Decorations from The Mt. Laurel Garden Club will adorn the hall’s antiques and artifacts at upcoming open house events.
Locals looking for a fun way to spend Sunday afternoons this December won’t have to travel farther than Mt. Laurel’s own historic Farmer’s Hall.
Located at the intersection of Moorestown-Mt. Laurel Road and Hainesport-Mt. Laurel Road, Farmer’s Hall sits just as it has since 1866 when it was first built as a place for Mt. Laurel’s farming community to share tips and get better prices for supplies.
With Farmer’s Hall now serving as its headquarters, the Mt. Laurel Historical Society will once again hold its annual holiday open house at Farmer’s Hall throughout December.
With seasonal decorations on both floors of Farmer’s Hall provided by the Mt. Laurel Garden Club, Historical Society president Fran Daily said the historical society would love for residents to come out and see the holiday display.
“They (the garden club) always do a really good job, and it always looks really nice when they’re finished,” Daily said. “We’ll also have cider and cookies for people as well.”
Daily described the open houses as “countrified,” so there won’t be flashy, extravagant decorations contrasting with the historic nature of the hall. Instead, the decorations will complement the antiques and artifacts on display.
“It’s a quaint, charming kind of thing,” Daily said.
And for those who may have visited Farmer’s Hall in the past, Daily said the historical society is diligent about rotating its artifacts on a regular basis so visitors always have something new to see.
For those who might be especially captivated by Farmer’s Hall or the general history of Mt. Laurel, Daily also encourages residents to become full-time members of the historical society. Daily said the society started in 1972 when there were plans to potentially demolish Farmer’s Hall after it was no longer needed to serve as the township’s municipal building as it had from 1904 through 1969.
“People said ‘no, no no, we’ll save the building,’ and so the Mt. Laurel Historical Society was formed,” Daily said.
With monthly meetings, presentations, speakers and other events, the society has continued to meet since.
“We’re always looking for new members,” Daily said. “We’d love for more people to come out.”
In the meantime, Daily said this year’s open houses are set for Sundays Dec. 4, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. The open house events will be free of charge, but donations will be accepted. The society’s gift shop will also be open.
In addition to those dates, an open house will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. and also serve as the society’s regular meeting for December.
Refreshments will be served at the open house events, and all are welcome.
