Simmons Court is one of Camden’s “lost streets.” Prior to 1863, Henry Simmons, described in the Camden City Directories of that year as “colored” and working as a seaman, acquired a parcel of land comprising the three lots that would become 240, 242, and 244 Division Street. He was likely the son of Samuel and Hester Simmons, born in Delaware around 1837. Given his age, it is possible that his father developed Simmons Court. A Samuel R. Simmons, who was a member of the Newton Meeting of Quakers, passed away in 1861, and Hester Simmons, identified as a widow, is mentioned as living on Simmons Court from 1865 through 1870.
Six frame houses were erected on Simmons Court, with one still standing and occupied when the Census was taken in 1880. Simmons Court is mentioned in the 1863 Camden City Directory, and residents are listed there as late as 1877. However, there are no listings in the 1878 Directory or any thereafter. According to the 1880 Census, Henry Simmons was the sole resident of Simmons Court. The 1883 City Directory does not mention Simmons Court but lists Henry Simmons at 244 Division Street. Henry Simmons, last residing at 232 Spruce Street, died on June 9, 1887, at the age of 50. He was buried at Johnson’s Cemetery in what was then the town of Stockton, present-day East Camden.
The 1885 Sanborn Map set for Camden does not include a map for the block of Division Street where Simmons Court once stood. However, the 1891 edition does, and it shows no structures on the parcels that comprised 240, 242, and 244 Division Street. It can be safely assumed that the last house on Simmons Court was either destroyed by fire or razed in the mid-1880s.
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Simmons Court
Simmons Court is one of Camden’s “lost streets.” Prior to 1863, Henry Simmons, described in the Camden City Directories of that year as “colored” and working as a seaman, acquired a parcel of land comprising the three lots that would become 240, 242, and 244 Division Street. He was likely the son of Samuel and…
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