchins is presenting the proclamation to Mal
At the March 17th Historical Society meeting, they were honored by the membership with a plaque.
On Monday, November 25th Mayor Catrambone, Councilmen Lynn Jeney and Tom Lyon joined our president Mal Anderson to present the society with a check from PSE&G sponsoring the opening of our 2nd lobby display.
Thank you to PSE&G for supporting us.
At our September 17th meeting, Judy Gauntt delivered an oral history of the Sears Modern Home Program and explain how to point out all the characteristics of a Sears Roebuck Home. Here are several homes in our area:
A-1 Appliances on Route 130 North is The Crafton Style Home. Joe Peditto commented that it had the porch on it when he lived there
A house at 208 Rancocas Ave in Delanco that was identified as a Sears kit house, ALADDIN model, built in 1950. (photos and information provided by Peter Fritz)
A Sears kit house at 524 Burlington Avenue in Delanco; a WINONA model from about 1940. (photos and information provided by Peter Fritz)
Miscellaneous Homes
The above homes are from the 1916 Sears Home Catalog. They shipped the entire house to you by railroad car. Sears was like Ikea before Ikea. Friends and family would come from all around to help the owner build it.
From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold more than 70,000 of these houses in North America, by the company’s count.
Sears Modern Homes offered more than 370 designs in a wide range of architectural styles and sizes over the line’s 34-year history. Most included the latest comforts and conveniences available to house buyers in the early part of the twentieth century, such as central heating, indoor plumbing, telephone, and electricity.
Primarily shipped via railroad boxcars, these kits included most of the materials needed to build a house. Once delivered, many of these houses were assembled by the new homeowner, relatives, friends and neighbors, in a fashion similar to the traditional barn-raisings of farming families.
Sears discontinued its Modern Homes catalog after 1940, though sales through local sales offices continued into 1942. Years later, the sales records related to home sales were destroyed during a corporate house cleaning. As only a small percentage of these homes were documented when built, finding these houses today often requires detailed research to properly identify them.
This Day in History, July 20, 1969 – First Moon Landing.
Artifacts provided by Recording Secretary Renee Brizzi.
Aerial Views of Delran’s Neighborhoods. Can you pick out your house?
** Aerial shots taken and provided by Rey Rosario **
An evening of fond remembrances of Delran’s good old days as recalled by long time Delran residents and sisters, Elaine McCabe and Katherine Dae. They shared their stories of what life was like decades ago growing up in their Delran family home.
Bud and Elaine Freck at house on Hartford Road
Current house on the corner of Route 130 N and Hartford Road
Thank you to everybody that came out for The New Jersey Researchers of Paranormal Evidence (NJROPE) on paranormal investigation and research presentation. There was a great turnout for this informative, and sometimes scary, presentation. Thank you Frank and Tammy for providing us with such great stories and photos.
For more information on The New Jersey Researchers of Paranormal Evidence (NJROPE) or to use their services, please visit their website, https://www.njrope.com/
Our Delran Historical Society Lobby Display!!!
Visit our website often to read about the updates that we are making to our display cases and photographs!!
Visit our Farms page to see names of farmers from 1893 and old locations of the various farms in Delran.
Farms
