Introduction
Seward Street is another of Camden’s “lost streets,” although it differs from most in that it is still there. Named after William H. Seward, who served as Secretary of State from 1861 through 1869 under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, Seward Street is a one-block street that runs from 451 Trenton Avenue to 455 Haddon Avenue. At some point, most likely after 1980, whoever owned 451 Trenton Avenue, 453 Trenton Avenue, 455 Haddon Avenue or 455 Haddon Avenue put a fence across Seward Street, blocking transit between Trenton and Haddon. At one time a section of Blaine Street ran from 429 Trenton to 427 Haddon. It too has been fenced off. No street signs mark Seward Street, and no houses ever carried a Seward Street address.
451 Trenton Avenue first appears in Camden City Directories in the 1888–1889 edition, so one can assume that Seward Street was completed at the same time, late in 1887 or early in 1888.
Seward Street — 1906 Sanborn Map
Seward Street, 1906 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.
Seward Street — 1946 Map of Camden
1946 map of Camden, showing Seward Street area.
Seward Street — 2012
Seward Street as seen from Trenton Avenue (top) and Haddon Avenue (bottom), 2012.