Visit & Research
The Research Room
The Research Room is the working heart of the Historical Society. Its shelves hold decades of obituaries, boxes of photographs, school histories, yearbooks and family files from Penns Grove, Carneys Point and Oldmans. Whether you’re tracing an ancestor, looking up an old classmate or curious about the house you live in, this is the place to start.
What’s on the Shelves
What You’ll Find
Volunteers have spent years gathering, labeling and organizing the records of our three towns. Here’s a look at what you can explore.
Families & Genealogy
Family History Records
Many visitors begin with our obituary binders, organized by date and kept up to date through 2025. Alongside them are death records from Union Presbyterian Church (1946–2008), baptism and marriage records, and Burial Grounds of Upper Penns Neck, a guide to the area’s cemeteries.
Our military books, arranged alphabetically by name, record local men and women who served, along with regiment histories and World War II material.
Photographs
The Photograph Collection
Our photographs are kept in numbered archival boxes, sorted by subject: schools and sports, the YMCA and Kamp Karney, churches, clubs and organizations, parades, fire and police, merchants, and the Delaware River with its ferries, boats, piers, bridges, railroad and trolley. There is also an Oldmans Collection and a run of Individuals & Families boxes from A to Z.
A Photo Guide shows what is in each box. Please ask a volunteer for help with the photo boxes.
Schools
School History
Binders follow Penns Grove High School decade by decade, from its years on Maple Avenue to Harding Highway, along with histories of the area’s grammar schools: Harmony Street, West Harmony, Broad Street, Lafayette, Pershing, Maple Avenue and more, plus the schools of Carneys Point and Oldmans.
You’ll also find files on teachers and coaches, a list of PGHS graduates from 1890 to 2025, and a tribute to Eleanor Clunn’s 40 years of teaching.
Yearbooks
Nearly Eighty Years of Yearbooks
Our yearbook shelf runs from the 1947 Re-Hi Retrospect to the latest Penns Grove High School Retrospect: class portraits, clubs, teams, dances and senior trips.
A yearbook is often the quickest way to put a face to a name, find a parent’s or grandparent’s class photo, or see what the school looked like in a given year.
Sports & Community
Sports, Industry and Town Life
Red PGHS sports binders gather clippings and records for football back to 1949, track from 1920, baseball from 1921, basketball from 1937, and girls’ sports.
Other shelves cover local industry, including DuPont, the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, the Carneys Pointer, and bound volumes of the Penns Grove Sun.
Popular Research Topics
Families & People
- Obituaries
- Military service files
- Burial grounds of Upper Penns Neck
- Baptisms & marriages
- Individuals & Families photo boxes
Schools & Sports
- PGHS yearbooks, 1947–2025
- PGHS graduates, 1890–2025
- Grammar schools of all three towns
- Teachers & coaches
- PGHS sports records
Town Life
- Churches
- YMCA & Kamp Karney
- Merchants & businesses
- Industry & DuPont
- Delaware River & transportation
- Parades, fire & police
- Scouting
Before You Come
Plan Your Visit
Call Ahead
Research visits are by appointment, so a volunteer can be there to help. Call 856-299-1556 to set a time.
Bring What You Know
Names, dates, addresses, schools, churches or old family photos all help us point you to the right binder or box.
Ask for Help
Our volunteers know the collection well. Please ask for assistance with the photo boxes, and handle original photographs and yearbooks with care.
Museum open Sundays 1–3 PM (seasonally) · research by appointment
Help Us Grow the Collection
Have old photographs, yearbooks, obituaries or family papers from Penns Grove, Carneys Point or Oldmans? We welcome donations and loans of items connected with our towns.