Views of Philadelphia from National Park, NJ

National Park, NJ (Population 3223), is a small borough on the Delaware River with a deceptive name. It\’s a normal town in Gloucester County, completely enclosed by West Deptford Township and the river, that has no affiliation with the National Park Service.

Before National Park was formally incorporated in 1902, its land was the site of Fort Mercer. Along with Fort Mifflin, directly across the river in South Philly, Fort Mercer was created to protect the city from British attack during the Revolutionary War. The famous Battle of Red Bank, a decisive Continental Army victory, took place at the current location of the Red Bank Battlefield County Park.

(Information Source: Wikipedia)

The park is a great place to take a walk along the isolated shoreline and feel completely alone, despite the city in full view, large container ships passing on the river, and low-flying planes landing right across the river at Philadelphia International. My experience at the park was pleasant, but then turned pretty strange.

More photos and the strange story in the continuation.

I arrived at the park at about 8:30 on a Sunday morning, looking for new angles from which to photograph the Philly skyline. I was joined mostly by families, dog walkers, and especially early-bird retirees, all quietly enjoying the good weather after a mercilessly wintry April.

My camera was still away in its case as I walked along the shoreline, getting a feel for the park and trying to decide where to begin. I said good morning to a small older man enjoying the view of the river (shown on the left in this photo), and he started to speak to me. He was soft-spoken at first, but eventually I figured out what he was saying: \”There\’s a heart over there.\” HUH? He was pointing about ten yards away at a red object that had washed onto the sand a few feet from where the waves were breaking.
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