Camden Archives

Camden Archives

Camden Town Hall

56 W. Central Avenue
P.O. Box 1
Camden, Ohio 45311

937-452-2003

Tuesday & Thursday: 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

First Saturday of the month: 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Open other days/times by prearranged appointment or when Archives Volunteers are doing unscheduled work on site.

About the Camden Archives

The Eleanor I. Jones Archives, commonly known as the Camden Archives, had its beginnings when professional librarian and Camden native, Eleanor (Nell) I. Jones retired from government service with the Library of Congress in 1951 and returned to her hometown. Once home, she set about collecting and indexing all of the Camden newspapers that she could locate, with only a few being missing: the Camden Herald (1877 – 1880), the Camden Gazette (1880 – 1892), and the Preble County News (1902 – until her death).

Miss Jones had filed in her home so many items of value—deaths, births, marriages, school affairs, church affairs and town happenings that in 1964, she was given a corner of the Camden Library to house her growing collection and continue her work. By 1973, noting that the newspapers were becoming fragile, Archive volunteers had them microfilmed by the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. Those microfilms remain a valued resource of the Archives. Also by the mid-1970’s the Archives had filed formal paperwork resulting in designation by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt, non-profit organization which could accept donations deductible on personal income taxes. Now volunteers continue the archival work started by Miss Jones.

The Archives contains hundreds of historic photographs, as well as numerous physical artifacts and publications relating to Camden’s citizens and history. The Archives also maintains an extensive and ever-growing collection of information, arranged alphabetically by individual’s name, organization, or recurring event topic (this collection numbers in the thousands.)

Camden Archives Featured Photos

All photos posted to this edition of the Camden Archives Photo Gallery are from Camden Archives photos contained in Miscellaneous Views and Buildings, Envelopes 1, 2, & 3. Individual photo numbers are cited prior to each photo description.

Please click on a photo to see the full sized image.
#02 - E.J. Pharnes Building, Northwest Corner of Main St and Central Ave - 1891.

Later this building was known as the Earhart Building, and later as the Dearth Building. By the Dearth Building era, a third story had been added. Until it burned in May, 1988 this building was a major landmark building at the center of Camden. See photo #72 for a 1967 photo of this building, when Webb’s Drugs was a major occupant.

#20 – Brick-paving the intersection of Main Street and Central Avenue, 1925.

#81 – South Main Street, looking south from the Central Avenue intersection in 1939.

#103 – The Nonpareil Building was located on the northwest corner of Main St and West Hendricks Street, as it appeared in approximately 1895.

#11 - Dearth Jewelry Store and a barbershop, east side of North Main St – 1914

#48 – White & Eikenberry General Store, located at southwest corner of Main St and Central Avenue, in the ground floor of the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOU) Building – 1898.

#81B – Shellenberger Hill at West Hendricks Street, looking downhill east toward the main part of Camden in 1880.

#108 – Camden’s Pennsylvania Railroad Depot, shown while in service, was located at the northeast corner of Depot Street and East Central Avenue.

#13 - Danser Jewelry, Nesley Tucker Ice Cream & Candy, S. Main St – 1885.

#54 – McCord’s Hardware Store, 98 South Main St, at the northeast corner of South Main Street and East Hendricks Streets.

#81C – Camden Aerial View, looking west northwest in March 1947.

#109 – Grocery Store Interior.

#16 – 1913 Flood, East Central Avenue, looking east toward State Route 725 Bridge and Seven Mile Creek.

#56B – Camden World War II Honor Roll was erected beside the Town Hall in 1944.

#82 – St. Mary’s Catholic Church Congregation in 1943.

#118 – Horse drawn school buses lined up on Lafayette Street at the east side of the Camden School, located at the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Lafayette Streets.

#19A – Railroad Wreck, Sept 5, 1891.

#72 – Dearth Building was located at the northwest corner of Main St and Central Ave. This photo was taken in October, 1967.

#98 – Empire Livery and Feed Stable was located on the north side of East Central Avenue in 1900.

#149 – Devil’s Backbone, the old part of SR 725 that went down to where the old trestle bridge had stood, just above the creek.