323 Cooper Street was constructed in 1886, with its stone facade being indicative of the gradual shift from the original three-story brick row home style of Cooper Street’s earlier homes.

Its second resident, George Barrett, was an immigrant from Great Britain who fought with the 126th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. In 1864, Barrett served in the trenches during the siege of Richmond, the Confederate capital. He occupied the capital after it fell. During the war, he received a gunshot wound to the leg, resulting in a limp, which he bore for the rest of his life.

Due to crude medical practices at the time, many people returned home from the war with permanent injuries or amputated limbs. While many veterans often viewed such injuries as a badge of honor, it is important to note that the North was characterized by industrialization, theories of biological hierarchies, and a survival of the fittest mentality after the war. Factory work and efficiency dominated the workplace, and for those with serious injuries, it could be very easy to be discriminated against when compared to someone deemed more physically efficient. Fortunately, Barrett was able to escape from industrialized labor. He was the director of the Camden Lighting and Heating Company, which in a growing city, granted him a considerable amount of wealth. He was also a lumber dealer and a member of the Camden Republican Club.

Barrett’s identity as a veteran continued to follow him throughout the rest of his life. He also devoted most of his energy to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a patriotic and fraternal veteran organization of the Civil War that advocated for increased veteran pensions and provided other charitable aid for those who served.