Editor’s note: This commentary is based on a presentation by Ms. Mills at Preservation Delaware Inc.’s recent conference and meeting.
At first glance, Camden is just a place to pass through.
However, if you stop and look around, Camden’s rich history opens a window into the past. Its historic and heritage districts are filled with important buildings telling the story of the past.
Even as Camden grows, it is important that its heritage district, historic district and historic sites are not forgotten. Instead, preserving Camden’s history strengthens the town with benefits, such as increasing local tourism, sharing diverse stories and facilitating affordable housing.
For increasing local tourism, Camden can use the Delaware’s Quaint Villages program as a low-cost way to attract more tourists and increase revenue. Kent County often has been viewed as a place to drive through, and the county had been previously ignored by tourists and large infrastructure development.
Instead of focusing on the lack of development, the tourism board is trying to turn it into an asset. With a tagline of “at your own pace,” the Delaware’s Quaint Villages tourism program emphasizes the benefits of visiting areas that are rich in history and “small-town living.” Camden can use the already existing Delaware’s Quaint Villages website to emphasize its many historic sites. By connecting to local sites, visitors would be more inclined to spend time in Camden which would encourage economic spending.
Camden could even create a joint history project with its neighboring town, Wyoming, another Delaware Quaint Village. Frequently, the two towns and surrounding neighborhoods are known as Camden-Wyoming, and they have even attempted to merge in the past. Both want to protect their historic sites and increase the walkability of their towns. Using Camden’s historic and heritage district and Wyoming’s historic district to promote a walkable, historical experience would increase the public’s awareness of both towns’ pasts, benefiting locals and tourists.
Preserving Camden’s historical sites is an important part of sharing American history. Camden has many buildings protected on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal distinction showing that these sites are worthy of preservation.
Camden’s sites also share diverse stories that often sorely lacking in the National Register. Currently, less than 8% of sites included on the register are associated with women, Latinos, African Americans or other minorities. While preservation has left out the stories of many communities, Camden’s historical connection to the underground railroad provides multiple stories of history.
For example, at Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, originally built in 1845, the cemetery includes the graves of Black Civil War veterans, and the church was a haven for the Black community. Across the street, the Camden Friends Meeting House, built in 1805, was an active stop on the underground railroad.
Further, more research into Camden’s history can provide other stories often left out of books. Thomas H. Howell (1790-1874), a Quaker miller from Camden, was born deaf and educated at Thomas Gallaudet’s Hartford (Connecticut) School for the Deaf. After his education, he returned to Delaware to take over operations at his family’s mill. Additionally, John T. Jakes (d. 1899) was the agent for the Delaware Railroad in 1865 and one of the town’s pioneer citizens, whose daughter, Maggie Jakes, taught at the Wyoming Institute. Sharing Camden’s history is a way to share diverse and often untold stories, including those about people of color, women and people with disabilities.
Camden’s historic and heritage districts protect the character of the town and are one of the strongest preservation tools for maintaining housing and preventing gentrification. These districts can be used to create needed affordable housing and can provide homes that could increase one’s quality of life.
Finally, protection for Camden’s historic sites would be strengthened by improving historic-preservation laws. At the national level, the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 (in which Camden is a recognized location) could provide special historic-preservation distinction to sites included in the act. At the state level, Delaware could provide additional protection for National Register of Historic Places properties, instead of allowing hundreds of properties to be demolished. At the local level, Camden’s zoning laws can ensure a compatibility review for new construction in the heritage and historic districts, which would create unique projects match the character of the town and draw visitors to the businesses that are compatible with the historical nature of the town. The laws could also have more protections surrounding cemeteries in the historic and heritage districts, including those that no longer have a structure associated with them.
Camden’s historical sites should be protected because of their unique importance and the benefits the protection of the districts provide for the town.
Rebekah Mills is in her second year at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law, where she focuses her studies on cultural heritage law. Ms. Mills also attended Caesar Rodney High School, where she first learned about Camden’s history.
