Swedesboro-Woolwich Historical Society Museum
Swedesboro City Hall
1500 Kings Highway/ Second Floor
Swedesboro, NJ 08085
(856) 467-0202
Open: Sunday: third Sunday of the month 1:00pm-4:00pm Monday- Saturday By Appointment only-please call ahead
Admission: Free but donations are accepted
My review on TripAdvisor:
Swedesboro City Hall at 1500 Kings Highway in Swedesboro, NJ
Mission Statement of the Museum:
(from the Museum website)
The mission of the Swedesboro-Woolwich Historical Society shall be to collect and preserve the architectural, cultural, commercial and farming history of the Borough of Swedesboro and the Township of Woolwich through records, documents, photographs, artifacts, and other means with the purpose to promote and provide access to this history for current and future generations, encourage preservation and restoration of historic landmarks located both in the borough and township and provide educational programs, guided historical tours and exhibitions to a diverse population.
The historic marker in front of City Hall
The front gallery of town artifacts
I recently visited the Swedesboro Historical Society located in a gallery on the second floor of City Hall in Downtown Swedesboro. It is an interesting little museum with several small galleries each dedicated to a different theme of the history of the town.
The gallery of Swedesboro High School memorabilia
The large gallery to the back of the museum houses an extensive collection of artifact on the school system especially to Swedesboro High School. This includes yearbooks, pictures, trophies and other spirit related items that show the rich history of the town’s school system.
Class picture over the last 90 years
Composites from trips to Washington DC from the high school. Some were taken in front of the Capital and some from Mount Vernon. It depended on the year.
The Cantoria Friezes from the old high school
The Cantoria Friezes from the old Swedesboro High School (now the elementary school)
These paster friezes once lined the Swedesboro High School and were taken down during the school’s renovation. The theme was Education and you can see this with each characters look in the pursuit of a higher education. These are the highlight of the High School gallery.
These were original reproductions by artist Pietro Caproni of the ‘Cantoria Friezes’ and are based on masterpieces from museums all over Europe. These friezes were purchased by the school system as part of the furnishings for its opening in 1923. These were cast and housed in his Boston studio (Historical Society website).
The former police department lockers make perfect props for high school artifacts
The museum is housed in what was once the old Swedesboro Police headquarters and the old lockers are the perfect backdrop for the museum’s extensive collection of school artifacts displayed in a classroom setting.
The Swedesboro High School China from the dining room
The Sports Department display
Trophies from the high school spanning 70 years
The next gallery is dedicated to town history and the business district. Many of the businesses have been long closed their memory lives on.
Memories and artifacts on businesses from the past
The museum has a large collection of items from the past from the business district showing how the town has changed and progressed from a farming community to a bedroom community of Philadelphia and New York City.
Pictures of businesses from the past and artifacts from a glass manufacturer whose business was in Swedesboro
Artifacts of businesses from the past
Commemorative plates from churches historic pieces of the town’s past
The back gallery hallway leading to the Swedish Room and the Everything room
Family China from one of the member’s of the Society’s family and era dress
The Indian arrowheads found in town
The town being so close to the water and hunting grounds was a place many local tribes settled in the summer months this there was a large collection of arrowheads and other Native American artifacts. This shows the area influence of the Lenape tribes before the Revolutionary War in this area as a hunting and fishing ground.
The ‘Everything Room’ where everything gets stored which does not have a home or display yet
The next display room was the ‘Swedish Room’ dedicated to the Swedish citizens who settled in the Delaware Bay along with Dutch. Swedish immigrants populated this area along with the Dutch in the late 1600’s and were an influence in the Delaware Bay area. “New Sweden” was established and thrived through the Revolutionary War.
The Swedish Gallery with the theme of “New Sweden” colony
Some of the cultural items from the Swedish population that used to live here including a photo of the Swedish royal family
A recreation of a home of a Swedish family in that time period
Books, maps and artifacts from the Swedish cultural the once dominated this community.
The last small gallery at the museum displayed the town’s Military contributions during the wars and artifacts on the town’s governing body.
The history of the different fraternal orders that were once and still are part of the town of Swedesboro.
More of the awards and accolades of the organizations in town.
The map of the town around the turn of the last century
Members of the Swedesboro community
The Military Gallery with uniforms, pictures and artifacts including medals from the town’s citizens that fought in the wars
What was nice about this gallery is that it shows the contribution of a small town and what they did for the war effort. The collection of uniforms is quite extensive.
The uniform and picture of a soldier from WWI
In the entrance to the museum, there are more displays on the town’s farming past and the people who helped shape this community to what is today.
Artifacts that are part of the town’s agricultural past in farming strawberries
Pictures of the architect and first Mayor of the town that helped shape the town
For such a small museum, the galleries are packed with interesting information of the Town of Swedesboro, its past, its present and its future. The museum tells the story of where the community has been and how it will shape its future.
Take your time to stroll the three galleries and look at the fascinating past of this small New Jersey town. Then head outside and walk its downtown to stroll the present. There are a lot of wonderful stores and restaurant to visit there as well. This is what makes the town of Swedesboro so special.
The History of the Swedesboro Museum:
(from the Museum website)
The Swedesboro-Woolwich Historical Society provides cultural and educational events throughout the year for area residents. Its goal is to obtain and preserve the history of the Borough and surrounding Woolwich Township. To meet this end, the society collects and archives artifacts, documents, books, photos, family histories and items which help to keep Swedesboro’s rich history alive. To add to our collection, volunteer with exhibits, or to give an oral history, click here to contact the Swedesboro-Woolwich Historical Society. To become a member, click here to download a membership application.
Visit our booth on Swedesboro-Woolwich Day in September. Learn about local history, purchase books and other items to support the historical society. Civil War re-enactors also attend town events to educate people about Swedesboro’s rich history and memorialize fallen Swedesboro & Woolwich Township soldiers.
In addition to our presence at local events, the Historical Society participates in programs to excite the community about Swedesboro’s rich history. Twice a year, we visit Fourth Grade classrooms within the Swedesboro-Woolwich School District to encourage interest in the history and culture of our community among students and teachers alike. Our meetings, held on the third Wednesday of every month (except July & August) at 7:00 PM and open to the public, also feature special interest speakers, authors, re-enactors, traveling exhibits from the Gloucester County Historical Society, and special programs throughout the year.
To learn more about our organization and local history, please stop by our booth at town events, strike up a conversation with a re-enactor you meet on the street, or join us at our new location (on the second floor of Borough Hall at 1500 Kings Highway in Swedesboro) for a meeting. To support the Historical Society, click here to purchase Historic Swedesboro Merchandise. New publications are researched, written and printed each year!
Video at the Swedesboro Historical Society-A Special Visit
This visit showcases the pictures that I took all over the museum. This gives a more detailed description of all the artifacts in the museum.
Tour of Historic Swedesboro, NJ-A Video tour
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 