James Turk likes to point out the irony of a place once known as “Helltown” near his South Jersey home that is now owned by a church.
“There was a tavern in Richwood that had a notorious reputation,” Turk recently told NJ Advance Media. “It was in business by 1814. The notoriety of it was such that the area became known as Helltown.”
The White Horse Tavern, “Helltown,” was torn down around 1860. The fellowship hall of Richwood United Methodist Church now sits on the property on Richwood Road in Harrison Township, Gloucester County.
The story of Helltown is central to a new exhibit called Last Call: Taverns and Temperance. Turk is a member of the Harrison Township Historical Society, which opened the exhibit earlier this month. It focuses on the colorful history of taverns, temperance, prohibition, bootlegging, distilleries, and wineries in Harrison, which also includes Mullica Hill.
“In the late 18th century, there was legislation encouraging the establishment of taverns,” Turk said. “Taverns were seen as essential for commerce, to have places where people can do business.”
Because of the state’s location between New York and Philadelphia, taverns proliferated in colonial New Jersey, the historical society said. There were over 400 at the time of the revolution.
Taverns were among the few public meeting places in New Jersey from the 17th into the 19th century, Turk said. The Township Committee here met in Mullica Hill’s two taverns for almost 30 years before a town hall was built in 1871.
“By then, society needed regulations for drinking to avoid the debilitating effects of alcohol,” Turk said. “It’s a double-edged sword.”
The exhibit explores this story through a collection of artifacts, images and documents, including a tavern table from Helltown; a quilt made by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union; and an 1840s minute book from the Harrisonville Division of the Sons of Temperance. There are more than 70 items in the exhibit.
It also explores the tension that existed between the use of alcohol and distilleries, temperance, local prohibition and repeal from the 18th century to the present.
Temperance was part of a larger movement promoting social reform, including abolition, Turk said. Organizations such as the Sons of Temperance and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union established multiple chapters in Old Harrison and actively promoted the cause of prohibition.
Last Call: Taverns and Temperance is open Saturday and Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m. through June 8 at the Old Town Hall Museum, 62 S. Main St. Admission is free.
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Bill Duhart may be reached at bduhart@njadvancemedia.com.
