{{short description|Island in the Delaware River}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} [[File:Burlington.nj.jpg|thumb]] '''Burlington Island''' is a {{convert|300|acre|km2|adj=on}} [[island]] located in the [[Delaware River]] between [[Pennsylvania]] and [[New Jersey]] in the United States. Burlington Island is officially part of the [[Burlington, New Jersey|city of Burlington]], in [[Burlington County, New Jersey|Burlington County]], [[New Jersey]], United States. It is an uninhabited scenic landmark in the Delaware River.<ref name=Island/> Burlington Island Lake is a large artificial lagoon within the island.
==Fort Wilhelmus== The indigenous [[Lenape]] population called the island Matennecunk. In 1624, [[Cornelius Jacobsen May|Cornelius Jacobsen Mey]], the first [[Director of New Netherland]] planted an initial settlement of two families and eight men on what they called Hooghe Eylandt (High Island), making it the site of the first European settlement in what would become New Jersey. The [[factorij]], or trading-post, called [[Fort Wilhelmus]] was completed under the direction of the 2nd director, [[Willem Verhulst]], who lent his name to the island.<ref>{{cite journal| last = Moeller | first = Roger W. | journal= Journal of Middle Atlantic Archaeology | location= Bethlehem | title= Archaeology Services | year = 1985 | volume = 1-18 | page = 101 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IupKAAAAYAAJ&q=Adriean+Jorrisen+Thienpont }}</ref> Originally the [[Dutch West India Company]] intended to create a headquarters for the new province of [[New Netherland]] at what they called the Zuydt Rivier, or South River. In 1626, [[Peter Minuit]] decided to shift the base of operations to Manhattan Island, and move the trading post further south to what became [[Fort Nassau (South River)|Fort Nassau]], one of many to be built along the river within the European colonies of New Netherland and [[New Sweden]].
Though relations between the [[Lenape|Lenni Lenape]] and the colonists were generally peaceful, Burlington Island witnessed one of the few murders of that era. In 1671, two Dutchmen were slaughtered by Tashiowycan and Wyannattamo.<ref name=Island>[http://08016.com/island.html Burlington Island] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030031705/http://08016.com/island.html |date=October 30, 2007 }}. Accessed November 6, 2007.</ref> The Lenape then promised to kill the braves responsible; the murder is the first recorded in New Jersey's history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tourburlington.org/SeeSites.html|website=Tour Burlington|title=The City of Burlington History District: See Over 40 Historic Sites|access-date=2008-09-05|archive-date=2017-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429073757/http://www.tourburlington.org/SeeSites.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Island Beach Amusement Park== From 1900 to 1917, the lower part of the island was a popular picnic ground and bathing area. In 1917, Island Beach Amusement Park was constructed and became a regional attraction. Fires destroyed the amusement park in the 1920s and 1930s, and the southern part of the island was sold to a series of private owners whose ambitious development plans failed to materialize.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delrivgreenway.org/heritagetrail/Burlington-Island.html|website=Delaware River Greenway|title=Burlington Island}}</ref>
==1925 US Navy Fighter Crash== On Saturday, 13 June 1925, [[United States Navy]] [[Lieutenant]] Frank E. White, developed engine trouble in his [[De Havilland]] [[Airco DH.4|DH.4B]] fighter while flying to [[Mitchel Field]] on [[Long Island]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. White approached the [[Delaware River]], and he prepared to land on the now largely abandoned island. At about {{Convert|1000|ft|}}, the motor stopped, and he began a glide for the island with the wind. He overshot the island and immediately nose-dived into the river. He was taken unconscious to Harriman Hospital where despite initially awaking and responding to questions, he died during surgery two weeks later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.waruntold.com/stories/frank_white.php |title=White, Frank Edward|website= Waruntold.com|access-date=June 7, 2014}}</ref>
==Burlington Island Trust== Burlington Island came under the jurisdiction of The [[Board of Island Managers]] in 1727.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.burlingtonisland.com|title=Board of Island Managers|publisher=The Managers and Treasurer of the School Fund for the Education of Youth in the City of Burlington|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427225939/http://www.burlingtonisland.com/|archive-date=2012-04-27|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-07-23}}</ref> The Board of Island Managers is a trust created to create funds to educate the youth of the city of Burlington.<ref>[http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=111257738910263&v=info Facebook]. Facebook. Retrieved on 2013-07-23.</ref> It is the longest continuously operating trust board in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.burlingtonisland.com/history.html|title=A Brief History|publisher=The Managers and Treasurer of the School Fund for the Education of Youth in the City of Burlington|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323112108/http://www.burlingtonisland.com/history.html|archive-date=2012-03-23|url-status=dead|access-date=2013-07-23}}</ref>
==Industrial use== In 1953, ownership was transferred to the City of Burlington. The agreement allowed sand and gravel mining on the island which led to the creation of a {{convert|100|acre|km2|abbr=on}} [[lagoon]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://delawareriverheritagetrail.org/Burlington-Island.html|title=Burlington Island|website=Delaware River Heritage Trail|access-date=7 October 2018|archive-date=19 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171119155655/http://delawareriverheritagetrail.org/Burlington-Island.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==In popular culture== During the Summer of 1999,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-01-30 |title=In Remembrance: Marj Dusay (1936-2020) |url=http://filmint.nu/rememberance-dusay-2020/ |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=FilmInt.nu |language=en-US}}</ref> director [[Andrew Repasky McElhinney]] shot exteriors on Burlington Island for his second feature<ref>{{Citation |title=Andrew Repasky McElhinney |date=2022-10-18 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Repasky_McElhinney&oldid=1116895291 |work=Wikipedia |access-date=2023-06-15 |language=en}}</ref> as a writer/director, the period art-horror film, ''[[A Chronicle of Corpses]]''.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://burlingtonisland.org Board of Island Managers] *[https://friendsofburlingtonisland.org Friends of Burlington Island] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20121031013610/http://www.burlingtonnj.us/BIM.html Burlington City's Information on the Board of Island Managers] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20150912022644/http://www.08016.com/2011/09/burlington-island.html Burlington Island] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20111018134848/http://www.casinopiernj.com/carousel/ Casino Pier's Antique Carousel] *[http://s419.beta.photobucket.com/user/BurlingtonIsland/media/Burlington%20Island%20Oct%2019%2008/5d08d302.pbw.html Pictures of Burlington Island from 2008]{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{coord|40.0906|-74.8464|type:isle_globe:earth_region:US-NJ|display=title}} {{Delaware River and Delaware Bay}} {{authority control}}
[[Category:Burlington, New Jersey]] [[Category:River islands of New Jersey]] [[Category:Landforms of Burlington County, New Jersey]] [[Category:Uninhabited islands of New Jersey]] [[Category:New Netherland]] [[Category:Islands of the Delaware River]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1624]] [[Category:Lenape]]