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Haddon Township Historical Photographs Haddon Avenue School (Westmont School / School No. 1) (1909 - 1957) |
 Westmont School (c. 1910) [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ] After the old frame Westmont school was moved to Center Street and converted into a church; and the annex moved down Reeve Avenue, a modern brick school was built at the intersection of Haddon and Reeve Avenues in 1908 to accomodate the growing needs of school age residents in Haddon Township. Prior to the buildings construction, an election was held to pass a $35,000 bond issue. Although it was before national women's suffrage, women in Haddon Township were called upon to vote in the election. The Haddon Avenue School was built by D. W. Stoy and designed by W.T. Towne. The school was formally dedicated in April 1909. The building held classes up to 8th grade until the late 1920s when other schools like the Bettlewood School (Jennings School) were built. After 1930, junior high students attended the Thomas A. Edison Jr. High School (now an elementary school).  Westmont School 6th Grade Diploma (1917) Diploma for Dorothy Epting for completion of 6th Grade from her teacher Elizabeth E. Large and principal Joseph R. Givens [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, 6th Grade Class (1918) The first class taught by Ina L. Ashton [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) Mr. Joseph R. Givens, Teacher Principal; probably 8th grade [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) Miss Ella Helm, Teacher? [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) Miss Ella Helm, Teacher Others Indentifed: Ada, Jane Watson, Sara Bell, K. Saile [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, Unknown Class (c.1918 - 1920) [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School (1921) [Source: Ernest J. Fox, Photographer, 120 Ardmore Avenue, Haddondield, N.J.; Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Entire Faculty of the Haddon Towsnhip School System (c.1923) Top Row(l to r): Principal Joseph R. Givens, Mrs. Mary Crate, Miss Ella Helm, Miss Catherine Davis, Miss Bertha Woodrow Front Row(l to r): Miss Ina L. Ashton, Miss Mable Snyder and Miss Bertha Shaw [Source: Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, 1st Grade Class, B Section (1923) Photograph was taken on May 4, 1923. Catherine Davis, Teacher is pictured standing at the far left. [Source: Photographer: Paul F. Beckley - Copying / Enlarging - Stratford, N.J. (Reverse); Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, 6th Grade Class (1923) Photograph was taken on May 4, 1923. Ina L. Ashton, Teacher is pictured standing at the far left in second row. Top Row [4th Row] (l to r): Ella Tulk, Anna Perry, Ruth Reid, ________, Agnes Henrickson, Libby Hiltner, Gertrude Scholz, Ruth Keemer?, Sara Bill, Thelma, Adams [3rd Row] (l to r): Lida Allen, Jane Watson, Elise (Olive) Rice, Ethel Graham, Myrtle Townsend, Elizabeth Sink, Thelma Steelman, Ada Munn [2nd Row] (l to r): Miss Ina Ashton (teacher), Gus Geiger, Geo. Smythe, Harry Anthony, _________, Worden Taylor, Alfred Smith, Archie McKennon?, _________, Felton Gamble, George Locke, Joseph Seidelman Bottom Row [1st Row] (l to r): __________, Edward Reeve, Matthew Palma, Alfred Sweet, Alex Schueremann?, Tom Gallagher, Bea Wagner, George Snyder [Source: Photographer: Paul F. Beckley - Copying / Enlarging - Stratford, N.J. (Reverse); Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, 8th Grade Class (1923) Photograph was taken on May 4, 1923. Joseph R. Givens, Principal of the Westmont School is pictured standing at the far left. [Source: Attributed to: Photographer Paul F. Beckley - Stratford, N.J.; Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, 4th Grade Class (1928) Miss. Mabel Little, Teacher. Top Row [4th Row] (l to r): Sydney Cutler, Jack Orlick, Walter Smith, Albert Ruff, Philip _____, Frank Kaut, Paul Gravenor [3rd Row] (l to r): Joseph Sand?, Helen Knapp, Florence Fox, Ethel Bates, Lillian Proudfoot, Ethel Bowles, Helen Weyard, Julia Unger, Mildred Taylor, Jesse Horton [2nd Row] (l to r): Joseph ______, Roy Knudsen, Betty Dittess, Beatrice Lev, Ella Moss, Ruth? Frankenfield, Ruth Gifford, Doris Holmes, Willard Talesman, Orville Clement Bottom Row [1st Row] (l to r): Billy Johannsen, Lawrence Shields, Henry Tinsley, Charles Jaep?, Philip Smith, Jack Long [Source: Photographer Francis E. Stein - Former Chief Photographer Penna R.R., Commercial Photographer 4323 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.(Reverse); Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ]  Westmont School, 4th Grade Class (1929) Mrs. Mabel Gamble, Teacher. Top Row [4th Row] (l to r): Leonard Seal, James Wescott, Leo Palmer, Charles Kugler, John Hiltner, John Reeves, Alfred Carroll [3rd Row] (l to r): Joseph cox, Alfred LeSage, Bessie Bauer, Eleanor Lynde, Verna Winna, Sylvia Hendrickson, Frances Mullin, Marion Schueremann, Betty Heard, Frank Sauder, Robert Dees [2nd Row] (l to r): Calvin Hiltner, Adelaide Williams, Marion Winna, Ruth Byfield, Lillian Hill, Betty Saile, Harriet Wright, Alice Hickman, Catherine Ross, Pearl Bischoff, Catherine Carroll, Milton Bird Bottom Row [1st Row] (l to r): David McMillan, Edwin Wyllie, William Meier, Jack Stout, Warren Fenton, Howard Rothwell, Raymond Boenning, William Wright [Source: Attributed to: Photographer Francis E. Stein - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Courtesy: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ] |
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It was decided that in 1957 that the school would no longer be used. Despite it being an imposing and impressive looking building, it was determined that heavy
Haddon Avenue traffic patterns posed issues of danger and transportation problems for the school. Another factor was the 8-room building was too small to be
an effective modern school. Other newer schools had been built throughout the township to which students could be transferred. The prominent corner was needed for
a new municipal building. As the school structure did not meet those needs it was decided to raze the building. The building sat abandoned for four years. |
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The Haddon Avenue School was torn down beginning on July 9, 1961. The previous day, Courier-Post reporter Jean Ross described the school: "Today the
old Haddon Avenue School in Westmont still stands like a tired sentinel of the past. Its doors are locked and pigeons and doves fly in and out of its broken
windows, nesting in cloak rooms. Tomorrow it will be gone." On that day mayor William G. Rohrer and Police Captain Baron Wood posed in front of the old building
will outstretched blueprints of the new municipal building that would follow upon the clearing of the school.
[Sources: Marguerite Bennett Collection, William G. Rohrer Memorial Library, Haddon Township, NJ; Jean Ross, "Famous Westmont Landmark Doomed -- Municipal Bldg. to Replace Old Haddon Avenue School," The (Camden) Courier-Post, July 8, 1961.] |
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