Burlington Island Docu/Explore

Burlington Island - I explore and discuss the history of the island, some of the history was the origin of some very important things.
Was the lake always there? We'll see.
Disclaimer There is heavy boat traffic at this portion of the Delaware River. Not only heavy, but very large.
😎Link to my BOOK Abandoned Ruins of Eastern Pennsylvania (does not include this explore): amzn.to/39cTcbA
➼ My Patreon: / randomoutdoorfun
Check Out our FB Pages and Website
➼ Facebook for PA: / paexplorer
➼ Facebook for NJ: / exploringnj
➼ Website: www.exploringnjandpa.com

[@Nash1a]

There is a local invasive plant, Urtica dioica also known as the "stinging nettle". I'm sure its the plant you just walked into at 8:04. If you look it up you will see pics of the leaf pattern so you can recognize it and avoid it in the future. Its all over the place especially along the Delaware river and a very good reason to always wear long pants when doing this kind of exploring. Besides which long pants will help you avoid poisoned ivy as well. This plant grows up to around waste height. If you brush against it with your knee or the back of your hand, it will feel like a mild bug sting and later on that joint may swell and become stiff. But its not serious, or at least was not for me - not as if it caused paralysis or anything, just a little swelling and stiffness. Any stiffness is gone in a day or two. I would definitely recommend avoiding them as I have no idea what would happen if you walked into several bushes at once with only shorts on. Yikes. Note the plant you are about to walk into at 8:58-8:59, That's it at he bottom middle to right side of the frame.

[@barthamburg4351]

The lake definitely has fish in it. I've seen them jump. Also there are bald eagles living on the island. Beautiful place

[@barryervin8536]

Back in the 70s when i lived in Bristol there were squatters living on Burlington Island. There were ongoing efforts by local authorities to remove them. But there was a ferry boat, or launch, that would go back and forth from the Municipal pier in the Mill Street parking lot and people would come over to do their shopping and then go back to the island. I kayaked over to the island once and checked out the lake. There was a lot of abandoned junk strewn around including an old car, as I remember it.

[@Nash1a]

At 10:03, Those drainage pipes are a sign that lake was once used for dredging the Delaware river. The same kind of pipes can be seen north of Burlington, South of Beverly, Palmyra, really all along the Delaware river. Dredging is likely why the lake was built in the first place. At 20:19, the top part is a motor, not a transformer, so the rest of the unit is definitely a pump. At 25:28, that might be a dump, but it also might be what's left of one of the homes on the island. There were 5 or 6 private homes on the island up into the 1950s or 60s. Not sure when the last resident moved out. At 31:12, That's definitely the AM station the other person mentioned, WJJZ I think he said. When you noticed the marking about tower x and phase, that is how an AM station tuned its direction. Back when I visited the island, this building was still in use and locked up tight so I never got to see inside, just the outside of the building and the antenna towers. At 33:25, that might be an antenna base. About the only thing I know is there that I have not found are the artesian wells that service Burlington and several surrounding communities. There is still power lines going to the island for the sake of those pumps although the lines you followed were out of service lines for the AM station.

[@robertmuphy152]

It is interesting to see what is left on the island. We used to camp there in the 1970's. I have pictures from that era somewhere. The building that she explored , I believe was once the transmitter for WJJZ radio out of Mt. Holly. There were several vacation cottages on the island in the 70's. There was also a cretaker who had one of those German amphibious cars. Wow, what memories!

[@thomasroberts1780]

It was the transmitter site for WJJZ.

[@DDExplores]

That was awesome,,,, so overgrown,,,, Such a long an interesting history,,,,,

[@jsfmcdill]

Perfect timing of this post i was just on the island for the first time yesterday and wanted to learn more... and yeah those stinging nettles really sucked 😬

[@jimford2432]

Very good, I enjoy your videos your channel is one of the better exploring along with the woodsman.

[@RusticVentures]

Thank you for that compliment, Jim! :-)

[@BirdogzGSP]

That building you were in was probably a radio station transmitter. If I recall correctly, there were large antennas on the island in the 70's. You could see them from the Burlington Bristol Bridge. My father had said that they were for the New Jersey radio station "WJJZ."

[@thomasroberts1780]

Your Dad is right WJJZ had their Transmitter and Towers on Burlington Island you could also see the Towers from the Turnpike Bridge.

[@NoNonsenseKnowHow]

Hey, sweet video. My Buddy Rich I work with told me about your channel. Just subscribed!

[@karenpacker8862]

Great documentary and explore. Glad you didn't give up!!!

[@JosephBoxmeyer]

I remember sitting on the Bristol warf watching a lady in a motor boat delivering mail to the island, but that was before your time.

[@ODDySEEy]

THIS WAS WONDERFUL... YOU are a TRUE EXPLORER!!! I am adding this one to my list for when I head down East (so, maybe 2 years from now). Just WOW. Great Job ROF!

[@RusticVentures]

Thanks you ODDySEEy!

[@memyself3275]

The "evil weeds" are Nettles aka 7 minute itch. They are edible and similar to spinach, but you have to know how to boil them to neutralize the stingers.

[@adamtereska8734]

Another great exploration, Kathy. That is a really cool location.

[@RusticVentures]

Thank you Adam :-)

[@ThisIsTomsWorld]

This was very cool. The ironic thing about you posting this, is that when I went to the garden in the park that I've been working on just after the tropical storm we had, I ran into a younger couple who mentioned to me that I should go check this place out. They even mentioned the carousel and how it was moved to Seaside.....strange that they mentioned it and then you posted this days later (insert Twilight Zone music)

[@RusticVentures]

Strange coincidence indeed! It's a sign for you to explore ;-)

[@jenniferbutcher8393]

Thank you for sharing another obscure place I've never heard of! I am relatively familiar with many of the old amusement parks and their roller coasters, but this was a new one for me! This may be one of those places to come back to in winter to see even more artifacts. Appreciate all your hard work and research that goes into this! 😊

[@waynelutwiniak797]

Excellent!👍

[@jimkarasek4046]

Nice video, I boated on the Delaware River in the late 70’s and early 80s. Always wanted to explore the island and never did. Thanks for the video

[@burningsandsexploration3711]

That's a beautiful place to hike. That island must be really huge to have a lake that size. Is it stocked with fish? I wouldnt have taken that hike alone. Wow! When was it an amusement park?

[@RusticVentures]

Definitely has fish in there. Was a great hike on the northern portion. It is huge and I underestimated that. 1917 was when the amusement park was built.

[@Warren_Farms]

interesting place and story

[@JosephBoxmeyer]

Based on that old photo the place where the lake was close to the river would have originally joined.

[@journeywithjay]

Loved the history!! I would have gotten lost with no real trail to follow, until you got closer to the lake but that might have been a game trail. Next time bring a machete with you lol.

[@RusticVentures]

Lol! Right! Thanks Jay!

[@JosephBoxmeyer]

I believe that the old park would have been to the left of all of those drainage pipes.

[@RusticVentures]

Or leftover from the quarry years.

[@stanleychoynackyjr8694]

I want to go whooo hoooooo

[@michiganporter]

So is the lake salt water? What about the river? Well the rivers probly fresh water id guess..

[@RusticVentures]

The lake is freshwater. The Delaware River, although a partially tidal river, is mostly freshwater in that area. Doesn't get brackish until much further south.

[@mikespikedog5293]

Looks like you were following a good Deer Trail.

[@RusticVentures]

Indeed I was - there were droppings I came across.

[@mikespikedog5293]

Do People live on part of the island ? I see some of those trails were from quads and were cut with brush hog.

[@RusticVentures]

They are no people living on the island - however, people do camp there sometimes. The trails are maintenance trails, there was a maintenance shop I accidentally came across I didn't include in the video. They were working on turning this island into a preserve that can be visited. Not sure where they are with that.

[@mikespikedog5293]

@@RusticVentures Hopefully they get the trash cleaned up. Thats so sad to see.

[@mikespikedog5293]

@@RusticVentures I figured there was something when I saw the trails mowed. Then i found the island on Google satellite view.

[@ihasarax]

I can walk 5 mins and see this island

[@trentsteel9]

Thats a 1960 Pepsi bottle, about $25 bucks a piece

[@RusticVentures]

Even without the cap?

[@smplyizzy]

It’s sad the amount of trash on the island.

[@RusticVentures]

Volunteers have made huge progress over the last couple years cleaning it up.