Morton Cafe

The bar at Morton and Norris Street was open by the fall of 1936, when it was known as Nicholson’s Cafe. As Nicholson’s Cafe, the bar featured music, food, dancing, and live music. One of the acts that appeared at the bar was a trio known as The Three Nuts, who appeared at other bars in Camden and the surrounding vicinity.

The bar changed hands shortly thereafter, as by 1939 Frank Mroczkowski and William Zawojski are recorded as operating the premises as the Morton Cafe. The 1940 Camden City Directory records only Frank Mroczkowski as the proprietor of the Morton Cafe. William Zawojoski had moved to 1900 Fillmore Street where he operated a bar during the 1940s. William Zawojski later moved to Pleasantville NJ and passed away in 1975.

Frank Mroczkowski and the Morton Cafe were listed in the 1947 Camden City Directory, and he was listed at 1299 Morton Street in the New Jersey Bell Telephone directories as late as 1970. Frank Mroczkowski passed away in June of 1972 at the age of 69.

The bar changed hands during the 1970s, and was listed in the telephone directories as late as 1977 as Buck’s Lounge. By 1990 there was no bar operating at this location, and as of 2003 the building was being used as a church.