Butcher’s Alley

Butchers Alley, looking East from 4th Street. 2004-06-06

Butcher’s Alley in Camden, nestled between Liberty and Mechanic Streets, initially stretched from South 4th Street eastward to Broadway. This changed in 1993 when the construction of the Liberty Station firehouse shortened the alley’s length, preventing it from reaching Broadway.

The alley was unnamed until post-1891. In the 1890s, it gained the moniker ‘Butcher’s Alley,’ attributed to William A. Butcher. Butcher owned a shoe manufacturing business at 467 Mechanic Street, which backed onto the alley. By 1903, ‘Butcher’s Alley’ began appearing in Camden City Directories. Following Butcher’s death in February 1915, Jonathan Roberts took over, operating a shoe factory at this location until the mid-1920s.

By 1961, all of Butcher’s buildings were demolished except for two dwellings on the alley. In the early 1990s, the City of Camden constructed the new Liberty Station firehouse. This development enveloped multiple addresses, including 459 to 465 Mechanic Street and 465 and 467 Butcher’s Alley. As of 2014, remnants of the factory’s foundation on the north side of Butcher’s Alley were still visible, marking the historical presence of Butcher’s business in the area.


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  • Butcher’s Alley

    Butcher’s Alley

    Butcher’s Alley in Camden, nestled between Liberty and Mechanic Streets, initially stretched from South 4th Street eastward to Broadway. This changed in 1993 when the construction of the Liberty Station firehouse shortened the alley’s length, preventing it from reaching Broadway. The alley was unnamed until post-1891. In the 1890s, it gained the moniker ‘Butcher’s Alley,’…

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