The medal for the winning team of the baseball game.

From The Times, Philadelphia, PA, July 5, 1896.

We have the program for Wenonah's 1895 Independence Day celebration in the WHS Museum archives. The start time is now a little later ... at 6:00 AM. The tub race and fireworks continue, and a room can be reserved at the Wenonah Inn for $2.50.

The ballgame seems to be a regular event in Wenonah's Independence Day celebration. Early contests saw Wenonah play a visiting team, "summer girls" play "summer boys," and single men play married men. In 1904, it was Wenonahites vs ex-Wenonahites. From the newspaper article on July 6, that match-up may not have been such a good idea.

Wenonah's 1892 Independence Day celebration started at 5:30 AM with the ringing of church bells and firing of cannons (Gloucester County Democrat, July 6, 1892). The sporting events included the tub race and a bicycle race from Woodbury to Wenonah.

Richard A. Dilks donated this leather tag from Wenonah's 1890 Fourth of July Celebration. Rich believes it may have been an award given to the winner of one of the day's competitions. Unfortunately, we do not have a copy of the program for that year in the WHS Museum.

The article mentons contests on page 2. Winners were given a silver medal and last place finishers were given a leather emblem.

The next July 4th program that we have in the WHS Museum is from the 1895 celebration --- 23 years after the first one in 1872. However, the museum has copies of newspaper articles that document five celebrations during these 23 years. The first (from the July 8, 1874 Gloucester County Democrat) is shown below.

Here's the program for Wenonah's very first July 4th celebration. It's from 1872, the same year the Wenonah House was opened and the year before Wenonah was incorporated. In 1872, there were 10 houses in Wenonah and during the summer season, the 40-room Wenonah House was fully booked. Two more items that you may find interesting: the celebration started at 5:00 AM and ended at 11:30 PM --- a full 18 1/2 hours; and dinner and supper could be purchased from the Wenonah House for 75 cents and 50 cents, respectively.