Chatham Township in Morris County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 28, 2024

1. Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Marker

Inscription.
The Great Swamp is a remnant of a glacial lake that drained 14,000 years ago. It provided the essentials of life for Paleo- & Lenape Indians, & wood for colonists' homes & industries.

In 1959 the NY Port Authority decided to fill it in & build a 10,000-acre jetport obliterating Chatham Twp & surrounding towns. A grassroots movement of 6,000 volunteers raised $1M to buy land to donate to the U.S. Dept of Interior to create a wildlife refuge.

Erected 2019 by Chatham Township Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Resources. A significant historical year for this entry is 1959.

Location. 40° 43.719′ N, 74° 24.688′ W. Marker is in Chatham Township, New Jersey, in Morris County. It is at the intersection of Hampton Road and Southern Boulevard (County Route 647), on the left when traveling north on Hampton Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 88 Hampton Rd, Chatham NJ 07928, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Jersey

and in the New York City Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American

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Northeast

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lewis Noe Farmstead (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chatham Township WWII Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Chatham Colony Association (approx. 0.2 miles away); Price-Baldwin House (approx. half a mile away); Mount Vernon School (approx. 0.6 miles away); Greenhouse Ranges on 600 Acre Noe Estate / 2 of 3 Noe Estate Homes on Noe Ave. (approx. 0.7 miles away); Noe Pond (approx. 0.9 miles away); Bey's Boxing Camp (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chatham Township.

Also see . . . History of the Great Swamp. New Jersey’s Great Swamp is nestled within a 55-square-mile natural basin, about 25 miles from New York City. It is a quiet, undisturbed place today, but it wasn’t always that way. (Great Swamp Watershed Association)

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 28, 2024

2. Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge Marker

(Submitted on October 18, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

The Great Swamp image. Click for more information.

via PBS, unknown

3. The Great Swamp

PBS "Treasures of New Jersey" video (26m 46s)
Click for more information.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 18, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 3. submitted on April 29, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.