Bertha Brown Bendel has seen a lot from her front porch in her 89 years. She has seen Moorestown change from a rural town of farms to a bustling business district.
“I used to be able to count the cars as they passed by on Main Street,” Bendel said. “It was a very happy life. It is very hectic now.”
Bendel’s home was built in 1889 and she has lived there for the majority of her life. She inherited the home from her parents, who earned the house through hard work and dedication.
“My parents worked for the Moore family, who owned the house before they did,” Bendel said. “They did the cooking, housekeeping, gardening and even worked as the chauffeur for the three Quaker siblings. And when the Moore family passed on, they left the house to my parents.”
Over the years, Bendel has seen Moorestown evolve. And while the physical look of the town has continued to change, she sees that most of the people still share the same values that made the town what it was.
“I have seen business change and move,” she said. “I’ve seen farms turned into stores. What I haven’t seen is the people change too much. And I’ve seen it all from my front porch.”
Bendel has enjoyed the front porch of that house on Main Street since she was a child, watching the world pass by her. Four years ago, though, the dynamic of the front porch changed.
Bendel has always been close with Mazie Stackhouse, 91. The two went to school together at Moorestown High School; they worked together in Philadelphia when their husbands went off to war; and now, they eat dinner together on Bendel’s front porch a few times a week.
“We eat dinner together and then we come out to the front porch to sit and talk,” Bendel said. “We would love to do it every night, but the weather isn’t always good and my husband doesn’t want to cook every single night.”
They began this ritual four years ago, when Stackhouse’s husband passed away. The two have always been close, but their relationship has grown in these last four years.
“It’s great sitting back and talking with someone you’ve known for so long,” Bendel said. “And it’s fun talking about all the history we see on Main Street. She has seen just as much change as I have, and now we get to look out on all the changes and just talk and remember. It is very peaceful.”
Whether it’s stories about the town jail that used to be next door to her house or the First United Methodist Church that is now a bank, the two have seen quite a lot in their time. And they are not sure where Moorestown will go in the future.
“I hope they cut down on the building and leave some green spaces, but I’m not sure,” Bendel said. “No matter what, though, Moorestown will always be a beautiful place and it’s been wonderful watching it from my front porch.”
