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Marriott Mount LaurelNewly renovated guest rooms and an ideal location near Philadelphia and all major highways make the Marriott great for all travelers.
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South Jersey's Women's History
 They were smart. They were feisty. And they were w-a-y ahead
of their time. They are the original "Jersey Girls," women
who knew what they wanted to do and let nothing stand in
their way of getting things done.
At a time when most women weren't even allowed to attend
school, Elizabeth Haddon's father sent her from her home in
England to the New World to manage the land he had purchased
from William Penn. At the tender age of 21, this determined
young Quaker woman not only founded the town of
Haddonfield in 1721, she formed close
relationships with the native Lenape tribe. At a time when
women had few rights, she was a strong and effective leader
of the new settlement. Today,
Haddonfield retains its centuries-old charm and
has become one of the most interesting shopping communities
in the region.
To outward appearances, Ann Whitall, the wife of a wealthy
merchant, seemed to live the quiet life of a Quaker
homemaker. That is until the Battle of Red Bank broke out.
With a bloody battle raging outside her front door, Mrs.
Whitall remained nonplussed, continuing with her weaving and
spinning. After the Americans defeated the British, the
wounded were brought to her home and following her Quaker
principles, she tended their wounds without regard to which
uniform they wore.
The Whitall
House, which remained in the family for more than a
century, still stands in the parkland surrounding
Red
Bank Battlefield
in National Park and is open to the public.
In 1852, before she founded the American Red Cross, Clara
Barton opened New Jersey's first free public school in
Bordentown, a precursor to the
formation of a comprehensive public school system. The
simple little schoolhouse, open by appointment, is an
eye-popping contrast to today's modern, high-tech
facilities.
Talk about feisty! Ella Reeve, known to the world as Mother
Bloor, was one of the most controversial characters of her
time. In the center of many reform movements, the social
activist was instrumental in shaping the Women's Christian
Temperence Union, an unwavering supporter of workers rights
and founder of the American Communist Party. Growing up in
Camden, she became acquainted with
Walt
Whitman. Coincidentally, although she became a national figure and
ran for political office in several states, her final
resting place is in Harleigh Cemetery, just steps away from
Whitman's grave.
Elizabeth White could be one reason New Jersey is nicknamed
the Garden State. From her family home at
Whitesbog in Browns Mills, the internationally
recognized horticulturist cultivated the first blueberries
in 1912, creating not only a new industry for the local
farmers, but also what would eventually become the official
fruit for New Jersey.
If ever there was an over-achiever, it was Alice Paul, whose
life was chronicled in the critically-acclaimed HBO special,
"Iron
Jawed Angels." With a B.A., an M.A., a Ph.D. and three law degrees,
almost unheard of for a woman born in 1885, Alice was
passionate in her fight to secure voting rights for women.
Paulsdale, her birthplace and
lifelong refuge in Mt. Laurel, is still an active center for
women's issues.
With so many accomplishments in so many areas, these "Jersey
girls" have left legacies that have impacted generations and
turned the tide of history.
Pictured: Alice Paul
Courtesy South Jersey Tourism Corporation
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