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 Voorhees State Park - New Jersey
N 40° 41.704 W 074° 53.218
18T E 509549 N 4504913
Voorhees State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of NJ. It is 632 acres (3 km²) in area, located along the Raritan River in northern Hunterdon County near Glen Gardner. The park is operated and maintained by the NJ Division of Parks & Forestry.
Waymark Code: WM2PBE
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 11/30/2007
Views: 43
Interesting Info:
In 1965, the New Jersey Astronomical Association built an observatory on land leased from the state. The 26-inch Newtonian reflector telescope is one of the largest privately owned telescopes in New Jersey. The public is invited to explore the night sky at skywatching programs that are offered year round by the NJAA. For further information, call (908) 638-8500.
Mailing Address:
251 County Road Route 513
Glen Gardner, NJ 08826
(908) 638-6969
Size: 1,400 acres
Fees: No entrance fee.
Park Type: Day Use & Overnight
Activities:
Facilities & Activities:
Observatory
Trails
Camping
Fishing
Hunting
Scenic overlook
Picnic tables, picnic shelters, group picnic facilities
Playground
Exercise course
Winter sports:
sledding, cross-country skiing
Trails:
Hiking
Nature trails
Biking
Mountain biking
Exercise parcourse
Background:
From 1933-1941 about one thousand young men worked at Voorhees and Hacklebarney in a Depression-era federal agency known as the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was the brainchild of one of the 20th century’s leading figures, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The agency had two goals: to give jobs to unemployed young men, between the ages of 17 and 24 and veterans of World War I, and to undertake thousands of conservation projects across the nation in parks, forests and at historic sites.
When the CCC boys arrived at Voorhees in 1933, they found three relatively undeveloped parcels of land. The park still reflected Governor Voorhees’ use of the property as a farm including pastures, woodland, barns and an apple orchard. By the time the CCC boys were finished working eight years later, under the supervision of the National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Army, they had built the present-day road systems, shelters, latrines, visitor amenities, and trail systems or major public access areas that still remain or are used in different ways today.
Each CCC company had 200 men, although that number was not always maintained. The CCC camp at Voorhees was initially known as Camp #20 or Camp Voorhees. Later it was given the designation of SP#5 with Company 1268 assigned to it. SP designated State Park and the company number coincided with the Army Corps district.
CCC boys were paid $30 a month and $25 was automatically sent home to family members or guardians for their support. The boys were paid $2.50 every other week. For many enrollees at Voorhees, the CCC provided vocation and avocational classes. The education program was known as “The School of the Woods” and included job training, current events and access to a camp library.
Date Established?: 1930's
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Park Fees: Not listed
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
To log a visit to a waymark in this category, please include the following ...
1. A picture you took at the park.
2. Your favorite activity at the park.
3. How do you like the park.
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