Writing is central to Jim’s work. It documents achievements and provides information to guide clients and to inform readers. Research, organization, organizing, applying appropriate techniques in a changing world.
Mary VanCampen: Her Short Life and Special Headstone Two sides of Mary VanCampen’s headstone. We know very little of Mary’s life. Dying young was not at all uncommon at that time, and her life was less than two years in duration. Hardly time to develop any personality, yet something about her grave suggests that she […]
Calno VanCampen Cemetery — This is an initial working draft. Not complete yet! — Visit the Tocks Island Intro Page VanCampen headstones at Calno from 1966 Menzies “Before the Waters.” Overgrown even then. Reactions to the Tocks Dam Threat In the decades following the abandonment of the Tocks Island Dam project, strong feelings against the
Calno VanCampen Cemetery Read More »
Marl: Past and Present Marl is a product in the ground of historic natural forces, typically found where coastlines or shallow bodies of water once existed. It is found in various colors, often greenish, with a number of key mineral ingredients and other characteristics that were valuable to farmers, and later, to chemists. It often
Burlington Sand and Philadelphia Boodlers See other Burlington County History Philadelphia Inquirer sketches from 1906 court hearing on Torresdale Water Plant sand contracts From Birmingham to Torresdale By Jim Alexander From the August 21, 1906 Mount Holly News: “The puffing, snorting and blowing of a large mogul locomotive awakened many people out of a sound
Burlington County Sand and Philly Corruption Read More »
Miscellaneous Writings Since Jim writes across a broad range of topics, here are some that are not listed under specific other subjects on this site. A number of these were written in recent years for the Lumberton Chronicle. Main Writing Section:Other Subjects Book Reviews Billy Boyle-WWII Mysteries, by James R. Benn. Hidden Persuaders, by Vince
Other Writing Topics Read More »
South Jersey Solid Waste Atlantic County solid waste facility, Burlington County landfill and recycling plant. Current estimates are that each person in the United States produces about 4.9 pounds of solid waste each day, a figure that has been rising. This is generally what gets hauled away from homes by garbage or recycling trucks; there’s
South Jersey Solid Waste Read More »
A Delaware Water Gap National Park? Evaluating the Redesignation Controversy By Jim Alexander, updated October 18, 2022 and October 25, 2024. See Our Full Tocks Island / Recreation Area History The Setting | The Park Proposal | The Opposition |Comparability Argument | National Parks Generally |Happening at the Water Gap | Lesson from the Past
Delaware Water Gap National Park Proposal Read More »
The Breakdown of Law, Order and Social Fabric During the Tocks Island Project The destruction of homes was accompanied by a breakdown in the established order. How it was before … “It seems that the only problem I have with this job is to find a place to move or build.” As John Uporsky settled
Law and Order at the Tocks Island Project Read More »
A Legacy of Hurt:Eminent Domain at Tocks Island The dam was never built, but Annie Oftedal died alone at home because of it. “Why fight a losing battle?” commented Joseph H. Cook, Jr., chief of the Corps of Engineers real estate division in Philadelphia. “We wish we never heard of the damn thing.” “We uprooted
Tocks Island Project Resistance Publications The Minisink Bull was a periodic newsletter circulated in the area of Pennsylvania and New Jersey that would have been impacted by the proposed Tocks Island Dam construction. It was published by Joan Transue Matheson, a resident of Dingman’s Ferry, PA, with the assistance of unpaid local writers and supporters.
Tocks Island Resistance Publications Read More »