A Look At Local History: Hurley Mansion

BY: JASMINE FARRELL

The yellow brick building on White Horse Pike is over 170 years old and carries tales, time and maybe… a former lingering owner.

Today, the mansion is a wonderful place to catch one of your favorite local plays, bands, or comedians. But the Hurley Mansion, also known as the Scottish Rite Auditorium, has some stories to tell according to David J. Herman Jr, secretary of the Scottish Rite Masons of Southern Valley. Herman has been working at the Rite Auditorium since 2002.

It’s not fully clear when Hurley mansion was used as a sanitarium for unwed mothers, but we do know at one point it was operated by Dr. William Albert Davis. As the various owners of the mansion changed between 1850 to the early 1900s, William Hurley eventually got his hands on the estate. The successful furniture chain store owner purchased the property in 1909 and it has been reported that Teddy Roosevelt stayed at the mansion on at least two occasions.

Unfortunately, Hurley passed away suddenly while on vacation in 1928. His two sons convinced their mother, Sara Hurley, to sell the property to the Scottish Rite Valley of Southern New Jersey who had recently begun to obtain an increase in membership and funds and decided it was time to root themselves. So, an agreement was made between The Scottish Rite Masons and Sara and in 1930, the masons bought the 80-year-old mansion for $125,000.

In 2003, the Borough of Collingswood signed a 50-year lease with the Scottish Rite Masons. Major renovations took place to accommodate live entertainment in the auditorium and for the general public to visit. The property also hosts weddings and other intimate events.

Renovations, modifications, building expansion and seasons of ‘freshening up’, are ongoing. Nevertheless, the Masons made sure to preserve as much of the white mansion as they could. The mansion is still home to a few furniture pieces, windows and other inner pieces which have been honored since the late 1800s. There are at least two fireplaces that have been preserved and

please see HISTORY, page 24

NM-00005485