Haddonfield's Greenfield Hall Has Haunted History

HADDONFIELD, NJ — Historic and spooky: those two words are used to describe a well-known Haddonfield landmark.

Greenfield Hall in Haddonfield is the headquarters for Haddonfield’s Historical Society. It is the third structure built on the property, beginning with a log cabin that dates back to the 1700s.

It was originally a gift from Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh to her first cousin John Gill I in 1728. John Gill II (1721-1796), son of the first John Gill, built the next house on the property. He had received the property as a gift from his father in 1747, according to the Haddonfield Historical Society.

John Gill IV was the builder of the house known today as Greenfield Hall. In the 1840s, he married a wealthy woman from Moorestown, whose ghost is thought to have haunted the home, including in a peculiar incident that happened when borough officials repainted the home in the 1960s.

A painter was alone late night when he came across an old woman, small, dressed in the simple gray garb and white bonnet of a Quaker. It wasn’t long before the woman, who represented the painting of former homeowner Mrs. Elizabeth Gill, vanished like a puff of smoke, according to an account published on Haddon Patch in 2011.

There are other haunting accounts from the borough of Haddonfield, including the tale of two girls who came down with the flu when they lived in a home in the 1950s, more than 100 years after two other young girls who lived in the home died of the flu. Was a ghost trying to take care of them when they claim he kept covering them in blankets?

They are covered as part of the Historical Society of Haddonfield’s Haunted Haddonfield Walking Tours, which take place this year on Oct. 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30. Rain date is Oct. 31.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Proceeds benefit the Historical Society of Haddonfield. All tickets must be purchased in advance, and can be bought here. Tours will be limited to 40 participants.

All participants 2 years and older must wear face coverings, and participants will have to follow social distancing guidelines. Participants should bring a flashlight.

The walk is less than 1 mile with several stops through a cemetery. The tour lasts about 45 minutes and may include uneven sidewalks, brick paths, and unpaved paths. Call the Historical Society’s office at 856-429-7375 to discuss more specifics.