The
Whitman-
Stafford
Farmhouse
A Brief History
The Old Stafford Homestead
Map showing current town boundaries & historic property locations
Railroad Survey of "Laurel Mills" (Name the area was
given before incorporation of Laurel Springs Borough)
when the railroad was built, three farms and their pastures formed the present boundaries of Laurel Springs, NJ. Formally positioned where the current Laurel Springs School stands on Stone Road, was an original homestead. During the 19th century the two farms of Montgomery Stafford totaling 187 acres were separated by Clementon Road (now Stone Road). One border of the Stafford Farm is the current day East & West Stafford Avenues.
Before 1877
The Tomlinson Mansion
The Stafford Farm estates
were operated by George Stafford, (brother to farm-owner Montgomery Stafford). Montgomery Stafford owned a series of farms in the surrounding areas in what we now know as the Glendale section of Voorhees Twp, NJ. The house that presently stands at 315 Maple Avenue, (The Whitman Stafford Farmhouse), is what remains of the farm estate structures within modern town boundaries. It was believed to be built around 1784, and was the home of tenant farmers. ​
Mr. George Stafford: 1827-1892
Mrs. Susan Stafford: 1833-1910
Between 1876 & 1884
renowned poet Walt Whitman began a friendship with Harry Stafford, the son of Susan & George Stafford who were tenant farmers living in the small farmhouse that still stands today. He made frequent visits to stay with the family and enjoyed the comforts of our natural spring to help sooth paralytic discomfort he experienced after suffering a stroke in 1873. While visiting the Staffords from his residence in the City of Camden, NJ, he wrote excerpts of his writings: "Specimen Days" & "Leaves of Grass", noting the healing powers of the spring & mud baths that aided his recovery. The house stands today as a monument to the poet, and the history of farmland in South Jersey.
Walter Whitman Jr: 1819-1892