My family moved to Maple Shade from Moorestown in 1973 when I was in the 5th grade. Our first home was in Alden Park. Later we lived on S. Forklanding Road. I lived in town ever since, After high school- back with my parents a few times and 3 years in the Buttonwood Ave. apartments and 10 years in the Southern Cross apartments.
I eventually got the finances together, and purchased a small "Barlow bungalow". The house obviously dated from the mid 1920s with its old bathroom fixtures, etc... My neighbor, Stephanie Woyonski, who moved into their home in 1927 said my house was there when they moved in. My home owner's insurance said it was built in 1945! I wrote the Tax Assessor's office and they said "We have you down for 1940 but that's probably wrong." He gave me detailed instructions on how to go to the Burlington County Clerk's Office in Mount Holly and research my deed history on back to when the house was built. I did this.
The great thing was since my neighbor moved in in 1927 I went over her house and asked "Did you know these people?" and "Did you know these people?" and she told me some of the memories of the different ones! I was also amazed to see Levi Lippincott down for a land owner since there is a Lippincott Ave. I went to the Moorestown Library and found a book which had a whole chapter on the Lippincott family. I was facinated. I made copies of the Lippincott pages and read them over and over.
About a year passed by, and I was working with an old Jaycee, Ed Fowler. He told me about the Barlow Mansion and that the bar was in the basement when it was Bert's Old Mansion, and how when it burned down it was the Villa Capri. I would take little scraps of paper and said to him, "What was it again?" and wrote those down! His face would light up when he told of swimming at the Forklanding road bridge going into Cinnaminson, and at "White Bridge" on Coles Ave. going into Cherry Hill. When Infantile paralysis (polio) came to town people got scared and didn't know if dirty water caused it or what. He would come home all "looking like he had been swimming" from White Bridge and his Mom would say "Eddie were you swimming in the creek again?"
My next door neighbor Stephanie and me also started talking when we would see each other out in the yards. She told of rural days when they had a chicken house and she would take the eggs into Philly where she worked and sell them. I was hanging around some "Old Timers" now, and it was sure good to hear their stories!
Around that time I said to my Brother "Iam going to start a website about Maple Shade History" which was really a leap out there since I was only in my early 40s and didnt know anything about it to begin with! Well on December 16, 2002 I had enough information for a webpage or two and got a hit counter and started into researching. After I got a few good pages more and even a few photos I hit the streets and passed out 700 flyers in people's doors before the Police pulled me over and said, "I needed a Solicitor's Permit", of which when I went to apply for one they said "We can't give you one for a website, only if you are selling something".
Stephanie Woyonski died and later her brother Henry who I also used to go talk to and take notes. I attended each of their funerals. BTW another brother Ed also died. He was the one who put on all the additions onto the Woyonski house. At Stephanie's funeral, Little Eddie, said, "I have someone I want you to meet." The man came up to me and shook my hand and said, "Hi, I am Paul Tiver. I used to own Alden Park."
Actually my website started soon after the Maple Shade Township website. I emailed the link at it and told them that they should have a page about the town's history. They soon did. When I started my website on December 16, 2002, within one week I found out that Moorestown had separated from Maple Shade and the town's site was incorrect. I told them this. It wasn't until about Spring of 2003 that I knew there was a Maple Shade Historical Society still around and I joined it.
My learning about Maple Shade in the beginning was a result of having to add information to the website. The bug bit though soon after it started. My first and strongest point all along of research was how I started- searching title chains. It became apparent that every housing section (subdivision) traced back to generations of farmers having pioneer names.
The website took a year off several years back as I went offline. I really didn't miss it and was cutting back. Actually this past year was the worst year, I had a few medical situations and then was laid off. For several years the end goal hasn't been a history website but getting people interested in attending the Maple Shade Historical Society meetings and joining if interested. Society is not impressive. If not for any other reason they could come by to show support and respect.
-den
I started websites and learned all my html on WebTv. My family begged me to get a WebTv and I said, "I am not interested." Then they liked to bring that up later because I would spend like whole weekends on it, etc... I would go to the forums and learn html tables and get javascripts. I had WebTv related websites and even a frames based webpage with refreshing frames and a meter called the "Time Machine." My Mom looked at me like it was a Time Machine to me as in wasting my time, so I stopped that project.
I had a guitar making website as I built 5 classical guitars. It was called "densdoor." That is because a famous Spanish guitar maker, Miguel Rodriguez, made a series of guitars out of 300 year old church doors and they are called "Church door guitars." There is no densdoor really, I just bought regular luthier woods or went to Robert's Hardwoods in Barrington for some. When I started the Maple Shade website I decided to go with den with a small d so people wouldn't think of me as a big shot, and for years I had very little information on me there. Now I been involved with several projects so I have more personal information.
I remember my grandparents and aunts always saying they lived "Out in the country." By this they meant in east Moorestown. They used to mention things like "the mule pond." I was over my Mom's and she drew out a map of the Airport Road area, which showed where each type of orchard was, etc... About a week or so later I was over my Aunt's and she had a map she drew out, before I even got there! I started to phone call some of the names my Mother mentioned and it became a mutual project. Today some could think I stole the credit, but each one has their own write ups and I was the one who put it together and distributed the book.
-den
Listening to my Grandpop's stories of his boyhood influenced me. He was born in the year 1902. After the older 4 kids was a 12 year gap and then my Mom, so when Grandpop told the old stories, they were old! He told of how the Barnum Circus would parade down Broad Street in Philadelphia and all the schools would be off and him going to the circus all week.
Living in older houses growing up I think also sparked an interest. 3 houses had clawfoot tubs. 3 had high ceilings. 4 houses had radiators.
A lot of people have visited my Maple Shade History website over the years, yet few attend the Maple Shade Historical Society meetings. We have had speakers which kicked the daylights out of whatever you were watching on the boob tube! Well maybe I could have added other details to this page, but this was the general story of how the "history bug" bit me. I started with Title Chain searching. This actually puts you ahead as well as starts to afftect how you see primary and secondary sources. So much wrong history information is from people copying people who are wrong. Much is wrong because you know what happens when you ASSume.
-den
The Maple Shade Historical Society Chesterford schoolhouse and Collins Lane house and meetings etc.... I want to look into making a book of Tax rateables (a buck a page at Tax office!) That class action Clerk lawsuit never touched them or Surrogate's (3 bucks per copy).