National Park, New Jersey
Encyclopedia
National Park is a Borough
in Gloucester County
, New Jersey
, United States
. As of the United States 2000 Census, there were 3,205 residents. Despite its name, National Park is neither a national park
nor associated with one.
, the Continental Army
under command of George Washington
constructed two forts on the Delaware River
to block the approach to Philadelphia
: Fort Mifflin
on the Pennsylvania
side and Fort Mercer
on the New Jersey
side in what is now National Park. The fort was named in honor of Brigadier General
Hugh Mercer
who had died earlier that year at the Battle of Princeton
. A park, monument, and museum commemorate the fort on its original site.
On October 22 of that year, in what is known as the Battle of Red Bank
, an attack by 900 Hessian troops, serving under British
Major General
William Howe
, who then occupied Philadelphia, was repelled, with heavy losses on the Hessian side (including the death of their commander, Colonel
Carl Emil Kurt von Donop
) by the 600 Continental
defenders under Colonel
Christopher Greene
. After the loss of Fort Mifflin
, Fort Mercer was abandoned without a fight when Lord Charles Cornwallis
landed 2,000 British troops nearby on November 18.
Beginning in 1895, the area was commercially developed as National Park on the Delaware, a religious resort/retreat for members of the Methodist Episcopal Church
.
National Park was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
on April 15, 1902, from portions of West Deptford Township
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which, 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (30.56%) is water.
National Park borders West Deptford Township
and the Delaware River
.
The Delaware River shore faces the southern end of Philadelphia, approximately across from the mouth of the Schuylkill River
and the site of Fort Mifflin
.
of 2000, there were 3,205 people, 1,111 households, and 865 families residing in the borough. The population density
was 3,219.0 people per square mile (1,237.5/km2). There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of 1,170.1 per square mile (449.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.35% White, 0.09% Black, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races
, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.
There were 1,111 households out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples
living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $48,534, and the median income for a family was $51,535. Males had a median income of $35,102 versus $27,398 for females. The per capita income
for the borough was $18,048. About 6.5% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
form of New Jersey municipal government and consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council of six council members, with all positions elected at large. A mayor is directly elected by the voters to a four-year term. The six-member Borough Council are elected to staggered three-year terms, two seats coming up for election each year.
, the Mayor of National Park is Patricia M. Koloski. Members of the Borough Council Borough Council are Council President Dennis Mehaffey Sr., Mark Cooper, Michael Duer, Anne Marie Henry, Harry Schaeffer and Michael Szatkowski.
National Park is in the
serves public school students in Preschool through sixth grade. As of the 2005-06 school year, National Park Elementary School served 315 students.
Seventh through twelfth grade public school students attend Gateway Regional High School, which serves students from the boroughs of National Park, Wenonah
, Westville
and Woodbury Heights
as part of the Gateway Regional High School District.
Borough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
in Gloucester County
Gloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the United States 2000 Census, there were 3,205 residents. Despite its name, National Park is neither a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
nor associated with one.
History
In 1777, during the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
under command of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
constructed two forts on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
to block the approach to Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
: Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International Airport...
on the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
side and Fort Mercer
Fort Mercer
Fort Mercer was one of two forts constructed in 1777 on the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War, by the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, to block the approach to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fort Mifflin, on the Pennsylvania side, and Fort Mercer, on the New...
on the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
side in what is now National Park. The fort was named in honor of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer
Hugh Mercer was a soldier and physician. He initially served with British forces during the Seven Years War but later became a brigadier general in the Continental Army and a close friend to George Washington...
who had died earlier that year at the Battle of Princeton
Battle of Princeton
The Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General George Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
. A park, monument, and museum commemorate the fort on its original site.
On October 22 of that year, in what is known as the Battle of Red Bank
Battle of Red Bank
The Battle of Red Bank was a battle of the American Revolutionary War in which a Hessian force was sent to take Fort Mercer on the left bank of the Delaware River just south of Philadelphia, but was decisively defeated by a far inferior force of Colonial defenders...
, an attack by 900 Hessian troops, serving under British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
William Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe
William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, KB, PC was a British army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British forces during the American War of Independence...
, who then occupied Philadelphia, was repelled, with heavy losses on the Hessian side (including the death of their commander, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Carl Emil Kurt von Donop
Carl von Donop
Count Carl Emilius von Donop was a Hessian colonel who fought in the American Revolutionary War.-Origins and ambitions:...
) by the 600 Continental
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
defenders under Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Christopher Greene
Christopher Greene
Christopher Greene was a US legislator and soldier.-Home life:Christopher Greene was born 12 May 1737 at Occupessatuxet, a village of the town of Warwick, Rhode Island, to Judge Phillip Greene and Elizabeth Greene...
. After the loss of Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International Airport...
, Fort Mercer was abandoned without a fight when Lord Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
landed 2,000 British troops nearby on November 18.
Beginning in 1895, the area was commercially developed as National Park on the Delaware, a religious resort/retreat for members of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
.
National Park was formed as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
on April 15, 1902, from portions of West Deptford Township
West Deptford Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,368 people, 7,719 households, and 5,125 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,218.4 people per square mile . There were 7,999 housing units at an average density of 503.2 per square mile...
.
Geography
National Park is located at 39.867158°N 75.180201°W (39.867158, -75.180201).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), of which, 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1 km²) of it (30.56%) is water.
National Park borders West Deptford Township
West Deptford Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,368 people, 7,719 households, and 5,125 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,218.4 people per square mile . There were 7,999 housing units at an average density of 503.2 per square mile...
and the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
.
The Delaware River shore faces the southern end of Philadelphia, approximately across from the mouth of the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
and the site of Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin
Fort Mifflin, originally called Fort Island Battery and also known as Mud Island Fort, was commissioned in 1771 and sits on Mud Island on the Delaware River below Philadelphia, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia International Airport...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,205 people, 1,111 households, and 865 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,219.0 people per square mile (1,237.5/km2). There were 1,165 housing units at an average density of 1,170.1 per square mile (449.8/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 98.35% White, 0.09% Black, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population.
There were 1,111 households out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.1% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.24.
In the borough the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $48,534, and the median income for a family was $51,535. Males had a median income of $35,102 versus $27,398 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $18,048. About 6.5% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
Local government
National Park is governed under the boroughBorough (New Jersey)
A borough in the context of New Jersey local government refers to one of five types and one of eleven forms of municipal government....
form of New Jersey municipal government and consists of a Mayor and a Borough Council of six council members, with all positions elected at large. A mayor is directly elected by the voters to a four-year term. The six-member Borough Council are elected to staggered three-year terms, two seats coming up for election each year.
, the Mayor of National Park is Patricia M. Koloski. Members of the Borough Council Borough Council are Council President Dennis Mehaffey Sr., Mark Cooper, Michael Duer, Anne Marie Henry, Harry Schaeffer and Michael Szatkowski.
Federal, state and county representation
National Park is in the 1st Congressional district.National Park is in the
Education
The National Park School DistrictNational Park School District
The National Park School District is a community public school district that serves students in Preschool through sixth grade from National Park, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States....
serves public school students in Preschool through sixth grade. As of the 2005-06 school year, National Park Elementary School served 315 students.
Seventh through twelfth grade public school students attend Gateway Regional High School, which serves students from the boroughs of National Park, Wenonah
Wenonah, New Jersey
Wenonah is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 2,317. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, Westville
Westville, New Jersey
Westville is a Borough in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the borough population was 4,501. The Borough of Westville is known as "The Gateway to South Jersey."...
and Woodbury Heights
Woodbury Heights, New Jersey
Woodbury Heights is a Borough located in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 census, the borough had a total population of 2,988....
as part of the Gateway Regional High School District.
External links
- Borough of National Park website
- National Park Elementary School
- Data for National Park Elementary School, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
- National Park Fire Dept
- National Park forum