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THE YEAR 1856 |
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SPAN OF A CENTURY COMPILED FROM NOTES ANDS DATA
COLLECTED BY |
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The Camden Light Artillery Company was organized November 24, 1855 with Isaac W. Mickle, who had served as a Captain in the New Jersey Battalion during the Mexican War. When the Civil War broke out thirty-one of the thirty-six members entered the Union service under Captain Mickle. |
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On March 15, 1856 the ferry boat New Jersey, one of the boats of the Camden & Philadelphia Ferry Company left the Walnut Street Wharf in Philadelphia and when opposite Smith's Island, caught fire. Owing to the ice in the river, it was impossible to guide the boat, or for others to approach close enough to render aid. The loss of life was forty-eight. At the time of the burning of the New Jersey a number of directors of the Camden & Amboy Railroad were stopping at Elwell's Hotel, at the foot of bridge avenue. Upon the advice of an astute lawyer friendly to the directors, a messenger was dispatched to the home of Prosecutor Thomas W. Mulford at Pennsgrove, and in the dead of night he proceeded to Camden and caused warrants to be issued for the arrest of Robert F. Stockton and his associates in the directorate of the railroad company on charges of manslaughter. Under the "concurrent jurisdiction" agreement of May 23, 1783 between the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, in the case of criminal cases, the offenders were to be tried in the State in which first arrested or prosecuted. As an ordinary magistrate could not bail them, Judge Stacy G. Potts was sent for and held the men under heavy bail. The bill of indictment was then drawn and laid out before the Grand Jury of Camden County who examined the witness and ignored the bill. When the Directors were later indicted in Philadelphia the action of the Camden Grand Jury caused the charges to be dismissed. |
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A number of colored citizens met at the home of Mrs. Mary Colding, 736 Chestnut Street, and arranged for the establishment of a Baptist Church for colored people in Camden. The first public service was held in a blacksmith shop at 6th and Kaighn Avenue. The meeting place was destroyed by fire in 1858. Services were then held in private houses until the meeting house at 7th & Kaighn Avenue was built in 1864. This was called the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. In 1873 the Seventh Baptist Church was dedicated. The old church property, which had been enlarged in 1884, was sold in 1905. On May 1, 1906, the cornerstone for the new church was laid and the building completed June of 1907. This new church was located at 9th and Kaighn Avenue and was dedicated as the Kaighn Avenue Baptist Church. |
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