The Antrim Hardware Company operated on Federal Street in East Camden for almost 100 years, before being bought up by a Philadelphia based firm in the mid-1980s.
Elwood H. Antrim was born in Jobstown NJ in Burlington County in 1860. Married to S. Janett Pennock in 1882, the Antrims lived in Red Lion, near Vincentown, in Burlington County. He came to Camden and founded the Antrim Hardware Company at “Cooper’s Creek and Federal,” the 1500 block of Federal Street, in 1889, in what was then Stockton Township. The following year he opened a second store at 26th and Westfield Avenue, in the more populated Wrightsville section. His younger brother, B. Frank Antrim, later joined him in the business, and the Antrims later settled in Merchantville.
The Westfield Avenue location was always a more retail orientated operation. At some point after 1947 the Antrim Company concentrated the retail hardware and electrical appliance sales there. By 1956 the store had moved to 14 North 26th Street. By 1970 the Antrim Company had left this location, and concentrated their efforts on industrial hardware.
With factory after factory continuing to close in Camden and the surrounding area during the 1970s and 1980s, the industrial base that had supported Antrim Hardware for so many years eroded. The business was sold to a Philadelphia based firm in the mid-1980s. Within a few years Antrim Hardware closed its doors for the last time. The building has stood vacant ever since, and has been damaged by fire.
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Samuel M. Shay
Samuel M. Shay was a prominent figure in Camden County during the early 20th century. Born around 1885 in New Jersey, he was appointed as Judge of the Common Pleas Court in Camden County by Governor Edwards in 1922. He was reappointed for a second term in 1927. Aside from his work as a judge,…
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Antrim Hardware
The Antrim Hardware Company operated on Federal Street in East Camden for almost 100 years, before being bought up by a Philadelphia based firm in the mid-1980s. Elwood H. Antrim was born in Jobstown NJ in Burlington County in 1860. Married to S. Janett Pennock in 1882, the Antrims lived in Red Lion, near Vincentown,…
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