Interview with Glassboro resident and Rowan alum Maureen St. John, (3/15)
Glassboro resident Maureen St. John recounts her experiences with the Franklin House. From its impact on Glassboro to its reputation as the local hotspot for fun and socializing to the interaction between the two populations that reside in Glassboro (Students and Local Residents), we discover that the location of the Franklin House, now the Landmark, serves as a common middle ground where these two populations converge and interact.
Highlights:
"In the 1970s, 18 was the drinking age, so it was a hub. It was a very big social place, especially on Thursday nights.There was dancing, there was a package goods store which was convenient for the college kids and for the other people in town. Always a hub of constant traffic."
Implication: The Franklin House was always a hub of action in town, even during Glassboro's beginnings, when it was located across from the post office and general store. This location's importance as a space for he community to convene continued into the 70s when Maureen went to school here, and even continues today: The Landmark Grill now shares a parking lot with a Walgreens pharmacy.
"Even once the drinking age was changed, it was still part of the culture. It's been around so long and so many people traveled through that place."
Implication: While drinking might be what brings people together in this space, the ultimate takeaway is that 'going out' has been a part of this town's culture for decades and continues to be the apex of the social scene even today.
"It’s sad that it’s gone but things have to change and prosper. It’s bittersweet but I found acceptance by taking advantage of it. It [the college] is changing the community for the better.”
Implication: Maureen has positive memories of the Franklin House from her time as a Glassboro State student, but accepts the change that has come upon The Franklin House and Glassboro as a result of the growth and change that the town has underwent in the past few decades. Change is always imminent, especially in a college town, but it is what one does in the face of the change that is most important. Maureen has been able to participate in the college community and better realtions between students and locals, which has elevated her experience as a local in this town.Listen to the full interview here:
Interview with Glassboro resident Chris (4/21)
Chris has lived in Glassboro for all 58 years of his life. He has been a kind and helpful neighbor; He mows our lawn for us, takes our garbage cans to the curb, and helps us with general maintenance on the house. During the winter, our heat stopped working. We texted both our landlord and Chris. Chris came over the next day and fixed the problem before my landlord even responded to the message. He always stops to chat when he sees us in our backyard or in front of our house, making it a point to ask about our studies. In almost every conversation we’ve had, I thank him for helping us out, and he always says that it’s the least he could do, that we’re students and we should be focused on school, not house maintenance. Chris brought us candy on Halloween, took in our mail during winter break, and brought us a homecooked meal on Easter Sunday when none of us went home to see our families.
He loves Rowan and the youthful energy that the college students bring to the town. He has many fond memories of The Franklin House and knows much about its history as a stagecoach stop in Glassboro’s early times. As he states, he has fond memories of what it used to be but isn’t upset by the change of the Franklin House to the Landmark. “Times move on,” change has to happen. Things get upgraded for what they need to be used for. As Chris told me, Landmark was meant to be a party bar for the college kids, so it was made a lot nicer, more spacious, it as brighter and more welcoming than the old Franklin House tavern was. He is happy that it is new and improved for the college students, but doesn’t go to Landmark as much as he used to go to the Franklin House. He’s past the “party bar” atmosphere phase. Now he prefers to go to Chickie’s on Rowan Boulevard because it’s more of a sports bar. To Chris, Landmark is a place where he knows he'll see people and have a good time, he even stated that every year on Black Friday, they have their high school reuinion at Landmark. He knows exactly what to find at that space, and knows when he'd rather go to a more "low-key" hangout at a different Glassboro bar.Listen to the interview here:
He doesn’t go to Landmark as much as he used to go to the Franklin House, but of course, he’s past the “party bar” atmosphere phase. Now he prefers to go to Chickie’s on Rowan Boulevard because it’s more of a sports bar. Chris and other neighbors of ours have always treated us as though we are their own children or grandchildren. They offer us help and support, treating us as a special part of the community, making sure we're cared for while we're away from our own parents. They understnad our place in the community and embrace that it might not quite be a long-term relationship, but it is still one they care about building with their college neighbors, as long as we are respectful to them and their community.
Interview with Morgan T., Rowan Class of ‘18 alum and former hostess at Landmark Americana
The interview was conducted on 4/22 via phone call.
How long did you work at Landmark?
I worked during the school year for my junior and senior years. I worked sometimes during the day, but mostly at night on the weekends. I didn’t work during the summer.
What was the difference working nights and during the day?
People during the day were coming in for food, it would be families or groups of people, like older people. Not always students, but sometimes. It would be maybe half students, but then there would be he older people and like maybe admin people or professors or different people who were going to conferences or events at Rowan, so different groups like that.
At night shifts I’d see pretty much all students, if not, maybe like 95% of our customers at night were students. And they were much crazier. Very loud always. Daytime customers were chill.
My job was like restaurant hostess by day and bouncer by night.
What did you do there?
I was a hostess, so I showed people to their tables. Around 7:30-8, we’d start carding people to get in so that underage kids couldn’t get in and stay and get drunk. I checked a lot of IDs. Then at night I mostly did IDs, some tables but people would just come in and go to the bar themselves, they knew the drill.
So a lot of regulars?
Yes a lot of regulars. I also gave out wristbands on nights when we expected a lot of people, like Homecoming weekend or when there was a big game on like a fight or something. So the customers waited outside to get wristbands, I’d check their ID, take their cover, then give them the wristband.
What was it like working there?
I mean it was a job. It was fun! Convenient because it was on campus and I could walk there, and I never felt like I was missing out, like I knew exactly what was happening, I knew ALL the tea. So that was good, I guess. It was a restauraunt so it sucked sometimes, but I didn’t mind it.
Was that the best part of the job?
Yeah! I got to see everyone I knew! And I made a lot of friends that way with the people who worked there. I made decent pay and the hours were good. It was awesome because people payed to get in to the bar but I got payed to be there. If I got off at 12, I’d just go right in to the bar and hang out with everyone.
What was the worst part?
If I had a full night shift, I couldn’t hang out, I had to be standing at the hostess desk listening to everyone else have fun, so it was like, so close but so far. It could be rough, because I’m missing out less than at another job, but I was still missing out. Also some people were just awful, but customer service. It sucks, like people will always suck. Or customers would be mad at me or the waitresses for a long wait or something that we couldn’t control. Like they’d be pissed if there was a wait on graduation day. Like, every family comes here after graduation. Of course there’s going to be a wait, why are they mad at me? So yeah that would be dumb.
What do you think of when you think of Landmark?
Landmark makes me think of college, working, the smell of beer. Some bars I go in and I have war flashbacks to sitting at that host stand for hours because it just smells like that bar smell. I think of nighttime, a lot of people, I think of my sorority sisters, I think about my ex boyfriend and Phi Psi because we always hung out there.
Did you notice a difference in college students and Glassboro residents?
There was a difference in when they came in, like the townies would usually only be there at night if there were sports. And the kids would usually not order that much, like a group of college girls, there’s a good chance they’re all gonna split a plate of nachos, so you have to be careful what section you put them in, not always. But the townies you never worried about the section because they’re always going to order at least one entree each for the most part.
So there was a difference in what they would order. Did they treat you the same way?
There are always exceptions, but both were respectful. I was the hostess, not the waitress, so it was fine.
How is it different now that you don’t work there anymore?
It’s weird because even the people I worked with aren’t all around anymore. Some of them are still there like the chefs and the managers. But the waitresses and hosts, some of the are different.
Is it weird to walk in and have a new host look at you and not know you?
Yeah, that actually happened at homecoming when I visited. It was a new bouncer and hostess. I didn’t say anything but it’s weird, like, hey you took my job! I was you last year!
Is anything else different?
I don’t even know how it is. It’s just different. Maybe the people, or maybe that it’s not everyone who was there when I went to school here. Like it’ll never be exactly how it was when
When you felt like it was yours?
Yeah when it was mine.
Why do you think so many people liked to go to Landmark?
It was just the spot. It was where everyone went. Like, everyone. The whole college was in that bar. Well, not literally. But it was like, I feel like everyone at Rowan has been in Landmark at least once. It’s like it’s part of the campus. I even seated Ali Houshmand once and he ate here. It’s just like part of Rowan. Like ya got Robinson, you got Enterprise, and you got Landmark.
Anything else you feel like will help me?
Locals go there, but I think they know when to leave. Like around 7:30, 8, when we started carding for the night, they’d slowly stream out. They weren’t upset or mad at the college kids, it as just like this thing. Like they knew not to stay.
So they knew it wasn’t their place past a certain time?
Well not that it wasn’t theirs but like they just didn’t need to be there.
Did they ever interact with students?
Yeah! Sports days mostly because everyone here bonds over the birds. And they’d talk on the patio like smoking with the students or waiting for drinks. It was never a problem. I think they liked the students.
Interview with Rowan Alums and former Landmark regulars, Alpha Sigma Alpha alumni Laura G., Class of ‘18, and Kat B., Class of ‘17.
Interviewed on (3/28) at around 9 PM while they were in my room getting ready to go out for a night at Landmark. The interview has been edited for brevity, clarity, and relevance.
Would you say that Landmark feels like home?
Laura: Honestly yeah. Other schools have homecoming football and sports stuff and we have Landmark.
Kat: That’s so funny. Oh, Rowan. Yeah, we’re old but we still have fun there when we come back.
Laura: When you go to Landmark, it’s somewhere you recognize, like you know it so well.
Me: Familiar?
Laura: Yeah, just a place I always have so much fun and I see people I know. Not sure how long that’ll last, I mean I just graduated last year, so I still have people like you that I see around and that make me want to be here, but a few years, maybe it won’t feel like home anymore because the people that I know here will be gone too.
Kat: That’s how I feel a lot, I live in Cherry Hill super nearby, so I could be coming back and going to Landmark every weekend, and I did that a lot last year with Dan [Kat’s boyfriend] and his friends, but now that he and Laura graduated, It’s weird.
Laura: Without the people-
Kat: The people really make it.
Laura: It’s different knowing I’ve moved on and I’m not in college mode anymore.
Kat: Oh for sure, and now that I’m an old lady with a real job, I’m definitely not…
Laura: It’s different now that we grown.
Kat: Like it’s my place but it’s full of different people now. It’s not okay. I don’t want to grow up. But that’s just what it is.
Laura: Like you were a part of it, and it’s still home, but now it’s different.
Kat: Different scene. Like there’s something I missed.
Laura: So many memories though.
Kat: I have the best memories! You probably shouldn’t tell them to your class though.
Have you ever interacted with a Glassboro local at Landmark?
Kat: omg townies. Yes. love them. I love talking to townies. Like, dads. We talk about the Eagles and they’re mostly there [at Landmark] when there’s football.
Laura: Didn’t Clare [another Rowan ‘18 alum] spill a drink on a townie and he didn’t even get mad he just bought her a new one?
Kat: I wasn’t there but that sounds like a Clare move.
Me: So, townies are nice and forgiving towards college kids?
Kat: Most. Some. I’ve always felt like they didn’t like us in their town.
Me: From the ones I’ve talked to, it seems like they don’t mind being around young people.
Laura: I’m sure they wouldn’t live here if they didn’t want to be around us. Part of them probably loves it.
Me: I’ve kind of been thinking that they like looking out for us and taking care of us.
Kat: They probably like Rowan and all it’s done for the town. But I’m sure they don’t like the drunk kids running around at midnight.
Me: Right. But if they’ve lived here long enough, they probably know where to go to avoid them.
Kat: If they didn’t want to be around us, they wouldn’t. Clearly we’re a good time so why wouldn’ they want to hang out with us!
So places like Landmark in your hometown are different? Do you have an equivalent?
Laura: Landmark is like nowhere else in the universe.
Kat: Landmark is by far the best and nowhere even comes close. Except Bar A.
Laura: That was the best night of my life. I peaked at Bar A
[They continue to talk about a different bar for about 20 minutes]
Kat: But to answer your question, otherwise they’re pretty much all the same like you could have the same night at any bar anywhere it doesn’t matter. But Landy will never be the same like that.
Me: Why do you think your experience there is different?
Kat: Unless you’re in a college town, you’ll never be surrounded by people your own age. Not even at Landmark but just in life. Glassboro ShopRite is full of college kids but my ShopRite is full of moms. I’m basically a mom now
Laura: It’s a different vibe. Like everyone knows that everyone else there is their age pretty much and is there for the same reason as you
Me: So it's comfortable because even though you don’t know everyone, you know kind of why they’re there and that they have something in common with you
Kat: Roll Profs
Anything else?
Kat: My favorite memory at Landmark is when the graduating sisters and I all did a Glassboro Bar Crawl right before we graduated and we made T Shirts that said "Glassboro raised us." We got messy but it was so much fun. We took a picture with the Landmark sign because Landmark is our fav so we ended the crawl there. We were busted but I think you should use the picture because it's iconic
To read an in-depth analysis of what I've gathered about Landmark/College Towns from speaking with Kat, Laura, and Morgan, click here.