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IN WALT'S OWN WORDS . . . Domicil'd at the farm-house of my friends, the Staffords, near by, I lived half the time along this creek and its adjacent fields and lanes. And it is to my life here that I, perhaps, owe partial recovery (a sort of second wind, or semi-renewal of the lease of life) from the prostration of 1874-'75. If the notes of that outdoor life could only prove as glowing to you, reader dear, as the experience itself was to me.” - - Walt Whitman

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The Borough of Laurel Springs is located in Southern New Jersey about 14 miles from the Walt Whitman Bridge that connects Philadelphia to New Jersey.   Its main roads were once the only way from Philadelphia to the shore and many people stopped and stayed in Laurel Springs instead of continuing on south.  
Walt Whitman frequently visited here and the Borough maintains two Whitman historic sites.  Whitman Walk at Crystal Springs takes visitors along the path of Whitman’s Timber Creek days highlighted in “Specimen Days”.  The other, The Whitman Stafford Farmhouse, circa 1785 has been lovingly restored and also exhibits the Borough’s colonial history.








Whitman Stafford Farmhouse

Created in 2019 for Camden County History Month, this trail includes a variety of historical landmarks. The tour begins at the Pomona Hall, home to the Camden County Historical Society and moves on to Saint Joseph's History Society of South Camden before progressing to the Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum. Highlights of the Tour include the Walt Whitman House, several historic homes from the colonial era, several museums, and a historic rail depot. 

Camden County History Trail

Public tours of Pomona Hall are available by advance reservation.&nbsp;

Pomona Hall was the 'Big House' of an 18th-century plantation worked by African slaves and indentured European servants. The mansion was built in 1726 and presently is the home of the Camden County Historical Society. The society has restored the building to match its appearance during the American Revolution and operates a small regional history museum and archive in the building. 

Pomona Hall-Camden County Historical Society

St Joseph’s Parish began in 1891 when a group of Polish immigrants won the battle to organize and establish a Polish Roman Catholic church and parish in South Camden. On October 24, 1892, St Joseph’s Church was officially incorporated and a one-story structure was rented on Broadway near Kaighn Avenue for use as a temporary church.A tract of land was purchased at 10th and Liberty Streets and by 1895 a combination church-school building was completed. Philadelphia architect George I. Lovatt subsequently designed a Baroque-style church which was constructed in 1913 at 10th and Mechanic Streets (the present site). In May 1914, the new church was consecrated.The exterior of the church is comprised of metallic gray New Hampshire granite. A Romanesque entrance follows the traditional styling popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. The interior of the church has a 63-foot-high arched ceiling nave, separating two arcades that are supported by pillars. The apse is crowned by a lofty half-rounded cupola above the center altar. Two other altars stand in niches to either side of the main altar. Facing the three altars is the choir gallery or organ loft from where a panoramic view of the interior resembles a cross.The church could seat 1,000 people and cost $100,000 to build. In later years, stained-glass windows were donated as memorials and the interior was painted. Most of the windows are in the Munich or German style of glass that was favored by Catholic churches when the church was built. The original pipe organ was rebuilt by the Mudler and Hunter firm of Philadelphia in 1972. The instrument consists of 15 “ranks” or sets of pipes totaling over 900 pipes ranging in size from about 1 inch to 8 feet in length. The sound of the organ is greatly amplified and enhanced by the superb acoustics of the church.There are approximately 90 first class relics on the altar rail (A first class relic is the saint’s physical remain, usually a bone fragment, lock of hair, piece of skin or drop of blood). These relics were given to St Joseph’s parish by the family of Fr Anthony Cecich after he died in 1992. Fr Cecich was a Croatian priest who immigrated to the US after World War II and served in the Camden Diocese. He collected the relics over various trips in the 1950s and 1960s. The altar rail cases containing the relics were commissioned by Fr Pawel Kryszkiewicz, former pastor. They were made in Poland and were installed here in 2016. A first-class relic (a drop of blood) of St John Paul II was received from Cardinal Dziwisz of Kraków in 2012 and is located on the side altar dedicated to the Blessed Mother.The three bells in the tower, dedicated December 2, 1917, have been restored. The quarter-ton bell is named Mary; the half-ton bell is named John; the one-ton bell is Adalbert. In 2017, St Joseph’s was designated the Polish Apostolate of the Diocese of Camden and merged with the parish of The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. At St Joseph’s Church, a weekly bilingual (Polish-English) Mass is held each Sunday at 10:00 AM and Polish cultural events take place throughout the year.

This baroque-style century-old church was designed by renowned architect George I Lovatt, containing magnificent stained glass windows, Polish-inspired elements and nearly 100 relics, including one of St John Paul II. Because of its unique architecture and strong Polish ethnic community for over a century St Joseph’s Church is on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places.

Saint Joseph's History Society of South Camden

The City of Camden was
formally incorporated in 1828, and initially its economy centered primarily on
the ferry industry. During the latter half of the nineteenth century
industrialization and the introduction of railroads allowed Camden to prosper.
In the 1900s the city became home to a number of shipbuilding companies. The
most famous of these was the New York Shipbuilding Corporation (known as New
York Ship for short), which was said to be the largest shipbuilding firm in the
world. Camden’s shipbuilding industry peaked during World War II, with the New
York Ship alone employing 34,000 workers. After World War II the industry
declined for the next few decades, and New York Ship closed in 1967. By that
time Camden had produced hundreds of commercial and naval vessels for the
United States. 

Efforts to develop a
museum began in the 2000s when a group of people, including former South Jersey
Port Corp. head Joseph A. Balzano, Rev. Michael Doyle, Helene Pierson, Michael
Lang, and Jim Cummings came together for the purpose of preserving Camden’s
maritime history. The idea was first suggested by Michael Doyle who, after
seeing Joseph Balzano’s large collection of maritime artifacts, commented that
he should create a museum with it. The group started by acquiring the former
Church of Our Savior Episcopal church in 2006. The church, built in 1893, had
been closed in the 1990s and sat vacant for years. It has a small connection to
maritime history; a 1905 addition to the building was constructed with stones
from Greenland, which were used as ballasts on board the Kite, a ship from one of Matthew Henson and Robert Peary’s expeditions
to the North Pole in the early 1900s. The Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum
was officially established as a non-profit organization in 2008. It spent the
next several years raising money to convert the church into a museum. It
managed to secure $1.5 million in grants from various sources such as the New
Jersey Historic Trust, the state Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit program,
Camden County, and city Community Development Block Grants. The Museum was
completed and held its grand opening on September 20, 2016. 

The Camden Shipyard and
Maritime Museum has several exhibits on Camden’s history and maritime history
in general. A large amount of the museum’s artifacts came from the personal collection
of Joseph A. Balzano, with the rest mostly being donations from local
residents. The Maritime Hall exhibit, located in the former church sanctuary, highlights
Camden’s shipbuilding history, with particular focus on the New York
Shipbuilding Corporation. The Shipyard Worker House Exhibit explores the
history and everyday lives of the thousands of shipbuilding workers and their
families in Camden. The Matthew Henson Arctic Explorer Room and Community
Gallery is dedicated to the life of the African American explorer, who
accompanied Robert Peary on his expeditions to the North Pole and originally
went unaccredited for his efforts. Outside the museum is a statue of Matthew
Henson, sculpted in 2009 by John Giannotti, in honor of the American explorer.
The museum is also home to the Waterfront South Artist Residency, located in
the former church rectory, where artists are provided with free living space
while they work on public projects to improve the local community.

The Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum is dedicated to preserving the city’s shipbuilding legacy. It opened in 2016 in a converted, historic former church building, after years of planning and fundraising. The museum features exhibits on the maritime and shipbuilding history of Camden. One exhibit explores the life of African American Arctic explorer Matthew Henson due to his interesting connection with the church building. The museum also includes the Waterfront South Artist Residency, a program designed to support artists working on beautification projects in the Waterfront South neighborhood. 

Camden Shipyard and Maritime Museum

The USS New Jersey (BB-62) was constructed in
the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and launched on December 7, 1942, the one-year
anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The 887-foot long, 45,000-ton ship
was part of the Iowa-class of
battleships commissioned during World War II, which also included the Iowa, the Missouri, and the Wisconsin;
they were the last battleships commissioned for the United States Navy. The New Jersey soon saw action in the
Pacific Theater&nbsp;in 1944, fighting against the Imperial Japanese Navy in the
Marshall Islands, Marianas Islands, the Philippines, and Okinawa. After the
war the New Jersey was decommissioned and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet
in 1948.

In 1950 the New Jersey was recommissioned in 1950 to
serve in the Korean War. During this time it mostly provided artillery support
for ground forces. The ship was decommissioned again in 1957, and then
recommissioned once more in 1968 for the Vietnam War. It was the only
battleship to fight in Vietnam, and was the only active battleship in the world
at the time. The ship provided was in service only briefly before being
decommissioned again in 1969. In 1982 the New
Jersey was recommissioned a final time to support U.S. forces in the
Lebanese Civil War. At this time the ship was given upgrades, including
Tomahawk and Harpoon missile launchers. On February 8, 1984, the New Jersey launched the largest shore
bombardment since the Korean War on a command post east of Beirut. In 1991 the
ship was decommissioned for the final time. In 1999 it was struck from the Navy
rosters and towed to Philadelphia. Over the course of her career the New Jersey
was awarded 19 battle or campaign stars; nine for World War II; four for the
Korean War; two for the Vietnam War; three for the engagements in Lebanon; and
a Navy Unit Commendation for service in Vietnam.

In 1999 a stipulation
included in the Strom Thurmond National Defense Act required that the Navy
transfer ownership of the USS New Jersey
to a non-profit entity in the State of New Jersey for the purpose of becoming a
museum. As renovations were conducted on the ship in Philadelphia, two
different groups petitioned for ownership, the USS New Jersey Battleship
Commission of Bayonne, and the Home Port Alliance of Camden. In 2000 the Navy
announced that it would give the New
Jersey to the Home Port of Alliance; on October 15 the ship arrived at the
Camden Waterfront. 

The Battleship New
Jersey Museum opened to the public in 2001. It is operated by the non-profit
group Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial Inc., formerly known as the
Homeport Alliance. Hundreds of volunteers are required to operate the museum
and keep the ship in satisfactory condition. Interactive tours are available
for visitors, and the museum also offers rental spaces for events, and
youth-oriented overnight programs. Recently the Museum has undertaken a number
of different projects, such as the conversion of its heating system to increase
efficiency; the opening of additional portions of the ship to the public; the
reactivation of the ship’s whistle; and the opening of a café. In 2017 the
Museum acquired an original Quad 40s anti-aircraft gun from the New Jersey and fully restored it to
working condition.

The Battleship New Jersey Museum was developed to preserve the famous USS New Jersey at its permanent resting place in Camden, New Jersey. The Iowa-class battleship was introduced during World War II and also saw action in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Lebanese Civil War. With a total of 19 battle and campaign stars, it is the most decorated battle ship in the U.S. Navy’s history. The New Jersey was decommissioned for the final time in 1991. In 2000 the ship was moved to Camden and converted into a floating museum. Today the ship remains open to the public and offers interactive tours, meeting spaces, educational programs, and overnight stays. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Battleship New Jersey Museum

Walt Whitman was born
in 1819 and grew up in New York. He became an avid fan of literature early in
his life and worked variously as a printer, a teacher, and a newspaper editor.
In 1855 Whitman self-published his first collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, which received a
favorable review from popular writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. Over the next several
decades he published a slew of poetry, and expanded his original book Leaves of Grass multiple times. Despite
his success and reputation, Whitman made little money from royalties and often
faced financial hardships; he would sometime rely on donations from friends and
admirers. In the 1870s he moved to Camden, New Jersey in what was meant to be a
temporary stay while he helped tend to his dying mother. A stroke in 1873
impacted his health and he spent the next several years living in Camden with
his brother George. Around 1884 George moved to Burlington, New Jersey. Whitman
decided not to follow him, and instead purchased a home of his own on Mickle
Street (today Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) for $1,750. It was the first
and only house that Whitman ever owned. 

The two-story, Greek
revival style, wood-frame house was built in 1848. Featuring six rooms and a
backyard, it was a typical example of a middle-class Victorian era home.
Whitman lived here for the final eight years of his life. Faced with declining
health, he hired a local widow, Mary O. Davis, to move in to the house and care
for him. Although Whitman’s most productive writing years were behind him, he
did manage to complete and publish the final edition of Leaves of Grass in
1892. He died that same year from tuberculosis on March 26, 1892.

Almost immediately after
Whitman’s death, friends and fans of his work saw the need to memorialize the
poet. In 1894 the Walt Whitman Fellowship (today the Walt Whitman Association)
was created to promote his works and to hold an annual celebration on his
birthday, May 31. In 1921 the City of Camden purchased the home from Whitman’s
heirs, and the Walt Whitman Association oversaw its restoration. They worked to
acquire many of his possessions and items original to the house to furnish it
with. The Walt Whitman House was opened to the public as a museum in 1923. In
1947 Camden transferred ownership of the house to the State of New Jersey,
which designated it a state historic site. In 1966 the house was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. During the 1980s and 1990s the New Jersey
Division of Parks and Forestry conducted research and performed extensive
renovations on the house, repairing or replacing aging infrastructure and
restoring the house to its exact appearance during the time Whitman lived
there. The projects were funded by money from various state agencies and
historical organizations such as the New Jersey Historic Preservation Bond
Program, the New Jersey Historic Trust, the Division of Parks and Forestry, the
Preservation Alliance of Philadelphia, and the Victorian Society of America. Final
restorations were completed in 1998.

Today the Walt Whitman
remains open to the public as a museum and is maintained and operated jointly
by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry and the Walt Whitman
Association. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of Whitman and promoting the
art of poetry. Items in the museum include some of Whitman’s original
furniture, his deathbed, and his earliest-known photograph (from 1848). In
addition to guided tours, the museum also hosts field trips and an annual
poetry contest. The Walt Whitman Association has held a birthday celebration in
the backyard every year since 1892.

The Walt Whitman House is a historical home and museum in Camden, New Jersey. The house was occupied by the famous poet Walt Whitman during the final years of his life, from 1884-1892; it was the only home he ever owned. Whitman is considered one of the greatest American poets of the nineteenth century, and is most notable for his work Leaves of Grass. In the years following his death many efforts were made to preserve the house as a monument to Whitman. The Walt Whitman Association was instrumental in purchasing and preserving the home, as well as gather Whitman’s personal possessions to furnish it. The house has since been restored to match its exact appearance when Walt Whitman lived in it. Today the home is operated as a museum by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, and is open to the public for guided tours. It has been designated a New Jersey State Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Walt Whitman House

Among earliest families to settle along Pennsauken Creek in old Gloucester County, Griffith Morgan and wife Elizabeth built their home at the mouth of the creek on the Delaware River.&nbsp; Son Alexander occupied the old house during his lifetime, along with 500 acre farm.&nbsp; His son Joseph Morgan occupied the house through the time of the American Revolution.

Colonial homestead of Morgan family from 1693, following marriage of Welsh mariner Griffith Morgan to Elizabeth Ibbs Cole, widow of Samuel Cole.  Saved from demolition in 1971, carefully restored and interpreted by volunteer Griffith Morgan Committee, NJ and National Register of Historic Places 1973, house features beautiful cooking hearth, museum of local history on third floor, living history events and special exhibits.  

Griffith Morgan House

Burrough-Dover House was built in 1710 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The Pennsauken Historical Society is working to preserve and restore the house. The basement contains a collection of Native American and colonial artifacts and a nature trail. 

Burrough-Dover House and Pennsauken Historical Society

Indian King Tavern Museum’s more than 270 year-old historic building is New Jersey’s first state-owned historic site (1903). It’s where New Jersey completed the transition from colony to State passing laws revising election procedures, creating township governments, and setting up state courts. At the Indian King, the assembly passed measures imposing martial law, strengthening the militia, regulating a war economy, and providing emergency support to the Continental Army after its defeat at Brandywine. 

Indian King Tavern Museum

The Magnolia Historical Train Station Museum and Library is a replica depot built in 2000. It is operated as a museum by the Magnolia Historical Society, which formed in 1991. Efforts to build a replica station started in 1995. The museum holds documents, photographs, maps, ledgers and other materials related to the history of Magnolia. 

Magnolia Historical Train Station Museum and Library

The area
around the present Gabreil Daveis Tavern House was first settled by Gabreil’s
grandfather, William Daveis, in 1710.&nbsp; It
eventually expanded to a 178-acre plantation that stretched to Runnemede and
where slaves grew and harvested apples, sweet potatoes and other crops.&nbsp; The land then passed to William Daveis Jr and
then to Gabreil Daveis and his wife Sarah.&nbsp;
Gabreil and Sarah initially lived in a log cabin on their land and he
went on to serve the township as tax collector, clerk and constable.

In 1756,
Gabreil built a three-story, vernacular Georgian style brick and field stone
tavern along the Irish Road that connected Gloucester Township to Great Egg
Harbor, just south of present day Atlantic City.&nbsp; Daveis understood that Big Timber Creek was a
tidal river and people working and traveling along it needed a place to stay
during low tide.&nbsp; Hence, the idea for a
tavern was born.&nbsp; His tavern featured numerous
items common to the Georgian style, to include brick in Flemish bond, wood
paneled shutters, wood shingles, brick chimneys and a gable roof with a date
stone at one end.&nbsp; These items have been
restored and are featured to this day.

The tavern,
aside from serving libations, also hosted township elections and meetings from
1757-1770.&nbsp; After Gabreil passed in 1767,
his widow, Sarah, ran the tavern for a year, but then did not renew its license
in 1768 and it reverted to a private home.&nbsp;
During the Revolutionary War, the home was designated as a field
hospital by George Washington and the wounded were cared for in the home’s
attic.&nbsp; For this reason, it is sometimes referred
to as the Hillman Hospital House.&nbsp; Over
the years, the former tavern was occupied by patriot leaders Benjamin Pittfield
and Major George Payne and Civil War veteran, Captain Edward Warrick.

The home was
eventually acquired by Joseph Jaggard, who was related to the Warricks through
marriage.&nbsp; Jaggard then permitted the house
to fall into a state of disrepair over the years before selling it to William
Schuck in 1923.&nbsp; Schuck allowed Jaggard
to live in his former residence for another 30 years.&nbsp; Schuck, the last private owner of the home,
died in 1976 and left the home and what remained of the land to Gloucester
Township with the stipulation that it be used as a public historic
structure.&nbsp; 

The former
tavern and home has since been restored and tours are conducted through its rooms
two Sundays per month from April through November.&nbsp; The home features period furniture and antiques
as well as the artwork of its last owner, William Schuck, who is buried on the
property.&nbsp; The tavern also hosts special events
throughout the year, such as Colonial and Revolutionary War Weekends with
period actors.&nbsp; Please call for specific
tour and special event times and dates.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Gabreil Daveis Tavern House was built in 1756 and served as an integral Gloucester Township community focal point for over a decade.  It also served as a field hospital during the Revolutionary War and has been inhabited by both Revolutionary and Civil War veterans since.  The Georgian style home now serves the community as a historic house museum, giving people a glimpse into the life of how a middle-class colonial family lived along the banks of Big Timber Creek.  The Gabreil Daveis Tavern House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977.  

Gabreil Daveis Tavern House

The Berlin Train Station is the oldest existing station in New Jersey. It is
listed on the New Jersey (# 3017, Dec. 30, 1996) and National Register of
Historic Places (#97000063, Feb. 14, 1997).

The Camden and Atlantic Railroad Company laid a single rail line in 1853
that ran parallel to the main road between Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Long-A-Coming Station, as it was originally
called, was built in 1856 of Italianate architecture. A hotel and tavern were
within walking distance of the station to make it an ideal place for a stop. 

On February 5, 1867, the station was renamed "Magnolia". This
caused much confusion because the town of Magnolia was nearby. So, three months
later, on May 7, the town name and the station name were changed to Berlin.
There are no records of why that name was chosen.

The first Station Agent was Joseph L. Thackara. Other residents who served
as agents were Howard C. Sharp, Mr. Brace, Henry N. Gillon, David R. Lee,
Herbert R. Snyder, and John W. Green. The station was used for both passengers
and freight. 

After some heavy rail traffic in the early years, the depression and
increase of automobiles caused train travel to decline. By the 1960s the
railroad that had grown to a double track was reduced back to a single line and
stations were closed and removed. The Berlin Station was closed in 1969. It
stood empty until 1994 when the members of Long-A-Coming Historical Society
restored it. The restoration took 2 years to complete. The railroad allowed the
station to remain on its original spot and leases it to the town for $1 per
year with a 99-year lease.&nbsp; It is the meeting place for the Long-A-Coming
Historical Society and serves as a museum.

Built in 1856, the Long-A-Coming Depot/Berlin Railroad Station is the oldest existing railroad station in New Jersey.  

Camden County History Trail

Whitman Stafford Farmhouse

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