Duck Island (New Jersey)

Duck Island

Duck Island
Geography
Coordinates	40°10′37″N 74°43′39″W / 40.17694°N 74.72750°WCoordinates: 40°10′37″N 74°43′39″W / 40.17694°N 74.72750°W
Highest elevation	10 ft (3 m)
Administration
United States
State	New Jersey
County	Mercer
Township and City	Hamilton and Trenton

Duck Island is a peninsula and former island in the wetlands at the confluence of the Delaware River and Crosswicks Creek in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.^[1] It is mostly located within Hamilton Township, but its northwest edge crosses the Trenton city limits. The community of Duck Island is located near the northwest end of the former island, along the Trenton/Hamilton border. The peninsula is flanked by the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park.^[2]

History

In 1891, Henry Smith escaped from Trenton State Prison to Duck Island by cutting through the prison roof.^[3] A channel known as Duck Creek once separated Duck Island from the rest of New Jersey, but it had been partially filled in by 1947.^[4][5] Since 1995, Interstate 295 has crossed the southeastern portion of the peninsula.

In 1996 there were plans to build a $260 million trash incinerator on Duck Island, but the proposal was defeated by the Board of chosen freeholders for Mercer County, New Jersey.^[6]

References

1. "Duck Island". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
2. "Duck Island, Hamilton Township" (PDF). New Jersey Trails and State of New Jersey. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
3. "An Escaped Convict of Duck Island". New York Times. November 30, 1891. Retrieved 2015-03-18.
4. Trenton, NJ 30x60 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1944
5. Trenton, NJ 30x60 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1947
6. "Board Defeats Incinerator". New York Times. November 8, 1996. Retrieved 2015-03-18. The incinerator, planned for Hamilton Township, had been challenged in court by Princeton township and Princeton borough because neither wanted to send waste to the incinerator or pay for its construction.