WALT WHITMAN, Camden’s “Good Grey Poet,” the life of whom a subject that has been written on at length by many. Rather than rehash much that is to be read elsewhere, presented will be things of interest concerning Whitman, his life and times in and around Camden, and comments by those who knew him and other contemporaries.
One aspect of Whitman that is far off the literary track is the use of his name and image for commercial purposes after his death. The Hotel Walt Whitman, the Walt Whitman Stores grocery chain and the assorted canned and packaged food items distributed under the “Walt Whitman” and “Poet” brand by Camden Grocer Exchange are probably the best remembered examples. Not to be forgotten is the Walt Whitman Bridge over the Delaware River. One has to wonder how many of those who cross the bridge daily know who Whitman was, and of that number, how many have read any of his poetry.
Photos
Related Articles
-
Benjamin M. Braker
Benjamin M. Braker, a highly esteemed figure in South Jersey for over five decades, carved out a lasting legacy as both a journalist and a politician until his passing in December 1905. With close ties to George Lippard, the founder of the Brotherhood of the Union, and the renowned poet Walt Whitman, Braker played a…
-
Old Cooper Street
Reprinted from the series of stories of Camden’s earlier days, under the title Sixty Years in Camden County – Gosh! by Will Paul, appearing in The Community news, of Merchantville, NJ.
-
Mickle Street
MICKLE STREET was named after John W. Mickle, a prominent figure in both local and State affairs in the 1840’s and 1850’s.
-
Centennial Mirror 1828-1928
A centennial review: the year was 1927 and the future had hardly ever looked brighter for the City of Camden. Times were prosperous, business and industry were booming, and the city was full of recently constructed public buildings, civic improvements, schools, the new Delaware River bridge and its new highway to the suburbs. The stock…
-
A Stranger Arrives
Along in the springtime of 1873 there appeared in the streets of Camden a strange, tall, limping man, clad in a somber grey. His general appearance was enhanced by the picturesqueness of his flawing white beard his large white collar loosened at the throat and the manner in which he carried his head proudly, but…
-
The Walt Whitman House
The Walt Whitman House is a historic building in Camden, New Jersey, United States, and is on the National Register of Historic Places which was the last residence of American poet Walt Whitman, in his declining years before his death. It is located at 328 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, known as Mickle St.…
Leave a Reply