Jackie’s Day in Whitman’s World
Nov 12th, 2009 by jackieg
This past Saturday I had the privilege of visiting the house in which Whitman spent the last few years of his life and actually passed away in. For me, as well as some of my classmates and Dr. Hoffman, it was like stepping back into the late nineteenth century and experiencing Whitman in a completely different way. I love learning about history, but I honestly thought this was just going to be another tour in another historical house. One where there are velvet ropes blocking essentially everything and you’re not allowed to look at anything for too long because it’s so old it might disintegrate. I couldn’t have been farther off in my assumption.
Everything was completely out in the open for everyone to see and there were no velvet ropes to be seen. This was Walt Whitman’s house, and it looked just as he left it one hundred and seventeen years ago. Needless to say, it was pretty cool for a group of Whitman buffs.
Our tour guide, who also gives tours through Edgar Allen Poe’s house in Philadelphia, was well versed in his knowledge of Whitman. We spent the first half an hour or so discussing Whitman’s life and what brought him to Camden. He came here after he suffered a stroke to live with his brother on Stevens Street which was the next block over from where Whitman finally set himself in on Mickle Street. This house is one of a section of four row homes together in the middle of what is now downtown Camden. Across the street, literally, is the city prison. The house is no longer in the quaint neighborhood it once existed in. However, the house itself maintains a certain personality, just like it were trapped in time. In the back yard, you wouldn’t even know you were in Camden as it exists today. It has the charm and appeal of the old world.
So that was it, the tour was great, and very informative. We were able to go through the whole house, his bedroom included, and we were able to see it in the way it was in the 1880s. In short, it was incredible. I wanted to post some of the pictures I was allowed to take. Here are some from the outside front and his backyard garden. Enjoy!
Backyard
Outhouse
Garden View
I had a good time this day as well. It really was seeing everything the way Whitman would have seen it, like even how the carpet was recreated in the same (or very similar pattern) and in strips sewn together versus one large piece. The tour guide was so knowledgeable – he really impressed me!
I also enjoyed seeing all of the important rooms of the house as well as the backyard to fully understand the daily life in which Whitman spent his last 7-8 years. I especially found it interesting about the marble stone with his initials out front of the house and the fact that it is still there today is quite remarkable!
This is the second post I’ve seen mentioning a connection between Whitman and Poe. It’s an interesting idea, but a concept I find hard to reconcile. They lived at the same time, in nearly the same place, and yet their poetry is worlds apart.