Researching Petty’s Island in the Delaware

Through the laudable efforts of the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust (NJNLT), Petty’s Island, a 300-acre tract in the Delaware River with compelling views of the Philadelphia waterfront, is transitioning from a less-than-appealing tank farm and industrial site to a wildlife preserve.  To manage and interpret the island to good effect for future generations, the NJNLT needs to fully understand its long and complicated history.  Hunter Research was retained to explain that historical trajectory and prepared a synthetic document that highlights an array of themes from aboriginal and early European settlement to meadow banking and livestock farming, from lotteries and fisheries to shipbuilding and bulk materials handling.