Fort Mott State Park - Your Passport to Adventure - Pennsville, NJ
N 39° 36.290 W 075° 33.032
18S E 452736 N 4384043
This is an amazing place to visit. The history is astounding. State employees wear period uniforms and they are extremely helpful and knowledgeable. This is one of the few parks that is both recreational and unbelievably educational.
Waymark Code: WM89YW
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 02/24/2010
Views: 8
Passport Program Information
The NJ Parks and Forests Service came out with a passport book for collecting stamps for visiting a select sampling of our states parks, forests and historic sites. Many fine places did not make the list but many beautiful and culturally important sites did make the list so I suppose it all evens out in the end. The passport book is divided into 3 sections, north, central and south Jersey. This stamp and Fort Mott State Park represent the sixth listing for the Southern N.J. section. If it was not for the release of a puzzle cache a few years ago and my obsession at the time for first to finds, I would never have visited all 24 sites of central and southern NJ. The puzzle cache is called Passport To Adventure (South Jersey Challenge) and can be found HERE. The stamp and the passport books are free. To find out more about our fabulous passport program please visit HERE. The stamp for this park features the newly renovated fire look-out tower. It is the emblem by which this military fortification is most recognized.
The coordinates are for the welcome center which is a longish yellow, single-story building. This is where one would get the stamp for the Passport to Adventure booklet. The left page, opposite the stamp reads "Fort Mott was built in the late 19th century as part of a three-fort defense system to protect the ports of Philadelphia, Camden and Wilmington with the latest guns and weaponry. Two steel fire control towers were later built to help aim the big guns. Today, you can wander through the tunnels of the old fort and climb one of the control towers. Walk in the footsteps of the men who were stationed here from 1897 through 1943."
Each page has fast facts beneath the narrative (see accompanying picture). Fast facts for this forest include keeping watch for the winter swam migration, insect eating plants (trail guide available to help you identify each species), and the annual blueberry festival in June. Finally, you can learn why blueberries only grow in acid soil.
Fort Mott State Park Information
Fort Mott was part of a coastal defense system designed for the Delaware River in the late 1800s. The fortifications seen today at Fort Mott were erected in 1896 in anticipation of the Spanish-American War. Today, visitors can wander through the old batteries following interpretive signs with detailed descriptions of the fort. Just beyond the fortifications is the Delaware River. The shoreline offers good spots for walking and picnicking. The NJ Coastal Heritage Trail Welcome Center accommodates displays defining Fort Mott’s place in history and the environment. (Source: FNJDEP sire)
Troops were regularly stationed at Fort Mott from 1897 to 1922. The federal government maintained a caretaking detachment at the fort from 1922 to 1943. New Jersey acquired the military reservation as a historic site and State park in 1947. The park was opened to the public on June 24, 1951.