Camden Museum in Camden, New South Wales, Australia | History Museum

Camden Museum

Locality: Camden, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 4655 3400

Address: 40 John Street 2570 Camden, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.camdenhistory.org.au

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25.01.2022 Touring Cars. Two cars and passengers on a motor tour. Said to be Camden folk at Bulli Lookout. Probably Jean Doust may have been a passenger. Front car a 1914 Model T Ford. Car behind is a cycle car. Photo late 19teens, photographer Roy Dowle, contributed by Mrs Jean Doust. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Historical Society.

25.01.2022 Funeral Procession, Camden. School girls, masons in regalia, motor hearse and following cars. At John and Argyle intersection. Funeral of Dr Francis William West G.P. of Macaria, Saturday afternoon 22nd October 1932. Photo by Roy Dowle. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Historical Society.

25.01.2022 Giribunger Reserve is a small park situated in Camden Park Estate (Bridgewater), on the corner of Macarthur Circuit and Tobin Avenue. It is named after Giribunger, also known as Guribunger, Girigungei or Nanny. Giribunger (c.1814 1870) was an Aboriginal woman from the Cubbitch Barta Clan of the Dharawal People. She was known as Nanny Barrett until it was discovered her traditional name was Giribunger. Giribunger was one of the youngest survivors of the 1816 Appin Creek Mas...sacre. On Macquaries orders, soldiers killed men, women and children of the Dharawal people. Official figures say 14 people died. Some historians believe the death toll was far higher. In 1819 Giribunger, aged about 5, was taken from her family and placed in the Parramatta Native Institute. The Institute had been opened in 1814 by Macquarie to civilise, educate and foster habits of industry and decency in the Aborigines. Children were not allowed to leave until their mid teens. However a number of deaths there in 1821 caused a number of children to flee. At some stage Giribungers father brought her home to the Cowpastures. In 1827 Guribunger first appeared in European historical records, when she was listed as Nanny among the Aborigines who received blankets and clothing from the Cawdor bench. On later records both her aboriginal and European names were acknowledged. Giribunger was the common-law wife of a Welsh convict, Richard Barrett who had arrived in 1830 and was assigned to John Macarthur on Camden Park. Richard called her Annie. She had 3 daughters and 2 sons: Susan, Richard, Margaret, Mary, and James, who were all born at Camden Park. Richard Barrett died in 1856, aged 60. Richard and Nanny are buried in an unmarked grave at St Johns Church Cemetery. According to Dharawal elder, Glenda Chalker, Nanny died in 1870, and was taken by the Macarthur women to be buried at St Johns. The Church records show that the Macarthur family provided the plots that contain the graves of Nanny, Richard and their children. See more

24.01.2022 Please note changes to the maximum numbers allowed at one time. After many months of waiting, we are pleased to announce that Camden Museum will reopen its doors to the public from 11 am Thursday 12th November, 2020. Covid safety restrictions will be in place with a maximum of 10 people at one time. We look forward to welcoming visitors back to the Museum. Photo of Nixon Room, upstairs in the Museum. Photo by Bob Hughes, 2007.

23.01.2022 Hi to our followers. We have received a request from Tania Lopes Chillemi regarding these photos. If anyone can help, please let us know and we will pass on the information. Thank you.

22.01.2022 Peters & Sons, Camden. Horse and cart carrying headstones with two men at Peace Day Parade. Walter Peters and his son Percy operated a stonemasonery business on the corner of Argyle and View Streets. Photo 1919, taken by Roy Dowle, donated by Mrs Jean Doust. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Library Services / Camden Historical Society.

21.01.2022 The Rotolactor at Menangle N.S.W. Established in 1952 the Rotolactor could milk 300-375 cows per hour with 50 cows at a time. The cattle were fed at the same t...ime as they were being milked. It is estimated that over three million visitors saw the Rotolactor in operation until it was closed in 1977. A private dairying family reopened the facility for their own dairy until it was closed in 1983. Photo one shows the facility when it was in operation. (1968). Photo two sees the Rotolactor waiting its future with the new development? (5.7.2020). Photographs by James Whitfield. See more

20.01.2022 On this day, 4th October 1797, the first flock of Spanish Merinos, upon which Australia's wool industry was founded, arrive in Sydney. In the early years of set...tlement, the colony of New South Wales struggled to achieve self-sufficiency. Most early convicts were not skilled in farming and British farming methods, seeds and implements were unsuitable for use in the different climate and soil, and the colony faced near-starvation in its first two years. An industry suited to Australia's harsh conditions needed to be established. On 4 October 1797, the first flock of Spanish merino sheep arrived in Australia. The sheep, offspring of a flock originally owned by Prince William of Orange in the Netherlands, had been bought in South Africa for 4 per head by British officers Henry Waterhouse and William Kent. More than half of the sheep died on the voyage from the Cape of Good Hope to Australia with bad weather nearly doubled the time spent at sea. Captain John Macarthur, an officer in the NSW Corps, offered Waterhouse 15 guineas per head for all the surviving sheep; however, Waterhouse refused the offer and in August he acquired a 140-acre property on the Parramatta River, known as The Vineyard and introduced his new flock to the estate. As his flock increased, Waterhouse distributed a few sheep between Macarthur, the Reverend Samuel Marsden, Lieutenant Kent and Captain Thomas Rowley. When Waterhouse returned to England in 1800, William Cox bought most of the flock from him, including several of the original sheep from the Cape. The remainder went to Macarthur. The Spanish Merino was a hardy sheep which was tolerant of Australia's extreme conditions. Unlike other settlers, both Waterhouse and Macarthur did not try to cross-breed the sheep with other breeds, which only resulted in sheep with coarse wool of lower quality. By 1803, the Macarthur flock numbered over 4000. The Macarthurs had improved the bloodline and strength of the flock by purchasing merinos from flocks in different regions, thus limiting inter-breeding of similar bloodlines. For this reason, John Macarthur is often regarded as the founder of the wool industry in Australia. Pictured: Champion Merino ram, 1905 Sydney Sheep Show. Courtesy: Wikimedia.

19.01.2022 Join us on a virtual walking tour of some of Camden's most iconic historical properties and unlock stories from the past and present from the comfort of your ow...n home! Thanks to all the participants and our knowledgeable guide, Laura Jane, for walking us through our great town! @vintage_camden #mycamdenstory #iheartcamden #HistoryWeek2020 #walkingtour See more

19.01.2022 An update on the situation regarding the re-opening of Camden Museum.

19.01.2022 History Week Camden Museum. As part of the approaching History Week, John and Julie have displayed the items from Peter Oxford Pharmacy in the cabinet near Ca...mden Librarys front desk. One of the most interesting items is an Apothecarys 19th-century pill-making or pill-rolling machine consisting of two pieces: a wooden base with 24 brass grooves, and a separate roller with 24 brass grooves, which when rubbed together could make 24 pills from a long sausage-shape doughy mixture. If you are interested, there is a video on YouTube which shows how the machine works. Camden Museum Camden Historical Society Inc Camden, New South Wales, Australia #historyweek20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5idAg94hrQ See more

18.01.2022 Museum is seeking a meteorite The Camden Museum has many unusual items in its collection of over 4000 objects. One example is a fossilised dinosaur dropping! Dinosaur droppings are known as ‘coprolites’. Most meteorites look very much like rocks found on earth, except meteorites usually have a dark, burned exterior and an irregular shape. The Camden Museum has a collection of geological specimens but this does not include a meteorite. So we are turning to our Facebook supporters to ask the question. Do you have a small meteorite for which you are looking to find a home? It would be good to have one to show visitors, particularly school visit groups and other young visitors. If you do, please talk to Rene or John at the museum, or contact Lee on [email protected]

18.01.2022 Following a number of enquiries regarding the photo of St Mark s Church at Elderslie and the names of the people in the photo I am attaching a list of their names. Sunday School c. 1955. Bishop Wilton, Ruth Ferguson, Mary Ferguson, and on the far right Nancy Ferguson. Children: Front Row from left Barbara Noble(3), Lesley Noble(6), John Bruce (8), Pat Higgs girl in front w name plate. ... Identifications by Lorne Noble (Dec 1998), Photo from a transparency loaned by Ina Cameron, Harrington Street Elderslie who came to Elderslie in 1946 and worshipped at St Marks. See more

17.01.2022 John Macarthur was the ultimate colonial anti-hero - rich and powerful, a ruthless adversary - part dreamer, part destroyer, a big picture thinker, often blinde...d by reckless plans. He was also fought a life long battle with depression. In the four decades since landing at Gamay/Sydney Cove in 1790 as a 24 year old soldier, John, with his wife Elizabeth and their well-connected family, dominated colonial society. A canny eye for business and a knack for winning patronage brought John fame and fortune. In the end, however, it was his stormy mind and ferocious temper that destroyed him. Based on documents held in State Records NSW, we can plot a gloomy timeline from July 1832 when his sons James and William petitioned the Supreme Court to conduct an inquisition, leading to John being declared a lunatic. Later that year, Elizabeth relinquished all care and custody of her ailing husband and, sadly, never met or spoke to him again. The timeline ends on 10 April 1834, with Johns death at Camden, far from the world of politics and commerce he once dominated. Our new display in collaboration with the State Records NSW at Elizabeth Farm explores more about the final years of John Macarthur. Elizabeth Farm is open Wednesday to Saturday 10am4pm and you can purchase tickets online via https://my.sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/elizabeth-farm

17.01.2022 Argyle Street, Camden c1961 & 2015. Source: Museum Macarthur (Weston Langford Collection) & Google Maps. Comparison by Chris Brown.

16.01.2022 With the approach of Christmas and New Year, we would like to advise our visitors that the Museum will be closing from 4pm Sunday 13th December, 2020, and will reopen at 11am Thursday 7th January, 2021. We take this opportunity, on behalf of the Committee and members of the Camden Historical Society, to wish all our followers and visitors to the Museum a Very Merry and Enjoyable Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year.

15.01.2022 Dr Francis West, Camden. A special request to the motoring enthusiasts among our followers. Could anyone identify the make and model of the car in this photo? Many thanks. Dr West, who died in 1932, standing alongside his car. Post card To my loyal and dearly valued friend Llewella Davies from an Old Pal. Photo c. 1920. Contributed by Miss Llewella Davies.... Camden Historical Society. See more

15.01.2022 Methodist Church, Camden. Corner of John and Mitchell Streets. Church built in 1888. The photo of the Camden Church was taken in 1940. In 1965 the roof of the main church was renewed and the Tegel family undertook to have this work carried out in conjunction with the re-modelling of the front of the church. Photo by Roy Dowle, date unknown. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Library Services / Camden Historical Society.

14.01.2022 Join us on a virtual walking tour of some of Camdens most iconic historical properties and unlock stories from the past and present from the comfort of your ow...n home! Thanks to all the participants and our knowledgeable guide, Laura Jane, for walking us through our great town! @vintage_camden #mycamdenstory #iheartcamden #HistoryWeek2020 #walkingtour See more

14.01.2022 Peace Day Parade, Camden. Camden Branch of Grand United Order of Oddfellows. On wagon ready for parade. Photo c.1920. Photographer Roy Dowle. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Library Services / Camden Historical Society.

14.01.2022 "Pomare", Cobbitty. Facade of "Pomare" house at 352 Cobbitty Road Cobbitty. Also known as Pomare Grove. Built in 1902. Operated as a guest house by Mrs Gracie, with golf course for many years. Later became Teen Ranch. Photo c. 1920, taken by RoyDowle. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Library Services / Camden Historical Society.

13.01.2022 Campbelltown to Camden Train Line Closing 1962

13.01.2022 CAMDEN MUSEUM SECURES GRANT Camden Museum is among 15 NSW museums and Aboriginal Cultural Centres sharing in this year’s Volunteer Museum Small Grants Roun...d 1 funding which is aimed to assist with immediate improvements and projects. The museum will receive $1,349.50 which will be used to install a digital welcome display around the entrance to the Museum Camden Historical Society Inc. President Doug Barratt, the committee and members do exceptional work in preserving and displaying Camden’s history and heritage through Camden Museum. I thank them very much for their dedication, passion and the long hours they often put in to ensuring Camden’s rich history is preserved and accessible to all. It’s wonderful that these grants continue to be supported by the NSW Government, and I’m delighted that with this support, our dedicated volunteers of Camden Museum will be able to put plans into place for the benefit of our wider community to enjoy.

12.01.2022 Bill Gander's horse team, Camden. Ten horse wagon loaded with wool bales stencilled JEM Mountain Vale which was the property of John E Moore in the Burragorang Valley. Photographed at Camden Common, Cawdor Rd near Barsden St. Photo by Roy Dowle, contributed by Mrs Jean Doust. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Historical Society.

12.01.2022 30 Class tank loco shunting Milk Tankers at Camden Station. Taken by Weston Langford on December thirty first, 1962. (Ben Summers) Found on: [https://www.westonlangford.com/images/photo/102276/](https://www.westonlangford.com/images/photo/102276/) Special thanks to Camden History Notes.

12.01.2022 Boys Home Camden. Building in Ferguson Road with boys and adults standing in front. Director Mr. G.E Ardill. Photo Early 1900s Taken by Roy Dowle... Contributed by Walcha & District Historical Society From Camden Images Past and Present Camden Historical Society See more

12.01.2022 After many months of waiting, we are pleased to announce that Camden Museum reopened its doors to the public on Thursday 12th November, 2020. As some Camden residents still say, I didn’t know we had a museum, here is some background information. The Camden Museum has been open for 50 years! The Museum is owned and operated by the Camden Historical Society and is located at 40 John Street, Camden, in a building owned by Camden Council as part of the Camden Library/Museum co...Continue reading

11.01.2022 the Camden line and more from 1939. Some might find this interesting Source Wikpeadia

11.01.2022 This photo was found in the archives of the Camden Show Society. Unfortunately, we have no idea of this gentleman's identity. Could any of our followers provide assistance in identify this man? Your help will be gratefully appreciated.

11.01.2022 Methodist Church, Camden. Corner of John and Mitchell Streets. Church built in 1888. this photo before remodelling in 1940. Photo by Roy Dowle, date unknown. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Library Services / Camden Historical Society.

10.01.2022 F.C. Whiteman stables Camden. From Nepean House looking east. Corner of Edward and Mitchell Streets. Photo 1948 by John Southwell. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Historical Society.

10.01.2022 Some nostalgia for our followers. https://youtu.be/yNLIg1ltc0Q

08.01.2022 Could any of our followers please help to identify the ladies in this photo? It was taken by Roy Dowle maybe between 1910 and 1930. Photo compliments of The Oaks Historical Society.

08.01.2022 Campbelltown 30 December 1962 Source: https://www.westonlangford.com/images/photo/102249/

07.01.2022 The town of Camden, N.S.W, celebrating it 150th anniversary of wool production with a wool festival. October 1960

07.01.2022 Mining of aggregate from McCanns Island in the Nepean River for use in the construction of Warragamba Dam. 1958

07.01.2022 Camden Railway Station c1962 The old Milk co can be seen to the left and McDonalds now sits roughly where the train curves in the middle of the picture. This is roughly around 33 Edward Street. The Camden line extended from Campbelltown in the far south-west of Sydney to the nearby town of Camden. The line was built to move agricultural products from farms in the Camden area to town, however for much of its lifetime its most important traffic was coal from nearby fields. When... an alternate loader was constructed at Glenlee, the line was closed. A notable feature of the line was the very steep Kenny Hill (1 in 19 grade). Long trains often failed to make it to the top the first time, and had to either back up and try again, or divide the train. Each Good Friday special trains would run to Maryfields, where people would attend the "Via Crucis" ceremony at the nearby Franciscan Brothers Monastery. Apart from some of the formation near Maryfields and Kirkham, most evidence of this line has been buried underneath widened roads. Source: Museum macarthur (Weston Langford Collection). From Pictures From The Past. See more

06.01.2022 Dominish family, Camden. Charlie and Joan Dominish on 'Silverwood' May Farm Road Camden. Photo c. 1920, by Roy Dowle. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Historical Society.

05.01.2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following essay contains references to people who have died. Nah Doongh, also known as Nellie or Black Nellie (c1800-1898) Nah Doongh was an Indigenous woman who was born about 1800 and lived until the late 1890s. Her story has been traced by Professor Grace Karskens who says, Nah Doonghs life spanned the first century of colonisation, from the invasion of her Country to the years approaching Federation. ... Nah Doongh was born in the Country near present-day Kingswood, southeast of Penrith and grew up in that area. Sometime in the 1830s, Nah Doongh, with a group of Aboriginal people, visited Camden Park, the estate of the Macarthur family. She met Johnny Budbury, a young Aboriginal constable and tracker, who had been born and raised in Camden. Local settler legend says that the two young people were instantly smitten with each other. Karskens says they lived together in a slab hut near the orchard at Camden Park. Black Nellie was apparently good friends with the Macarthur women and other women in the district. It was known that Nellie liked to dress in European clothes at Camden Park House. Nah Doongh left Camden about 1865 to return to her birth Country with Johnny Budbury, but from time to time she made journeys back to Camden to visit her old friends. She visited Camden after Johnny Budbury died, to let the people of his Country know. The Camden Park photo of Nellie seated in front of a screen near the Tile Room at Camden Park House, may have been taken on one of her visits, about 1880. Some years after Budburys death Nah Doongh befriended a white settler, Sarah Shand, and lived on the Shand farm on Bringelly Road for several years from 1891. Shand wrote about Nah Doonghs life and painted a portrait of her. In the portrait Nah Doongh is wearing a fine but faded beige shawl, which, she said, had been sent out from England for the first MacArthurs wife. Clearly it was a gift from the Macarthur women, one which Nah Doongh treasured. In old age, Nah Doongh missed her own family, "All my folks are dead." The dispossession of land continued, and Nah Doongh died alone. She is believed to have died in 1898 at the Newington Asylum for destitute women. Reference: Professor Grace Karskens [Professor of History at the University of NSW] Winner of the 2019 Calibre Essay Prize. Australian Book Review No.413 August 2019, Nah Doonghs Song. https://www.australianbookreview.com.au///tag/Nah%20Doongh Photo c. 1880, Donated by Annette Macarthur-Onslow From Camden Images Past and Present. Annette Macarthur-Onslow/Camden Historical Society.

04.01.2022 Layout of Camden terminus and Station Masters house src:arhsnsw

04.01.2022 A REQUEST TO OUR FOLLOWERS. We have received this photo along with a request to help identify this man. This photo was located in Kiama but without any identifying information. The rifle has been identified as a "T0699 ENFIELD MARTINI HENRY CONVERSION 12G", dated from the 1870s to early 1900s. Information regarding this photo will be greatly appreciated.

04.01.2022 Gone but not forgotten. Camden's Pansy.

03.01.2022 Lest We Forget World War I Soldiers Memorial Gate. Memorial Gates and Cenotaph, Macarthur Park. Photo c. 1920, taken by Roy Dowle From Camden Images Past and Present... Camden Historical Society. See more

03.01.2022 Nepean River flood. Looking along Macquarie Grove Road towards Macquarie Grove with a stranded car. Photo c. 1920, by Roy Dowle. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Library Service / Camden Historical Society.

02.01.2022 Jean Burnell at 33 Oxley Street, Camden. Jean Burnell, (later Briggs), holding her sister Mary at 33 Oxley Street, now part of Woolworths uncovered car park. Argyle Street at the rear in the distance. Photo c. 1955. from the Peter Watson Collection. From Camden Images Past and Present. Camden Historical Society.

02.01.2022 It was with deep sadness that we learned of the passing of Olive McAleer, a long time member and volunteer of the Camden Historical Society. Vale Olive, R.I.P.