Kimber Street

Kimber Street runs from 320 North 8th Street east for two blocks, ending at North 10th Street, between Penn and Linden Streets. The two-block-long street was lined with row homes occupied by blue-collar, working families. The 800 block (Little Kimber) and the 900 block (Big Kimber) were distinct communities—kids from one block rarely socialized with those from the other. Today most of the street is gone, a victim of urban renewal.

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

Related: William Davis — 804 Kimber, 1900. Boys of Fourteen in Drunken Stupor — 815 Kimber, 1912. North Camden Boys Enlist — 817 Kimber, 1917. Maurone Sentenced — 817 Kimber, 1928.

HOFFMAN—On February 4, 1938, Anna, widow of Walter S. Hoffman, of 840 Kimber St., Camden, N. J., age 69 years. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the funeral services on Tuesday morning at 11 o'clock at the residence of Mrs. Woshnak, 816 Kimber St., Camden. N. J. Interment private. Friends may call Monday evening.

Camden Courier-Post, February 7, 1938

Related: Fall into Boiling Lye Proves Fatal — Carlton Lippincott, 927 Kimber, 1916. Fatal Hemorrhage on Street — Frank Russell, 914 Kimber, 1915. Rodgers, Ex-Boxer Nabbed Again in Raid — 928 Kimber, 1933.

James “Jimmy” Rodgers, 28, former boxer, fell into the hands of police again last night when they raided a speakeasy at 1000 Segal Street, allegedly operated by him.

One gallon of whisky and 65 pint bottles were confiscated by the raiders, who were led by District Detectives Walter Smith, Marshall Thompson and Harry Kyler.

Three others were arrested. One of them, James Greer, 35, of 332 North Second street, placed a charge of possession of stolen goods against Rodgers when police unearthed some articles stolen from Greer two months ago.

Others arrested were Thomas Spencer, 33, of the Segal Street address, and John D. Wood, 35, of 928 Kimber Street.

Rodgers has fallen afoul of the law on numerous occasions. He has been arrested several times for operating speakeasies. He was also arrested as a material witness in the “Shooey” Bonner murder two years ago.

He will be given a police court hearing today.

Detectives raided a vacant dwelling at 225 Chestnut Street last night and seized a “moonshine” plant consisting of two stills, 36 barrels of mash and oil and gas stove cookers.

The place had been under observation by Detective Vernon Jones for two weeks.

No one was inside when Jones and Patrolmen George Hemphill and John Houston entered. A 50 gallon still was on the second floor and a 35 gallon still on the first floor.

By Thomas Bergbauer

After more than 50 years, the Kimber Street kids have finally reunited.

The reunion was the brainchild of former Kimber Street urchins Richard Smith of Cherry Hill and Ernest Trebing of Phoenix.

The two admitted that this would be the right time to gather the neighborhood kids who lived and played on the North Camden street from 1937 to around 1956.

So, on Oct. 26, more than 30 “kids” from the McLaughlin, Fairess, Phillips, Callahan, Smith, Bergbauer, Peterman, Ballay, Trebing, Waldron and Liss families came together at the Coastline Restaurant in Cherry Hill to renew acquaintances and reminisce.

“We were born before television, cell phones, polio shots, frozen foods, plastic wrap, contact lenses and the pill,” said Smith, a self-employed systems and software consultant who retired in 1990.

Smith, 67, explained that “in our day, a nickel went a long way. You could make a phone call, buy a Coke or enough stamps to mail a letter and two postcards.”

The two-block-long street, which ran east and west and was bounded by 8th, 10th, Linden and Penn streets, was lined by row homes occupied by blue-collar, working families. At the time, Linden and Penn were the main arteries in and out of Camden.

The two blocks were called Little Kimber (the 800 block) and Big Kimber (the 900 block), and the reunion consisted of Big Kimber “kids.” At that time, kids from the 900 block rarely socialized with kids from the 800 block.

Today, the 800 block does not exist, and parts of the 900 block are gone—the victims of urban renewal.

Stickball and Marbles

Throughout the get-together, you could hear discussions about stickball, which was played with a rubber ball and a broom stick; kick the can; hide and seek; marbles; pitching pennies; and dodgeball. The “kids” recalled the horse-drawn milk-delivery wagons and the ice deliveryman, who always broke off some chips for the kids on a hot summer day, as well as the vendors who plied their wares daily. They came through the alleyways and down the street, like a parade.

The “kids” also talked about the knife-sharpening man, who trudged through the streets and alleyways lugging his knife-and-scissors machine on his back. He would remove it and place it on the ground to work the grinding wheel with his foot on a pedal.

They did not forget the waffle salesman. At least a couple of times a week, he would come down the street, clanging his large bell on a large, horse-drawn wagon.

He didn’t have to bark his wares; just bang on the bell mounted on the outside of the wagon. It was loud enough to draw the attention of would-be customers two blocks away. His waffles were fresh, tasty and warm. And with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, they were just right.

Some Mischief

But the neighborhood kids also spent time causing some mischief, like tying together the doorknobs of two houses that were across the street from each other, leaving about a foot of slack and ringing both doorbells. When the people inside tried to open their doors, they didn’t get far.

One member of the reunion group even admitted to changing the headlines on the old Courier-Post billboard on Admiral Wilson Boulevard to make them (the headlines) more interesting, he said.

The group recalled snowstorms, building snow forts in the middle of the street and engaging in snowball fights; roller-skating on the street in summer and building wooden scooters and cars out of old orange crates.

They talked about going to the corner candy store and buying half a pint of cherry-vanilla ice cream for 15 cents or a loose bag of pretzels or potato chips for 5 cents. Smith says he recalls going to his aunt and uncle’s house, on the same block, to see Milton “Uncle Milty” Berle on a 9-inch TV screen with a 24-inch magnifier.

Others remembered decorating their bikes on the 4th of July, firing cap pistols and going to Pyne Poynt for fireworks.

For the group, it was a memorable time. Some grew up during the Depression, while others existed on the fringe of it.

They and their families valued what little they had and held on to it for as long as possible. The kids created their own street games and sandlot baseball rules because there were no electronic games or Little Leagues.

“We are now senior citizens—a hardy bunch, when you think of how our world has changed and of the adjustments we have had to make,” Smith said. “But we survived, and what better reason to celebrate?”

Directory of the 900 block and surrounding area, courtesy of Warren Fairess:

9th & Penn—American Store (Jack Crane, Mgr.)—900 Penn Street
9th & Kimber—Herman’s—Herman Benodetsky grocer, 321 North 9th Street
9th & Linden—Jack’s (Jack & Ida Edelstein), 339 North 9th Street; Tom McLaughlin, Dick Smith & Jerry Kozarski worked there

900 Bernard Brend tailor shop; then Horiates sub shop — 320 North 9th
910 Phillips family; then Owen McLaughlin
912 Dorothy Brown
914 Moll family (cop); then Phillips family: Eric, Rose, Violet, Dave, Minabess
916 Fallon family; then others including Charles Hurlburt
918 Fairess family: Woodrow, Warren, Shirley
920 Lindenborn family
922 Trebing family: Frances, George, Marie, Ernie and Peppy — the oldest dog in Camden
924 Smith family: John, Matilda, Sonny, Larry, Dicky, Bobby; then Katie & Howard Heaton
926 Mrs. MacParland: sons Tom & Jack
928 Comfort family: Bobby & Aida; then Babe & Winnie Yates
930 Waldron family: Junior, Tessie, Caroline
932 Jess Lindenborn (son of 920)
934 Clifford family: Mary, John, Tom, Bill, Frank, Dolores, Paul; then Kozarski family: Eddie, Jerry, Barbara

915 Mrs. Gandy
917 The Carter family
919 John & Rose McLaughlin: Johnny, Joey, Rosemary, Tommy, Catherine, Franny
921 Tom & Marie McLaughlin (nicest cars on the block)
923 Jim & Dot Murray; then Johnny & Mrs. Jordan
925 The Bergbauer family: Francis, Louie & Tom
927 Mrs. Walton, her daughter Ethelwynn & husband Harvey Lang and child
929 Albert Gotsch: daughter Celeste
931 Mr. Pechelow & two daughters
933 Old Lady Drake (who baked me a cake) and daughter Alice
935 Bilderback family: Katherine, Frank & Mary
937 McCormack family; then the Howard family
939 Armstrong family: Jack “all American boy”
943 Pete Hansen’s Market

10th & Kimber North—Barbara & Bobby Garwood
10th & Kimber South—Harold Glass and his cousin Marilyn
10th & Penn—Barish family

10th Street—The Sub Shop; Carol Ballay worked there; Sonny ruled the pinball machine

North 10th Street—The Ballays: Carol, Freddy, Johnny; Billy Marshall—316 Billy Marshall; 342 Peterman family: Sterling and Jeannie

North 9th Street—The Callahans before Penn Street: Richard, Margaret, Jack; 310 The Smiths after Kimber; 328 Ronnie Collins; Frank Scheiblehut

Linden Street—Scott’s; Ed & Joan McKeon; Clifford family after moving from Kimber Street; Murray family after Kimber Street; Bobby & Hosmig Damaghasian (corner)