Tour six lovely homes
Haddonfield House Tour - Thursday December 12th 2024
Bring your friends and family to Haddonfield on Thursday, December 12 for the Haddonfield House Tour and explore one of South Jersey's most historic and charming towns. This year’s self-guided Tour features six historic Haddonfield homes all decked out in their holiday best.
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First up is a fabulous tiny home. Take your time and look around at all the wonderful artworks done by the owner and other local artists including John Giannotti. See if you can spot a part of history in a shadowbox, once worn by the owner in the late 80’s! A small deck overlooks the beautiful tall pines where you can imagine a cup of coffee and a good book.
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The next home is a three-story American Four Square with its seasonally decorated front porch. A small, decorated tree will greet you in the foyer and the stockings hung on the staircase are handmade needlepoint stockings that the homeowner’s mother made. The piano room is decorated with 20 years of photos of the family’s children with Santa and a Nativity scene that was a wedding gift. As you travel through the house make sure to take a look at the artwork hanging in the dining room and the family room.
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Your next stop will be a stately classic brick center hall home built in 1928. You will enter through the grand entrance hall. The home has had two major renovations, one in 2016 and one in 2023. The 2016 renovation focused on a specious kitchen with a center island and a wonderful sitting area at the end of the kitchen. The formal dining room will be set for the family’s traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes. The Christmas tree sits in the family room.
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Step back in time when you enter this home built in 1894 in the classic federal style. The front door is framed by beautiful stained glass, turn to your right and look at the map of Haddonfield – can you find the home you are standing in currently? A scene hand painted by the owner’s aunt adorns the stairway along with additional stained glass. The Christmas tree is a trip down memory lane for the family with ornaments they have collected through the years. The house will be decorated with poinsettias throughout. The kitchen will be home to the second Christmas tree and will offer a view of the holiday lights in the backyard.
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Staying in the 19th century this next home was built in the 1880’s. The original structure only had two rooms per floor, later a side porch and two-story addition was added and in the 1980’s a one-story breakfast room was added to the back of the house. Each room is decorated in a different color scheme. Portraits of the homeowner's parents are dressed with felt Santa hats. The last room on the tour is the breakfast room decorated in red, with the highlight being strands of Christmas carol lyrics and ribbons hung from the ceiling.
This center hall Colonial was built in 1957, earlier owners added the extension to the left side of the house in 2005. You will start the tour in the grand kitchen and step down into the family room. Notice the exquisite hardwood columns that frame the step down into the area and the built-in bookshelves – and then try to guess where the secret door to the office. Your next stop is the living room. Notice the stately grandfather clock in the corner. The homeowner’s grandfather who used to live on Colonial Avenue and was a 1923 graduate of HMHS presented the clock to the family as a gift. It has been in the McGettigan family for more than 200 years! The living room is also the home of the main Christmas tree and If you look through the windows, you can see the outdoor Christmas, lit up in all its glory.
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