Clementon Historical Commission

Clementon Historical Commission Sharing the history of the town once called "South Jersey's Coney Island." Inspired by former town historian John H. In 2005, the John. H. Fisher, Jr.

In 2001, a small group of dedicated Clementon citizens formed the Clementon Historical Commission. Fisher, Jr., the group endeavored to make Fisher’s long-held dream – a place to house and display Clementon history – a reality. Historical Museum opened its doors in the onetime council chambers of Clementon’s former borough hall at the intersection of Gibbsboro and White Horse Roads. Fisher wouldn’

t live to see his dream come to fruition; however, his careful organization serves as the cornerstone of the Museum’s collection. In Fisher’s spirit, the Commission collects historical documents and memorabilia lent and donated by residents present and past, making them available for the enjoyment and education of all visitors.

The first half of 2026 has been quite a ride, but now its time to put your hands in the air and get ready to enjoy the u...
05/29/2026

The first half of 2026 has been quite a ride, but now its time to put your hands in the air and get ready to enjoy the unofficial start of summer time fun!

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far s...
05/25/2026

"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." - Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address, 1863.

Happy Memorial Day, all. May your day be filled with moments of remembrance and fun enough to honor those who cannot celebrate with us.

Don't forget to join us TODAY at 11am at Heroes Park for Clementon's Memorial Day Service. In the event of rain, service...
05/25/2026

Don't forget to join us TODAY at 11am at Heroes Park for Clementon's Memorial Day Service. In the event of rain, services will be held in the Clementon Community Center located in the Fire Hall 165 Gibbsboro Rd.

We hope to see you there!

To those whose stories were lost to time, we honor your names and your sacrifice.
05/25/2026

To those whose stories were lost to time, we honor your names and your sacrifice.

Richard Wessel was raised in Clementon and attended Overbrook High School. After graduation, Richard enlisted in the U. ...
05/24/2026

Richard Wessel was raised in Clementon and attended Overbrook High School. After graduation, Richard enlisted in the U. S. Army with several other Clementon friends earned his place with the Army Rangers during the Vietnam War. He served with honor and distinction, receiving the Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal.

Richard did not perish in Vietnam. In fact, he came home and owned and operated Richard’s Natural Foods Restaurant & Store in Voorhees from 1980 to 1996. The costs of Vietnam, however, stayed with him. Richard developed cancer in the late 90s from the effects of Agent Orange defoliant.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S military engaged in an aggressive program of chemical warfare code named Operation Ranch Hand. More than 13 million gallons of Agent Orange, the most potent and widely used of the different herbicides, was used in Vietnam and designed destroy foliage, forest cover, and food crops for the North Vietnamese. In 1988, Dr. James Clary, an Air Force researcher associated with Operation Ranch Hand, wrote to then Senator Tom Daschle noting that military was aware of the negative effects and potential for damage due to Agent Orange when the program was developed, but assumed that only the enemy would be exposed to the material. “We never considered a scenario in which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide.”

Unlike the others from this series, Richard made it home from overseas, but the effects of the war still took his life. Richard passed away on November 17, 2000.

Francis "Frank" Dillon was born and raised in Clementon and graduated from Overbrook Regional High School in 1965 before...
05/24/2026

Francis "Frank" Dillon was born and raised in Clementon and graduated from Overbrook Regional High School in 1965 before enlisting in the US Navy in 1966 and shipping out to Vietnam.

Seaman Dillon was killed on April 29, 1967 in an accident in Quang Nam province when he was pinned beneath an overturned forklift while serving as a storekeeper. In an Op-ed written for the Courier post in June of 1967, the author wrote of Frank, "[He] was a boy that was good to his Mother, Mrs. William Dillon. This past May he sent her flowers for Mother's Day. There was only one thing wrong. He was already dead."

Seaman First Class Dillon was survived by his parents and brother William who also served in Vietnam. He is buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Berlin, NJ.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Aspell, and raised by his aunt Mrs. Sarah Aspell Gibbs, William Aspell was born in 193...
05/24/2026

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Aspell, and raised by his aunt Mrs. Sarah Aspell Gibbs, William Aspell was born in 1930. He grew up in Clementon, and attended St. Joe's Preparatory School before enlisting in the Army in January 1948. William shipped out to the Pacific in September 1948 serving in both Japan and Korea as a member of the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.

On July 29,1950, Private First Class Aspell was reported Missing in Action. The last correspondence his family had received from him was a letter saying, "I am going on a vacation in Korea and will write later. Don't worry." Though he was listed on a possible prisoner of war list in December of the same year, it was later confirmed that William was killed in action on July 29, 1950 while fighting the enemy in South Korea.

William was posthumously promoted to Corporal and survived by his parents, four sisters, two brothers, and his aunt.

Private William C. Wieland was born in Pennsylvania in 1914, and moved to Clementon with his parents, Frederick and Cath...
05/23/2026

Private William C. Wieland was born in Pennsylvania in 1914, and moved to Clementon with his parents, Frederick and Catherine Wieland, in 1930. William worked as a caddy at Pine Valley Golf Course until 1936, when he followed in his father's WWI Veteran footsteps and enlisted in the United States Army.

William was stationed in the Philippines and served in the Battle of Bataan, widely accepted as the most intense phase of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The battle lasted from January 7, 1942 to April 9, 1942. At the end, almost 76,000 U.S. and Filipino forces surrendered to the Japanese and became prisoners of war who were forced to walk the infamous Bataan Death March. On July 5, 1943, the Camden Morning Post reported that William had been taken as a prisoner, though it was likely he was already dead at that point.

Private Wieland was awarded the Purple Heart for his service.

John "Jack" Davis was born the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Davis and spent most of his life in Audubon before moving to C...
05/23/2026

John "Jack" Davis was born the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Davis and spent most of his life in Audubon before moving to Clementon in 1941 before his Senior year of high school at the Lower Camden County Regional Senior High. An avid swimmer, he competed on the swim team and lifeguarded at Pine Lake for three years before enlisting in the US Marine Corps in 1943. His mother was at one time secretary of the United Mothers Club of Clementon and Vicinity, and was also active in the Fort Dix Camp and Hospital council.

Private First Class Davis fought in the Battle of Okinawa, the last large battle of WWII in the Pacific and one of the most brutal. The Battle lasted from April 1 - June 22, 1945 and would see losses of over 12,500 on the U.S. side and 110,000 on the Japanese side. A member of 6th Marine Division, Jack was killed in action on June 6, 1945, just weeks before the Battle ended. The U.S. ultimately won the Battle of Okinawa and not long after dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that would end the war.

PFC Davis was survived by his parents and his brother Harry, a Sergeant in the US Marine Corps.

Joseph Steffan Jr. was born in Pennsylvania in 1922 but moved to Clementon as a child with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jos...
05/23/2026

Joseph Steffan Jr. was born in Pennsylvania in 1922 but moved to Clementon as a child with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Steffan Sr, half-brother, and half-sisters. Steffan had already completed his first year of college when he enlisted in the United States Army Reserves as a Private on December 2, 1942 knowing that he would be sent to the Air Corps after Activation.

Trained as a B-24 bomber pilot and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, on November 12, 1944 Joseph Steffan reported to the 712th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group at Station 146, Seething, Norfolk, UK. On March 25, 1945, LT Steffan was on a mission to destroy an Oil Refinery in Buchen, Germany (East Germany) when his division got detached from the Group because of heavy clouds and bad weather. Joseph’s division was attacked by German ME 262 Jets. The lone survivor, Second Lieutenant Gerald Gottlieb, was taken prisoner by the Germans and released after the war. He later noted that Joseph’s plane exploded almost immediately upon being hit.

A memorial to the men of the 448th who perished in WWII was dedicated on June 6, 1984 at Seething Airfield, Norfolk, England.

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195 Gibbsboro Road
Clementon, NJ
08021

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