PRR Federal Street Ferry Terminal

PRR Federal Street Ferry Terminal. . , Prior to the 1800s ferries and stagecoaches were critical to the transport of passengers in and out of the City of Camden, and this transportation network continued to grow during the 19th century. Once the Camden and Amboy Railroad (C&A) had reached the city in the late 1830s it also obtained ferry slips at the foot of Federal Street. The construction of a ferry house at this site enabled Camden to grow into a major industrial city housing such prominent companies as Victor Talking Machine (later RCA Victor) and Campbell's Soup. This newly established Delaware River ferry service linked the City of Camden to the C&A and other important railroads extending into southern New Jersey, as well as to the commercially important city of Philadelphia, thus continuing in the 150-year tradition of the colonial ferry system originally operated by city pioneer William Cooper., In 1871 the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) assumed control of the C&A under a 999-year lease, and in 1900 the original ferry building was demolished to accommodate construction of a new PRR ferry and railroad terminal at the Federal Street location. During the first half of the 20th century, numerous railroads and roadways extended outward from the regional transportation hub in Camden into the heart of New Jersey. At the same time, the various ferries remained critical as the only means of crossing the Delaware River prior to the construction of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in 1926., The PRR ferry terminal, no longer in existence, was located on the site now occupied by the New Jersey State Aquarium, and the last ferry operated from this location in 1952. All remnants of the original railroad lines and associated ferries have been removed from the waterfront section of Camden with one exception. Just south and west of this light-rail stop location, and visible along the north side of Federal Street, is a stone retaining wall that is the sole remaining element of the historically significant connection between the two critical components of Camden's industrial era transportation system. The RiverLink, connecting Camden's waterfront entertainment complex and Philadelphia's Penns Landing, continues the tradition of ferry services crossing the Delaware River.