We certainly endorse and support the proposed partnership between the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Passalaqua Post 1026 and the Troopers United Fund of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) that would see the two organizations join forces on renewing and repairing the VFW Hall on S. Egg Harbor Road.
The VFW Hall’s origins are as the Hotel Raleigh (also referred to as the Hotel Royal in The Story of Hammonton by William McMahon) in the late 1800s. Later, the building was the headquarters of New Jersey State Police Troop A. The building then became the headquarters of the VFW, which it has been for decades.
NJSP Detective Andrew Silipino grew up in Hammonton and is a co-founder and president of the Troopers United Foundation. He is actively involved in the 100th anniversary of the NJSP this year and said he is looking forward to working with the VFW on their property and building.
“They have some struggles and some building issues, and Troopers United is getting bigger as a foundation. We have an online store that helps us raise money, so we need a shipping center and a place for our meetings and to host events, so we’re going to be working with the VFW to repair their property and their building to make it a nicer place for new members to come in for the VFW, as well as giving Troopers United a home in the very first headquarters for the New Jersey State Police,” Silipino said.
The proposed partnership and project to revitalize the VFW Hall on S. Egg Harbor Road is the latest Hammonton project in a recent era of renewal that includes the historic town clock, the 11th Street Fields and its street hockey rink, parks throughout town and many more visible signs of reinvestment in the community. We encourage all Hammontonians to find a public project worth working on and keep the momentum going.