Couple Chooses Swede Run for Wedding Photos

Coming of age in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Serena Thaw early on developed a fascination with ramshackle old buildings—marveling at the squat, run-down buildings seemingly plopped down in the middle of nowhere.

“I saw that all the time in the Pine Barrens. All those old mill towns … and now it’s just this empty patch,” she recalled.

So naturally, when a photographer friend snapped a picture of the Swede Run barn along Westfield Road, Thaw’s interest was immediately piqued. She attempted a little online research into the history of the 150-year-old structure, but turned up very little.

However, she was able to discover the and learned of the ’s campaign to save it.

It was around this time that Shaw, who lives in Collingswood, decided the barn would be the perfect backdrop for her wedding pictures. She and her fiance, Randy Blackwell, are getting married April 21.

The wedding will be a sort of tour of historical Moorestown, with the ceremony at 170-year-old and the reception at the bookending the day. But for Thaw, the Swede Run barn is perhaps the most special stop.

“To me, the buildings that need a little TLC are perfect backgrounds—for any kind of shoot, but especially for weddings,” said the amateur photographer.

The fact that the barn, whatever its condition, remains standing in such a suburban landscape, surrounded as it is by residential and commercial development is “just amazing,” said Thaw. “Cause let’s face it, this is South Jersey. There’s a strip mall every 10 feet.”

Julie Maravich, an organizer for the restoration project, indicated the Historical Society is so at least the exterior improvements can be done in time for Thaw’s wedding.

Thaw said she was initially nervous when she found out the barn was going to be undergoing restorations for fear her wedding pictures might be stymied by massive construction vehicles crowding the shot. But after firing off a blind email to the Historical Society expressing her interest in doing the shoot there, she was encouraged by their prompt response.

“They definitely want us to do it,” she said. “It would be a nice kind of a celebration (of the project) to have these pictures taken (in front of the barn).”

She added, “At this point, I’m trying not to freak myself out, or worry too much about the what ifs … It’s not something we can control, so we’re not losing any sleep over it.”

Roughly $16,000 has been raised to date for the restoration project. Maravich said she .

While much of the work on the project is , the money raised through donations will pay for materials and other ancillary costs.

Donations by check should be made out to The Historical Society of Moorestown with “barn restoration” on the memo line. Donations should be mailed to Julie Maravich, 660 Chester Ave., Moorestown, NJ 08057.