Trinity Baptist Church
The Trinity Baptist Church was organized December 7, 1871, and on December 21, 1871, ratified the purchase of the Presbyterian meeting house on 5th Street above Market Street. This building was used until 1896, when it was decided to erect a new edifice on the same site. The church remained at this address, 114 North 5th Street, until 1918, when the church building was sold to the Victor Talking Machine Company.
Victor’s original recording studio, on the southwest corner of Front and Cooper Street (now a parking lot for The Victor loft apartments), was surrounded on all sides by factory buildings. Another studio location was the top floor of a production factory on the northwest corner of Front and Cooper Street, which now houses the Camden Board of Education. The original recording studio was too small to fit an entire orchestra, so the top floor studio was used by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Symphony to fit all of their musicians. The factory buildings created excess noise which interfered with recording. The company decided to purchase Trinity Baptist Church in 1918 for its good acoustics.
Along with the church, the company acquired a pipe organ, used by musicians such as Fats Waller, who recorded “Ain’t Misbehavin’” and Jelly Roll Morton and his orchestra, who recorded “Down My Way” and “Try Me Out” in 1929. Besides Morton, many of the era’s most beloved artists in genres as diverse as blues, gospel, opera, and what we today would call country recorded in the former church. These artists include Enrico Caruso, Irish tenor John McCormack, Jimmie Rogers, and The Carter Family, who recorded “The Wildwood Flower” on May 10, 1929, in Camden.
The end of Camden’s recording days came when the city decided to construct a subway line underneath the church in 1935. Now a part of the PATCO line, the subway construction created vibrations that interfered with the crude type of sound recording being done at the time. The company moved its recording operations to a New York studio.
By February 1936, the former studio had been converted into a gymnasium for use by the Victor Athletic Association. RCA-Victor kept the building as late as 1947, the Victor Athletic Association and the Victor Employees Salesroom being located there.
The church was demolished in the 1950s or 1960s and turned into a parking lot for the Hotel Plaza.
Trinity Baptist Church
George Reeser Prowell — History of Camden County, New Jersey, 1886
Trinity Baptist Church of Camden was organized on the 7th day of December, 1871, by the adoption of a church covenant and articles of faith as recorded in Rev. T. Hiscox’s “Baptist Church Directory,” pages 154 to 177, inclusive, and the following-named gentlemen were duly elected the officers thereof: For office of deacons, Thomas Peak, J. D. Rogers and R. H. Morgan; for church clerk, Thomas W. Wilkinson; and at a subsequent meeting held December 21, 1871, the following-named gentlemen were elected trustees: Isaiah Woolston, E. E. Read, George E. Taylor, William Groves, Alfred McCully, John Burr, William Scudder.
The membership of the church numbered about ninety-five. Amongst them, we may mention Deacons Thomas Peak and wife, J. D. Rogers and wife, R. H. Morgan and wife, Deacon Jacob S. Collings, Rev. Charles Sexton and wife, Mrs. E. Westcott, Mrs. Anna Davis and Mrs. Amy Anderson. In a few days after the election of the trustees, as above stated, they purchased the building known as the Presbyterian Meetinghouse, on Fifth Street, above Market Street, in Camden, which purchase was ratified by the church December 28, 1871, and on the 7th day of January, 1872, the church held its first public service, Dr. Weston, of Crozer University, preaching the sermon.
On the 20th day of February the church received recognition in a public manner by pastors and lay members of a number of churches of the same faith and order, the Trinity Church, being represented by J.D. Rogers, R.H. Morgan and Thomas W. Wilkinson. The recognition services were held in the meetinghouse purchased by the church. Dr. Sanford, of Salem, preached the sermon and Deacon Thomas Peak received the hand of fellowship from the council by the hand of Rev. Mr. Chambles, pastor of the North Baptist Church of Camden.
On the 22d day of April, 1872, the church, by a unanimous vote, invited Rev. A.H. Lung, of Germantown, Pa., to become its pastor.
June 2, 1872, Rev. A.H. Lung entered upon his duty as pastor of the church, and after nine and one-half years of faithful and successful labor he resigned on March 27, 1882, to accept a position as general secretary of the Home Missionary Society of the State of New York, since which time the church has been very successful in her work under the leadership of Rev. O. A. Adams, who resigned the pastorate in June of the present year (1886).
Photos
Trinity Baptist Church — as seen from Southwest Corner of North 5th & Cooper Streets
Jelly Roll Morton at the Victor Studios, 114 North 5th Street, Camden — July 1929
Trinity Baptist Church — 1920s
Trinity Baptist Church / Victor Recording Studio — 1950s
In Camden's Churches
Philadelphia Inquirer —
IN CAMDEN’S CHURCHES
The week of prayer in Camden will be observed with meetings in two churches daily at 3.30 P. M. The meetings were inaugurated yesterday in the First Presbyterian and Emmanuel Baptist Churches. The former was addressed by Rev. J. W. Lyell, and the latter by Rev. J. S. Heisler.
Camden Lodge, No. 203, B. P. O. Elks, attended divine service at Trinity Baptist Church last evening, when the pastor, Rev. Dr. Clarence A. Adams, preached for their special benefit.
Two distinguished divines from Crozier Seminary occupied the pulpit of the Wynn Memorial Church yesterday. Rev. H. G. Weston, D. D., president of the Seminary, preached in the morning, and Dr. Vedder in the evening.
Rev. A. G. Lawson, D. D., pastor of the North Baptist Church, scored Camden’s law-breakers in a prelude to his sermon last evening.
Camden Elks Hold a Lodge of Sorrow
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Camden Lodge, No. 293, B. P. O. Elks, held its annual Lodge of Sorrow yesterday in the Masonic Building in the presence of an assemblage that taxed the seating capacity of the theatre. The music was under the direction of Professor James C. Warhurst, assisted by the choir of the North Baptist Church. Splendid renditions were given by the North Male Quartet and the St. Cecelia Ladies’ Quartet.
The opening ceremonies were in charge of Exalted Ruler George D. Borton. These were followed by prayer by Rev. Dr. Clarence A. Adams, of the Trinity Baptist Church; Rev. Dr. Kittredge Wheeler, pastor of the North Baptist Church, delivered the oration. Then the impressive ceremony of turning out the lights as the name of each dead brother was called took place.
The absent brothers were Gideon H. Burt, Owen R. Jones, J. Oscar Nicholas, M. D. Dickinson, Harry M. Anderson, Joseph B. Feenier, Ernest H. Longstreth, Hamilton Markley, Howland Croft, John S. Mathis, Rev. Dr. George W. Gates, Charles F. Reese, James McCormick, Charles K. McPherson, James Baird, William F. Claus, Harry B. Paul, George S. West, Frank S. Jones and Sheriff Christopher J. Mines.
Camden News Notes
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Elizabeth Rodd, aged 55 years, of 505 South Fifth street, was found dead in bed yesterday. Coroner Lippincott gave a certificate of death from heart disease.
F. Meredith, of 137 Cooper avenue, Wood Lynne, was admitted to the Cooper Hospital yesterday with a crushed foot, the result of an iron plate falling on it.
Mayor Joseph E. Nowrey, of Camden, yesterday received an answer to his letter of thanks to Mayor John Weaver for the timely assistance of the Philadelphia firemen in the recent blaze at the Victor talking machine plant. Mayor Weaver, in the communication, says Philadelphia was only too glad to assist a sister city in distress.
Scores of persons yesterday attended the funeral of the late William H. Shearman, which took place from his home, 33 Haddon avenue. The services were conducted by Rev. Dr. Clarence A. Adams, of the Trinity Baptist Church. Interment was made in Evergreen Cemetery.
As far as could be learned only ten carpenters went out on strike in Camden yesterday as a result of the recent demand of the union men for an increased wage scale. Otherwise the threatened strike among all the local carpenters did not materialize.
(Christmas Church Notes)
Philadelphia Inquirer —
Rev. John Rees of Philadelphia, yesterday preached at the Trinity Baptist Church, which is without a regular pastor.
In all of the local churches yesterday and last night special musical programs appropriate to Christmas were given. The interiors of the church buildings were prettily decorated with greens.