Area residents are invited to celebrate the birthday of Dr. James Still, known as the “Back Doctor of the Pines,” who was born on April 9, 1812.
The Dr. James Still education center at 211 Church Road in Medford, will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. Cake, ice-cream punch, tours and activities for children and adults will fill the afternoon in commemoration of one of Medford’s most celebrated historical figures.
Dr. Still was born into poverty in Indian Mills, New Jersey, as the son of formerly enslaved parents. When he died in 1882 he was one of the wealthiest landowners in Burlington County. Renowned for the herbal remedies he concocted, he treated hundreds of patents, curing some that licensed doctors could not heal.
Dr. Still’s office, located at 209 Church Road, was purchased by the state of New Jersey in 2006 after standing vacant for years. It has remained empty and unrestored. It was the first African-American historic site purchased by state green acres dollars.
The Medford Historical Society operates the education center, located next door in the 1912 Bunning farmhouse, where it teaches school classes and conducts programs and special events for adults and families.
