Days of Yore

Bill Hall Band

as recounted by Bill Day

This land was the right side of  Grove Street, beginning at Hopkins lane, extending to Hawthorne avenue and running back to Narbert avenue.  It was fittingly known as the Birdwood section after the Hopkins’ mansion “Birdwood”, there by the Hopkins Pond.  After building up the tract, Gilbert thought that a clubhouse would enhance community spirit, so at his own expense, he erected a structure on Hawthorne avenue which he named the Birdwood Club.  Its use was free to the residents of Birdwood for any social activity such as card parties, dancing, birthday parties, or wedding receptions.

Eventually, a $1 a year dues was established to insure privacy.  For some reason the Club never became too popular with the residents.  There was no snack bar, and, of course, no liquor was served.  One successful program every year, though, was the Fourth of July festivities.  This program was planned by Gilbert, with the assistance of his son, Ben, and also always helping were Bill Herman, Charlie Herman, and Mr. Jones, who later became the club manager.

When Leonard Dudley became chairman of the Fourth Celebration Association, the festivities were extended up to the Kings highway, and the parade that is held every year was initiated.

It was decided to hold a public dance on Tuesday and Saturday evenings each week and William Hall, (now a long time Haddonfield resident), was contacted.  Bill had organized a 13 piece orchestra, composed of local boys, a short time before.  After rehearsing for a month, they had been playing a dance at Mitten at Temple University, when Bill accepted an invitation to play for tourists on an ocean liner of the French liner, The Ile de France, that was plying across the Atlantic on a round trip to Europe.

With this background, the Bill Hall Orchestra began playing for the weekly dances at the Birdwood Club after Labor Day in 1934.  Usually over 300 were at the dances every evening.  The young folk came from all over South Jersey and particularly they were from the Mt Ephram section of Camden.

Bill Hall led the band, and Ed Pratt, a local boy, was the vocalist who played guitar and , “a la Rudy Vallee”, he used a megaphone while singing.  The Warner-Haines Orchestra which played for the dances later, was also composed of a group of South Jersey boys.  It was probably the last to play there.

When the maintenance of the building became too much of a problem, our Post Number 38 of the American Legion purchased the property and it became the new home of the Legion.

Reminiscing with Bill Hall and big Ben Gilbert made most of this column possible.