Old Weird Philly: Catoxen Cabin

(Apologies for the flood of posts: I have amassed a large backlog of images lately, so I'm trying to catch up. — Ed.)

This is Catoxen Cabin, which is found in a Quaker summer camp outside of Medford, NJ. It dates back to around 1909. This cabin was the base of operations for the revered Philadelphia ornithologist and botanist Whitmer Stone, whose landmark books on South Jersey birds and plants are currently enjoying their centennial anniversaries (the bird book is slightly older, but we're not being that technical here). His book on Southern NJ plants (available in pdf form here) remains a valuable resource for those native plant lovers interested in seeking out the historical locations of rare native plants (Stone dutifully cites the locations of plant populations in his book).

You can see original photos of Catoxen Cabin here.

Handsomely proportioned cabin, isn't it. The porch was extended by a couple feet some time ago when they replaced the roof, but otherwise it remains in its original form. My good friend Bill, an architectural historian, was amazed to find this cabin in such good condition: it was either forgotten by most local naturalists, or it was assumed that the cabin fell into ruin decades ago (Quakers throw nothing away, thank goodness). Bill suspects than an architect friend of Stone's may have had a hand in designing the cabin. I agree that the proportions seem pretty deft for a layman.

A symposium on the works of Whitmer Stone is being planned for the Sept. 30 - Oct. 2nd weekend. I'm a member of the planning committee (yes I am middle-aged), so I'll be making announcements here as details are firmed up.