Camden Avenue
I am still working on tracking down exactly when the street began or when it was named, but it is already in place and named by 1894 when the Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Buckhannon was published. Click here to see the entire map and legend.
One of the most distinctive streets in Buckhannon, it is a divided highway of sorts and includes a median. I have often admired the street, but never gave a thought to the source of its name.
Johnson Newlon Camden
On March 6, 1828 a baby was born in Lewis County, Virginia. HIs name was Johnson Newlon Camden. His life was full of successes in the areas of law, banking, industrial development, railroad development and politics. I post here a brief timeline of some of the highlights of the life of this man who became one of the most influential and wealthy West Virginians of his time.
- 1828 – Born on March 6 in Lewis County, Virginia
- 1843-46 Studied at Northwestern Academy in Clarksburg
- 1846-48 Studied at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Resigned halfway through the program to study law instead of pursuing a military education
- 1851 – Admitted to the Virginia Bar and became Prosecuting Attorney for the Commonwealth in Braxton County
- 1852 – Prosecuting Attorney for Nicholas County as wel
- 1853 – Settled in Weston where he added clerking and assistant cashier duties to his legal work. In addition, he had become interested in surveying and had secured several tracts of land in Braxton and Nicholas Counties.
- 1857 – Left both his law practice and banking duties to focus on the West Virginia Oil Fields
- 1858 – Relocated to Parkersburg
- 1862 – Helped to found the First National Bank of Parkersburg and was made president of the bank.
- During the Civil War business was disrupted, but he kept working at it. He was a Union sympathizer but did not participate in the military on either side.
- After the Civil War he continued to expand the oil business, joining with Standard Oil and becomeing a director and member of the executive committee
- 1868 – Ran for governor of West Virginia, losing to William E. Stevenson
- 1872 – Ran for governor of West Virginia, losing to John J. Jacob
- 1875 – Major emphasis on Railroad Development, resulting in over 500 miles of rails which were referred to as the “Camden System.” Lines included:
- Clarksburg – Weston
- Regional extensions including from Weston to Buckhannon
- West Virginia Central Railroad
- Ohio River Railroad between Wheeling and Huntington
- Monongalia Railroad between Morgantown and Fairmont
- West Virginia and Pittsburgh Railroad (served as president)
- 1881-87 – U.S. Senator from West Virginia
- 1887-93 – Returned to Parkersburg to practice law
- 1893-95 – Filled vacancy in U.S. Senate caused by the death of John E. Kenna. During this term he served on the Committee to Audit and Control Contingent Expense and on the Committee of Railroads.
- After this term he returned to Parkersburg
- 1908 – Died on April 25 in Baltimore on his way home from a family vacation and is buried in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
He is listed in many biographical resources about the early leaders in West Virginia including:
Prominent Men of West Virginia, 1890
In some ways, he reminds me of an earlier-day Robert C. Byrd, as his name is attached to a lot of familiar things around the state including Camden Clark Hospital in Parkersburg, Camden Park in Huntington, and Camden-on-Gauley to name a few.
Camden Avenue
The Camden Avenue area of Buckhannon has had a very colorful history. There have been some serious floods, such as those of 1918 and 1967.
In the 1980s, at a time when the number of students was at a high point, a series of buildings was planned to help with the overcrowding in campus housing.
The Fall/Winter 1982-83 issue of the Sundial included a great story describing the new facility in great detail: Camden Avenue Complex: Housing for the Eighties. You can read the entire story here.
Located next to Middleton Hall, and directly facing Wesley Chapel, the Complex is three buildings: one containing apartments, and two made up of suites. The suite buildings are identical; each contains two ten-person suites (first floor) and two 28 person suites (second and third floors). Each suite unit has direct exterior access. There is a study/TV lounge for each suite, and there are community-type bathrooms.
The groundbreaking ceremony took place in October 1981 with President Hugh Latimer, Dean Kenneth Welliver, Patton Nickell, Jr. (1956), vice president for administration, and Doug Ritchie (1983), vice president of Community Council wielding shovels.
However, a virtual and actual “perfect storm” created a good deal of difficulty.
The nation’s economy was in a period of recession. The state of West Virginia was hit particularly hard due to conditions in the coal industry. Federal aid was severely cut, which also caused a drop in the numbers of students who could attend college.
Six months later, in April of 1982, a violent windstorm caused great damage to the partially constructed buildings adding both time and expense to the project.
But eventually the building was completed, and was dedicated in late August of 1982. Generations of Wesleyan students have lived there.
2019
For 37 years these buildings were familiar to us. People assumed that they had always been there and always would be there. However, the buildings were well-used and in need of much repair. This summer they are coming down. Before they do, though, they have served one more noble purpose — local emergency responders have been able to do some emergency drills and to learn from them.
