Camden Streets - Centennial Avenue

CENTENNIAL AVENUE is a small street that runs east from 310 North Front Street, through to North 2nd Street. It originally ran to a dead end mid-block, only in recent years was Centennial Avenue extended through to North 2nd Street.

Centennial Avenue was not listed in the 1872 Camden City Directory but is listed in the 1878 edition, which makes sense, as 1876 was the centennial year of the United States. Four homes were initially nuilt, numbered 2 through 5. A Charles H. Jenness, shoe dealer, is listed at 5 Centennial Avenue in 1878. Other residents included harness maker David Jones at 4 Centennial, and foreman Hugh Reilly (or Riley) at 3. A cooper, George W. Wolfe was at 2 Centennial Avenue in 1878. His widow and then his son, George W. Wolfe Jr., were a presence on Centennial Avenue into the 1930s. Shortly after the 1885-1885 City Directory was published, two more homes, numbered 6 and 7, were built. Harvey Slifer, a cooper, was the first Directory-listed resident of 6, and Joseph Goheen, a blacksmith, first occupied 7 Centennial Avenue. In late 1890 or early 1891 the City of Camden renumbered the six houses standing on Centennial Avenue, which became numbers 109 through 119. These homes were still there as late as April of 1930, and were then all occupied.

It is interesting to note that beginning in the late 1890s and into the early 1930s, a number of families of Finnish immigrants lived on Centennial Avenue. Frank Johnson and John Antilla worked as house carpenters, Alfred Kauppi and John Joki were shipyard carpenters, and Nestor Aalto was a wharf builder. The Aalto family stayed on Centennial Avenue into the 1930s.

In September of 1932, Courier-Post reporter E. Allen Hughes wrote a three part series of articles about the small streets, alleys, courts and places of Camden, including Coates Alley and Coates Avenue.

The 1940 City Directory shows that only 117 and 119 were standing, and that 117 was the only occupied home, and that 119 was vacant. By 1943 no homes stood on Centennial Avenue.

Do you have a Centennial Avenue memory or picture? Let me know by e-mail so it can be included here.

Phil Cohen

100 Block of Centennial Avenue Click on Image to Enlarge
	109 Centennial Avenue 1878-1930s George W. Wolfe & Family George W. & Rachel Wolfe George W. Wolfe Jr. 1919-1920 George Wolfe 1924 Mrs. Sophia Harmon 1929 Fritz Ftithjof 1930 George Wolfe 1930 Oscar Anderson grave digger at City Cemetery 1940 Gone
	111 Centennial Avenue 1878 Hugh Reilly 1900 George F. Jolly & Family George F. & Rose Jolly Anna Marie Jolly George F. Jolly Jr. Salone R. Jolly 1910 Mrs. Ella Pennington Sewell & Family Ella Pennington Sewell John Pennington (brother) Eugene Pennington 1919 William Kauppi 1924 Alfred Kauppi 1929-1920 Antonio Berzuices & Family Anthony & Martha Ethel Berzuices Irene Berzuices Gladys Berzuices 1940 Gone
	113 Centennial Avenue 1878-1880s David Jones 1900 William C. Wlaker & Famnily William C. & Mary Jane Walker 1910 John O'Rourke & Family John & Katherine O'RoOurke 1919-1930 Nestor Aalto & Family Nestor & Elsie Aalto Irma Aalto Martha Aalto Elma Aalto The Aalto family had moved to 109 North 3rd Street by Christmas of 1939 1940 Gone
	115 Centennial Avenue 1878-1880s Charles H. Jenness 1890s-1920s Frank Johnson & Family Frank & Sophie Johnson William Johnson Charles Johnson John Johnson Helen Johnson Ida Johnson 1919-1920 John Johnson 1924 Mrs. Mary Walsh 1929-1930 Francis A. Walsh 1940 Gone
	117 Centennial Avenue 1885 Harvey Slifer 1900 E.F. Ritter & Family E.F. & Hattie Ritter Ella Hines (niece) 1910-1924 Harry Peterson & Family Harry & Florence Peterson Anna Kesler (daughter) 1929 William Herman 1930 Peter Tambussi & Family Peter & Mary Tambussi Margaret Tambussi 1940 William D. Robinson
	119 Centennial Avenue 1885 Joseph Goheen 1900 William Brooks & Fmily William & Carrie Brooks Paul Brooks 1910 John Antilla & Family John & Anna Antilla 1919-1920 John Joki & Family John & Ida Joki George Joki Jacob Joki 1924 Jacob R. Kratz 1929 Vacant 1930 William Cotton & Family William & Ethel Cotton William Cotton 1940 Vacant 1943 Gone