Sunday, June 4, 2023

Blueberry Hill Trail, Gibbsboro (Camden County)


Blueberry Hill holds three miles of paved and dirt trails that open up with a view of Philadelphia's skyline- bringing together nature and man-made beauty. There's also an old quarry that provides an interesting track for off-roading vehicles.

 

Lambert Tower, Paterson (Passaic County)


Situated within Garret Mountain Reservation, the 70-feet tall Lambert Tower was built in 1896 by silk mill entrepreneur Catholina Lambert. In 2014 the tower renovations were completed and it was reopened to the public.

 

Ferry House Historic Site, Titusville (Mercer County)


The Johnson Ferry House, an early 18th-century gambrel roof farmhouse and tavern near the Delaware River, was owned by Garret Johnson, who operated a 490-acre colonial farm and a ferry service across the river in the 1700s. The house was likely used by General Washington and his officers during the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware

 

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area, Boonton (Morris County)


Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area in Montville is 1,675 acres of rugged trails, fields, forests, rock outcroppings, and wetlands. The highest point if 934 feet with a magnificent view of the New York City skyline.

 

Sybil's Cave, Hoboken (Hudson County)


Sybil's Cave is a manmade cave that was excavated 30 feet to a natural spring in 1832, and then an elaborate Gothic-style entrance was built in front of it. Visitors could sit down at a table and spend a penny on a cool glass of spring water. The real surge of visitors came in the summer of 1841 when Mary Rogers was found murdered near the cave, a crime which to this day has not been solved. The area turned to industry and the cave was destroyed in the 1930's. Only in 2007 was the cave again excavated after some explorers rediscovered it. It's located in Hoboken.

 

Burlington County Prison Museum, Mount Holly (Burlington County)


The Burlington County Prison is a historic museum property located in Mount Holly Township. It operated from 1811 to 1965 and it was the oldest prison in the nation at the time of its closure. Designed by Robert Mills, its design exemplified period thinking in a progressive prison design, with individual cells, good ventilation, and fireproof construction. It is reportedly haunted by a tall male in a uniform in the basement, and the third floor is claimed to have a flurry of paranormal activity

 

USS Enterprise CV-6 Nameplate, River Vale (Bergen County)


There have been a succession of ships throughout history known as the USS Enterprise. The seventh USS Enterprise was one of America's first giant aircraft carriers. She took to the sea in 1936 as one of the few US aircraft carrier commissioned prior to WWII. The nearly 800 ft. long vessel could hold up to 90 aircraft. The ship served during WWII, primarily in the actions against Japan, taking part in conflicts from the Battle of Midway to the Guadalcanal, earning it more decorations that any other US ship in WWII. However by 1945, the country was already building bigger and better aircraft carriers, making the Enterprise obsolete. The 16 foot long, one ton nameplate was refurbished in 2000 and placed in Veteran's Memorial Park in River Vale.

Strauss Mansion Museum, Atlantic Highlands (Monmouth County)


The Strauss Mansion Museum is a 21-room Queen Anne-style home built in 1893 that overlooks Sandy Hook Bay. It served as a summer cottage to Adolf Strauss, a wealthy New York importer and merchant, and his wife Jeanette. Strauss Mansion is the only Queen Anne-style structure in Monmouth County that is open to the public.

 

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Dinosaur Trail in Allaire State Park, Wall (Monmouth County)


In Allaire State Park, visitors can find the work of Robin Ruggiero, a New Jersey-based artist who has been using these woods as both her canvas and medium since 2019. Ruggiero's work began with a series of huts and witchy symbols before expanding to include a colony of dinosaurs A tyrannosaurus rex first appeared, later joined by a triceratops, a pterodactyl feeing her offspring, and in October 2020, a stegosaurus. Each dinosaur is meticulously crafted within the park using pieces of downed trees, bones, branches, and leaves. With these pieces being made on location, the artist can often be found hard at work.

High Bridge (Hunterdon County)


High Bridge is named after the wooden railroad trestle. Railroad officials determined that the bridge should be replaced as a precaution against locomotive fires. Between 1859-1865, the bridge was buried with earthen fill and other debris. Two arching stone culverts were built at the base, one for the South Branch of the Raritan River to flow through and the other for vehicle travel along Arch Street

 

Emilio Carranza Memorial, Tabernacle (Burglington County)


Captain Emilio Carranza Rodriguez was a famous early 20th century aviator who became a sort of unofficial peace ambassador just before he died in a tragic plan accident. He flew what was, at the time, the third-longest non-stop flight ever, from San Diego to Mexico City. He was friends with American aviator Charles Lindbergh, which earned Carranza the nickname “Lindbergh of Mexico”. It was on a flight to visit Lindbergh, among others, that Carranza would meet his demise. Carranza flew from Mexico City to Washington D.C. Where he met with president Calvin Coolidge, and then flew to New York. As he was scheduled to leave New York, thunderstorms crowded the sky, and Lindbergh himself warned Carranza not to fly, but he did anyway. He did not make it far as his plane, The Mexico Excelsior, crashed in the Pine Barrens on July 12th, 1928. The site of his crash it today marked by a tall memorial plinth that was paid for by the “Pennies of Mexican Children.” Standing in the middle of a sandy clearing in the Wharton State Forest, the spire is decorated with Aztec-style designs of a falling eagle

 

Washington Valley Park, Bridgewater Township (Somerset County)


Washington Valley Park lies along the First Watchung Ridge in Bridgewater Township. This park consists of approximately 219 acres and is located between the first and second Watchung Mountains at the geographic center of Somerset County. This is Buttermilk Falls.

 

Wreck of the SS Atlantus, Cape May (Cape May County)


The SS Atlantus was a concrete ship launched in 1918. She was built for service between New York and the West Indies. The Atlantus was used to transport American troops back home from Europe and also to transport coal to New England. After 2 years of service, the ship was retired to a salvage yard Virginia in 1920. In 1926, Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld purchased the Atlantus for use in the creation of a ferry dock. On June 8, a storm hit and the ship broke free of her moorings and ran aground 150 feet off the coast of Sunset Beach in Cape May. Several attempts were made to free the ship, but none succeeded.