Introduction
Located on Federal Street west of the Cooper River, this now unused edifice is passed by thousands of cars daily as they make their way over the drawbridge from East Camden into the center of Camden. The municipal trash incinerator was built in the late 1920s or early 1930s, and maintained by Camden’s Department of Public Works.
The incinerator attracted the attention of the press at least twice in the past century. The first time was in late 1941, when City Commissioner Henry Magin suffered a fatal heart attack while inspecting the facility.
The other time that the incinerator received a lot of media attention was in the early 1990s, when several city employees, members of the Public Works department, including department director Wilbert Fountain, were convicted of accepting bribes to allow the illegal dumping of construction debris on site. Soon afterward, the city abandoned the complex, which has since stood vacant.
Camden City Incinerator, 1451 Federal Street.
City Commissioner Dies at Incinerator
Camden Courier-Post —
City Commissioner Henry Magin fell dead at 11:20 AM today while making a tour of the city incinerator plant with other city officials. He stepped from a platform and called to James Carr, superintendent of streets, to “catch me.” He slumped into Carr’s arms. Carr and William F. Augustine, Courier-Post photographer, rushed him to Cooper Hospital, but physicians pronounced him dead. He had been ill of heart trouble for more than a year.
Photos — July 7, 2006
Camden City Incinerator, Federal Street — July 7, 2006.
Front Chamber — July 7, 2006.
Rear Chamber — July 7, 2006.
Looking East towards the Cooper River — July 7, 2006.