Liberty Street

Liberty Street runs parallel to Kaighn Avenue, from Pavonia Avenue (just west of Ferry Avenue) east to Haddon Avenue. Bisected by two railroad lines and since the 1960s by Interstate Highway 676, Liberty Street and its partner to the south, Mechanic Street, are quite different from one section to the next. Liberty Street is one of the older streets in Camden, appearing in the list of streets in the 1850 Camden City Directory.

West of Broadway, Liberty Street in the first part of the 20th century was an ethnically diverse neighborhood, filled with families who worked in the nearby factories and stores on Broadway and Kaighn Avenue. Across Broadway towards 6th Street there were a number of African-American families, and the Hunton Branch of the YMCA, serving the Black community, was located there. As Camden was a very diverse place, Jewish synagogues were located at different times on Liberty Street, at 335 Liberty Street and near the corner of 6th and Liberty.

Factories and industry prevailed on Liberty between 6th and 8th Streets. At 9th and Liberty there stands a large former cigar factory, and it is at around this point where Liberty and Mechanic Streets took on a distinctly Polish flavor for many years, anchored by the presence of St. Joseph Church on 10th Street between Mechanic and Liberty streets. This influence extended itself almost all the way up to Haddon Avenue, where Liberty Street terminates.

Many thanks to the late Virginia Bicking, for sharing a few stories and getting me started on this page!

345 Liberty Street. Photo from the 1960s — courtesy Gene Robison.

In 1940 my parents William Sr. and Theresa Hare, along with sons William Jr. (24), James (16) and me John (Jack) (5) resided at 419 Liberty St. My father was a captain on the Kaighn Avenue–South Street Ferry Company. What I remember is the store on the northwest corner of 4th and Liberty that was the grocery store owned by Dom and Josephine Inetta.

407 Liberty … The Tomka family; 409 … ??; 411 … Tom??; 413 … Dr. & Mrs. Hyghcock; 415 … Rose and daughter Rosalee Hyghcock; 417 … Empty Lot; 419 … William & Theresa Hare; 421 … George & Goldie Sirisky, (paperhanger), their daughter Lillian Kauffman & granddaughter Wilma Kauffman; 423 … Mrs. Davis; 425 … Mr. & Mrs. Henry Stiles; 427 … Mr. & Mrs. George Gess.

— Jack Hare, November 2011

I am the granddaughter of George and Ethel Sirisky (Goldie was his second wife). They moved to 421 in the early 1920's. Their daughter, Lillian Sirisky married Albert Kauffman in 1933. I was born in 1935 and we all lived in the house until my father, Albert Kauffman died in 1940. We all stayed in the house until my grandmother, Ethel died in 1943. My grandfather, my mother and I remained in the house. My grandfather remarried in 1947. Goldie came to live with us then. My mother remarried in 1950 and left the house, but I stayed behind in the house. I left Camden in 1954. I have such great memories of growing up at 421 and of course, I remember Jack Hare (419 Liberty Street). We were little kids together. Played together often. It was such a fun neighborhood with a lot of neighborhood kids, such as the Galmins, the Cohens, and Jackie.

I now live in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, but I often reminisce about my childhood home.

— Wilma Kauffman Levine, August 2013

There never was one!

On Liberty Street, 1135, the site of Liberty Bottling Company was run by brothers Joe and Mike. There was a small liquor store next to the bottling plant in which we used to buy soda. We would take our little wagon over with or without our Dad and purchase a case of soda. It was a big deal to us as kids. Today the property is boarded up after being converted into a half way house owned by a dentist (?) from New York. Of the original families on that street only one remains — my mother at 1136 Liberty Street.

— Virginia Bicking, May 2004

The corner house which no longer stands at the corner of Liberty and Rose was owned by a produce huckster. Their son was once featured in a newspaper story because he would take his little wagon full of produce around the neighborhood and sell it. As kids we grew up on plenty of vegetable and fruit dishes from produce he could no longer sell. We would get tomatoes, peaches, cantaloupes, etc. Life was grand for us despite the bad economy at times. The Huckster was known as Lucky.

— Virginia Bicking, May 2004

On the corner of Louis and Liberty across from the RR lot was a grocery store run by a man known as Cookie and his mother.

— Virginia Bicking, May 2004