Camden activists have spent years advocating for the protection of a dilapidated row house in the city where a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is said to have frequently stayed with a friend while studying at Crozer Theological Seminary outside of Philadelphia.
The property at 753 Walnut Street is vacant today, still bearing the scars of a fire that burned in it early last year. But local activists say that King often stayed there between 1948 and 1951 and at times listed it as his home. In the summer of 1950, King was refused service at a restaurant in nearby Maple Shade, an incident that is described as King’s first act of nonviolent protest. When the white restaurant owner was charged, King listed 753 Walnut Street in Camden as his address.
Previous efforts to have the house designated a historic site drew support, including from the late Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights leader. In 2016, state lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution urging then-Gov. Chris Christie’s administration to make the designation. But the effort stalled after Stockton University researchers determined there wasn’t enough evidence that King lived at the house as a permanent resident.
The preservation push has been renewed, and is now funded by a roughly $100,000 grant from the state historic trust. Activists said they’ve been advised by state officials to focus more research on the civil rights movement in Camden and King’s connections to the area. They’re hopeful that ultimately the property will be restored, protected and turned into a museum.
“It’s a part of history,” said Yocontalie Jackson, a local researcher and independent curator. “And the fact that it’s a part of history… everybody needs to know. So whatever we can do to allow the awareness, that’s what we want to do.”
