John H. Carroll
John H. Carroll was born in Rhode Island in 1861, the son of Bernard Carroll and his wife, the former Rose Diamond. In 1885 he opened a saloon in Camden at 922 South 3rd Street, and in 1890 he built a hotel at that location, on the corner of South 3rd and Cherry Street, which he operated well into the 1930s. He booked many famous entertainers of the day to appear at his establishment, including the great Ethel Waters.
Carroll also kept a stable next door at 914 South 3rd Street, at the corner of South 3rd Street and Joint Alley, where he housed horses and rented wagons. He ran an excavating business as well, and his firm did all the excavating and grading when Yorkship Village was erected in 1918 and 1919. John Carroll died on April 20, 1932, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in what was then Delaware Township (present-day Cherry Hill), New Jersey. William Asheville was operating the tavern at 922 South 3rd Street in 1936, according to the New Jersey Bell Telephone Directory, and by 1947 Carroll's hotel had become a private residence.
From South Jersey: A History, 1624–1924
The following biographical sketch is drawn from From South Jersey: A History, 1624–1924.
Sound principles and fair dealing offer no short cut to success or worldly goods, but they never fail in the end. Something of this sort crops out all through the career of John H. Carroll, horse dealer, teamster, and hotel owner, of Camden, New Jersey.
Mr. Carroll was born in Valley Falls, Rhode Island, September 28, 1861, and attended the public schools of the town. His father, Bernard Carroll, was born in England; his mother, Rose Diamond Carroll, was from Scotland, and was brought to America by her parents as a child. She died in 1909. Bernard Carroll, likewise, came to the United States in extreme youth and married here. He engaged in the liquor business at Valley Falls, Rhode Island; he served for three years and nine months in the Union Army as a private in the Civil War; and in 1857 won the 100-yard dash amateur championship of the United States. He was active in Republican politics at Valley Falls, where he died in 1914.
John H. Carroll left home at an early age and traveled with Barnum's circus for five years, after which he took up the barber's trade in Camden. He returned to Rhode Island to enter business with his father, and remained with him in Valley Falls for two years. He returned to Camden in 1885, and opened a retail liquor store. In 1890 he erected the building at Third and Cherry streets in Camden, known as Carroll's Hotel. In 1904 he established the John H. Carroll Hauling, Grading, Excavation and General Contracting business, and has carried on the business in Camden since that time. Some of his larger excavation and grading jobs have been in connection with various United States Government concerns; The Tidewater Company, at Fairview, New Jersey; Yorkship Village, and the new Reading Railroad Terminal at Camden, New Jersey; also Victor Talking Machine Company; and Public Service Company, Camden, New Jersey. He is a Republican and has been committeeman from the Fifth Ward for many years. He belongs to the Fifth Ward Republican Club; is a Catholic and attends the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Mr. Carroll is known all through New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania for his philanthropic activities. He has no connection with any organized charitable work; but engages in philanthropy as an individual. Often he has provided room and board free for indefinite periods for unfortunate men and boys, and helps them get a new start in life. He likewise lends them money and takes no security except their good faith and honesty which he trusts for repayment. This has been his habit since he opened Carroll's Hotel. Such is his reputation for kindness to the unfortunate that if a worthy person has fallen into bad luck and has no place to sleep, the neighbors will send him to John Carroll by force of habit, and the appeal seldom fails. Mr. Carroll is quick to detect shams and imposters, and he spurns the shiftless tramp. He expects those he helps to work at anything he finds for them until they get something more to their taste to do.
Recollections
Talk about coincidence. I was at a barbeque today. All the older and I mean older people were from South Camden. They issued me a green card for being from Pyne Point. When I say older, I mean a good 20–30 years older than myself.
Some how 3rd & Cherry came up. One older lady had lived there for years and she asked if I remembered Johnny Carroll's club there. She said he used to book famous acts in there. Ethel Waters was one name I remember. She also mentioned that he was in Republican politics. She has to be well into 80's and she made a big fuss about the place and famous entertainers there. Lo & behold I look at website updates and John Carroll was there!
— John Ciafrani, September 5, 2004
I walked down Joint Alley as a youth thousands of times. It was about one block from our barber shop. It was a small alley street running from 3rd to 4th Street between Cherry and Spruce. It has a very interesting history and was the residence of a popular Camden figure—Johnny Carroll—who rented horses and wagons to Camden City before Camden had its own fleet. He also had a beautiful tavern, for its time, and some beautiful girls, as I am told by my brothers.
Where the red building is used to be a candy store owned by Mr. Abbott. Most children would stop there on their way to school in the morning and after lunch for one-penny candy. The gray building across the alley on the right is where Mr. Carroll had his saloon & stables.
— Enrico Doganiero, September 1, 2006
Tag: john-h-carroll
Joint Alley
Joint Alley, also known as Joint Street, was a one-block alley in South Camden running east from South 3rd to South 4th Street, between Spruce and Walnut Streets. It first appears in city directories in 1850; only six houses remained by 1947, and no buildings stand there today.
11th Street
Eleventh Street ran north from Market Street through to Pearl Street. Over time, North 11th Street was erased block by block, until only a short segment between Penn and Linden Streets survives. South 11th Street is a connecting road with no residential addresses.
3rd Street
Third Street runs north and south, parallel to the Delaware River, through North and South Camden, featuring notable corner buildings like the Security Trust Building at 301 Market Street and the Mickle Tower Apartment House at 200 Mickle Boulevard.
Parish Plans Party for Father Brennan
A June 1932 farewell party for Rev. William J. Brennan, assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in East Camden, transferred to St. Cecelia's Church at Iselin; Bernard J. Tracy served as toastmaster.
John Carroll Honored by Fifth Ward Club
The Fifth Ward Republican Club honored county committeeman John H. Carroll on his recovery from Cooper Hospital, with speeches from Mayor Winfield S. Price and other city officials.
Frelinghuysen Majority Seen in Camden County
Coverage of the September 1922 Camden County primary election, with Senator Frelinghuysen expected to carry a plurality. The clipping appears on John H. Carroll's page.
Women Endorse Johnny Carroll; 'Harmony in 5th'
The Fifth Ward Women's Republican Club unanimously endorsed John H. Carroll for county committeeman, with Councilman Julius Allendorf declaring "perfect harmony in the Fifth Ward."
Johnny Carroll O.K.'d for County Committee
The Fifth Ward Republican Club endorsed Johnny Carroll, cabaret proprietor at Third and Cherry Streets, for re-election as county committeeman, along with councilman Louis Bantivoglio.
Dan Smith Takes Sam Lodge's Place
Camden fireman Samuel Lodge retired after twenty-seven years; Daniel Smith, Robert Whitley and Joseph Nevins received appointments, and John H. Carroll was awarded the contract to furnish horses to the Fire Department at $315 each.
Many Accused of Election Frauds
A Camden County grand jury returned fifty-five true bills for alleged election irregularities in January 1911; John H. Carroll was among those accused of violations.
Great Throngs at the Funeral of Chief Foster
Thousands attended the funeral of Camden Chief of Police John Foster in March 1906; among the donors of floral tributes was John Carroll.
Saloon Burglar Sentenced
Howard Davis, one of three men who broke into John H. Carroll's saloon in December 1904, was sentenced to eighteen months in State Prison by Judge Joline.
Camden News Notes
An attempted robbery at John Carroll's saloon at the northeast corner of Third and Cherry Streets left Ernest Baker shot and wounded; Frank Johnson was captured and a third man escaped.
Fourteen Caught in Saloon Round-Up
Fourteen Camden county liquor dealers arrested by Law and Order League agent George B. M. Adams, including William Convery at Eleventh and Carpenter Streets; all entered bail before Justice Schultz.
Voter Registrations Challenged at Carroll's Saloon
Of seventeen men registered to vote from John Carroll's saloon at 922 South Third Street, only five were said to be entitled; the other twelve were notified to show cause.