Carranza Monument - Tabernacle, NJ
N 39° 46.644 W 074° 37.939
18S E 531487 N 4403115
The "Lindbergh of Mexico, " Emilio Carranza Rodriguez, will forever be bound to a patch of forest in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He crashed here in July 12, 1928 and this memorial remembers his spirit and heroism as the Mexican father of flight.
Waymark Code: WM5CJ6
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 12/18/2008
Views: 13
"Left on this road is Tabernacle, 1.4 m. (100 alt., 100 pop.), a hamlet in the wilderness where several roads meet. The tabernacle that gave its name to the place is believed to have sheltered David Brainerd, who worked among the Indians of the pines prior to the Revolution
Southeast of Tabernacle on an improved road is High Crossing, 8m., summit of a low sandy ridge on Jersey Central R.R. Immediately south of the crossing, about 50 feet (R) from the road is the Carranza Monument, a square, tapered shaft 10 feet high, in the center of a clearing. It was built through the gifts of Mexican school children to the memory of Capt. Emilio Carranza, the pilot who fell to his death here in 1928. Carranza was returning to Mexico after a good-will flight to New York, repaying the similar visit of Charles A. Lindbergh.
" --- New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past, 1939; page 471
From Wikipedia: "A 12 ft (3.6 m) monument in the Wharton State Forest in Tabernacle Township, New Jersey marks the site of his crash. The monument, installed with funds donated by Mexican schoolchildren, depicts a falling eagle of Aztec design. Every July on the Saturday nearest the anniversary of his crash (second Saturday in July) at 1:00 p.m. he is honored at the monument site by members of the American Legion Mount Holly Post 11 accompanied by an entourage from the Mexican consulates in New York City and Philadelphia."
There is also a very nice write-up on the Roadside American website.
Personal Anecdote
Anyone who geocaches in Southern, NJ, out in the Pines, has visited this site many times. I often stop to visit and wonder where the wreckage of his plane might be. If you are ever in the area during the anniversary of his crash, try to make it there for the memorial. The memorial has inscriptions on all four sides. Some are in Spanish and some are in English. Look for the pennies. This is a wonderful site to go to and the geocaching is second to none in this immediate area.