Peaches are keeping the 254-year-old Mt. Laurel meetinghouse in tip-top shape thanks to Mt. Laurel Meeting’s annual summer event.
On Saturday, Aug. 2, hundreds of Mt. Laurel residents will gather at one of the township’s oldest historic sites for the 23rd annual Mt. Laurel Meeting Peach Festival.
Amid the many peach cakes, pies and ice cream, residents will be able to tour the Mt. Laurel meetinghouse. Built in 1760, it is one of the oldest meetinghouses in the Delaware Valley. All proceeds from the festival go toward upkeep of the building.
Lucy Beard, a member of Mt. Laurel Meeting, said the fundraiser has been essential to keeping the meetinghouse up to date.
“Over the last 15 years, we put heat in the building so we can have meetings in the winter there,” she said. We’ve put in a kitchen and a bathroom. We’ve re-pointed the chimneys and some of the stone work on it.”
The meetinghouse has a long history dating back to the Revolutionary War. George Clinton’s British army stopped at the meetinghouse prior to fighting at the Battle of Monmouth. His army used the farmhouse on the property as a barracks.
“Soldiers who were injured were sheltered inside,” Beard said.
After the war, the meetinghouse opened a school. This was the first school in Mt. Laurel and would remain the only one for a number of years.
“Classes were held there until the township built their own school,” Beard said.
Today, Mt. Laurel Meeting still gathers weekly at the house. While there is some interest throughout the year in the history of the property, it is during the peach festival when the history truly comes alive.
“A couple of our members sit in the meetinghouse and talk about its history,” Beard said.
Haines Farm in Salem County donates the peaches used at the festival. Mt. Laurel Meeting members make all the cakes and pies for the event.
The ice cream is also homemade and is churned in front of the guests prior to it being served.
“We have a gas-powered engine that churns the ice cream,” Beard said. “We have vanilla ice cream and also have peach.”
There will be other entertainment at the event as well. Pretzels the Clown will be on hand to entertain the children with balloon animals and magic tricks. There will also be a number of classic cars on display.
Beard is hoping residents who have not come out to the event in previous years will take some time to visit the festival. She said many Mt. Laurel residents are not originally from the town and don’t know about the history of the building. She feels through the festival, residents will be able to appreciate this history more and can help with the meetinghouse’s upkeep for years to come.
“It’s where Mt. Laurel started,” Beard said.
