Matthew Henson Statue at Maritime Museum

Yesterday Michael Lang, John Giannotti, both emeritus professors at Rutgers Camden, and Father Doyle of Sacred Heart, gave a presentation on the Camden Shipyard & Maritime Museum. On April 6th, the 100th anniversary of Peary and Henson reaching the North Pole, Giannotti's statue of Matthew Henson is slated to be unveiled. To honor the contribution of the expedition's canine contingent a husky has been added to the statue; it is not in the sketch on the museum's website.

The museum is housed in the former Church of Our Savior. The parrish house was build from stones brought back from North Pole expeditions sponsored by Philadelphia area institutions. There were ballast stones from ships used on the expeditions. The parrish house was built in 1891. Matthew Henson and Robert Peary also worked in Philadelphia for awhile. Several of the stained glass windows in the church have nautical themes.

Giannotti, who created the wonderful statue of Walt Whitman which stands in front of the Campus Center, has made an impressive 8' tall statue of Henson. It is the first life-sized statue of this explorer. NJN's show "State of the Arts" will be film the statue's unveiling as part of an episode on Gianotti.

William Still and Lawnside

For those interested in a short history of why William Still and the Lawnside community in New Jersey are important in the African American community and the history of the underground railroad, watch this video on YouTube.

Camden, Home of the Drive-In

Carrie Rickey reported on www.philly.com on June 5 ("Camden's immortal contribution to film ")

The drive-in, that convergence of two late-19th-century technological innovations, cars and cinema, was born in Camden County, N.J., one sultry June 75 years ago. “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are,” advertised innovative exhibitor Richard Hollingshead, Jr., who opened the first drive-in on Admiral Wilson Boulevard, charging 25 cents, the price of a ducat at a conventional moviehouse, but offering the advantage of not having to dress up (as people did in those days) or worry about the conduct of your children.

Picnic Spot

Yesterday I ate lunch on a bench across from the Coopers Grant townhouses, which look move-in ready, and in back of the Walt Whitman Arts Center. Today as I walked by someone else was sitting at the same bench. It must be a happening spot.

Several photographs of this area are available on the web at: http://www.camdencity.net/coopergrant.htm

Esterbrook Pens

The successful manufacture of steel writing pens in the United States was first established by Richard Esterbrook at Camden, NJ, in 1858. It's original location was on Cooper St. near the river, but later moved to Cherry Hill. In the 1960's the Esterbrook merged with another company and then closed it's New Jersey operations.

For more information see "Esterbrook once set stardard for fountain pens," by Thomas A. Bergbauer. Camden Courier Post 1/31/08