I don’t know about you… but I’m starting to get a little tired of this weather! It was a somewhat mild winter, up until a few weeks ago. I am looking forward to spring’s arrival and in just a few more weeks, she should be here! At least.. I am crossing my fingers for it. Today, was probably the coldest day of the year and it has me thinking and daydreaming about warmer weather.
My daydream led up to me pondering about the DOD Ponds. This was a site that I stumbled upon while exploring the area. My last visit was just wonderful. The birds were chirping, it was warm and I am a sucker for wildflowers (they’ve got plenty).
So…
I’m taking you on an adventure to…
Pedricktown, New Jersey
Pedricktown boasts a population of 524 residents. In the 1940s, “The Pedrick Family” was a book written to describe the founding members of the town. You got to check out the book if you are a big dork like me.
It mentions that Pedricktown was aptly named for Roger Pedrick. Pedrick purchased a large tract of land from John Fenwick (one of Salem County’s first settlers) in 1674, before he even stepped foot on New Jersey soil. There are still many descendants of Roger Pedrick in the Salem County Area. Anyone a relative out there?
Beautiful road leading into the DOD ponds.
I visited the DOD Ponds in Pedricktown for the first time about 2 years ago. I was scouting locations to put into my Salem County book and I honestly fell in love with this place! It is very serene and peaceful. The roadways are covered in wildflowers everywhere! The water is a nice bluish tint. It’s a place that makes me smile.
These lakes or ponds are located in Pedricktown off of Crown Point Road (Route 130) and are awesome exploring spots on a nice mild day.
The waterways were once sand-mining pits and were later turned into a wonderful recreational area in Salem County. It is a great place to go kayaking or to watch the magnificent South Jersey sunset.
Next door, is Camp Pedricktown. This once grand base is now presently left withering away to the elements.
Disclaimer- Yummy received full permission and access to the Camp Pedricktown site. It was also featured in my Salem County book.
These brick beauties once housed military members and their families.
As you can see, nothing was left behind.
Nature is starting to reclaim this land.
Camp Pedricktown was a DOD site (Department of Defense) up until the mid-1990s and also a Nike missile Base.
Located next to the Delaware River, the Pedricktown Army Air Defense Command Post contained a Missile Master fire distribution capable of controlling all the Nike missile bases within the Philadelphia Defense Area (check out some of the sites online, they are really cool!).
Due to its strategic location, New Jersey played a significant role in the Cold War defense of the entire North American continent!
Within the Garden State, air defense radar sites, bases for interceptor aircraft, anti-aircraft gun batteries, surface to air missile sites, and command and control facilities were constructed to defend against the threat of attack by long-range, nuclear-armed aircraft of the Soviet Union’s Air Force. Yep, we were and still are pretty badass!
You really have to check out both sites, especially the Camp Pedricktown site. This old DOD property is up for sale and I don’t think it will be around much longer! Maybe when it gets a little warmer?
Stay tuned… I have a ton of cool places to get up on this blog! When I say a ton, I’m probably backlogged by about 200 posts to get up on here, if not more!
Until our next adventure, my friends!
-The Yummygal
South Jersey History & Adventures 
always enjoy your posts !
Thanks, Bil!
Loved every single shot! Appreciated the read, too: so interesting and new for me!
Thank you! It’s a neat site to check out.
Thanks. Love Salem County!
I remember that base being active many years ago. It was a common site to see Army trucks, jeeps, even tanks on carriers driving along Rt 130 and other local roads. Sad to see now. However the ponds are very nice as is the road wich eventually reaches the river. Nice place to fish for Stripers
A branch of my wife’s family settled there crazy early and I think intermarried with Pedricks. But I don’t know the details. I’ve tried to go deep into Google to find their homestead. One result suggested it might be on land that later became the base. But I’d have to actually leave my house and check real township and county records to really find out. Maybe someday.
Does anyone remember bombs being made there for World War II ? I believe My mother work at the DOD. In a letter my dad wrote to her he told her and the girls to be more careful building the bombs they had one that was a dud . I do know women did a lot for the war.
I used to live in the base housing as a young child of 3-4 y.o. back in the early 1960’s. Don’t remember much, other than Santa Claus visited by helicopter. That was way cool!
Good day yummygal.. i was searching online for abandoned missle silos for sale in salem county and stumbled upon your site. I grew up in salem county about 10 minutes from the DOD..My grandparents and their parents grew up in Pedricktown.. it was our home for many generations and also where our family burial plots are. It is one of the most beautiful areas in all of New Jersey. There are many farms in and around Pedricktown that are home to the nike missle silos. I am in search of some farmland or a home with one of these abandoned silos. When you come back to the DOD and you are wondering around.. look off the main paths for old roads covered by overgrown grass and weeds.. there are bunkers underground in numerous locations.. most have been covered with dirt and have metal welded covering entrances.. wonderful area to explore and enjoy our military history.. In the town of Pennsville where I currently live we have Fort Mott State Park.. This is also a military facility with rich history.. A few times a year they have reenactments from the war era…guided tours of Peapatch Island and dont forget to enter the dungeons. While you are exploring the area you might be lucky enough to stumble upon a cannonball or even some musket balls..
There used to be an 8-sided school house on the land that is now ‘Camp Pedricktown’. It was built in 1821 and was in operation in 1910, although I’m not certain the exact date it was demolished. There’s a picture of it during 1910 which shows Route 130 still being a dirt road. 🙂
I just sent you an email regarding Pedrick family info . . .
When we were stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD in the early ’90s, We would take day trips in and around the MD/DE/PA/NJ area on the weekends. We found this place and an AAFES shoppette that was open. The brick housing of Camp Pedricktown looked historic. We wondered why the shoppette was open but the base was not. The sales associate said that there were retirees in the area that still shopped there.
Stationed there in 1959-60 as a medical corpsman. Site was HQ of the 24th Artillery Group, which covered the old NIKE air defense missile sites of the whole Philadelphia area. We had a dentist and a civilian contract surgeon, Dr. H. V. Brown of Penns Grove, who came in an hour a day for sick call from several Nike batteries in southern NJ as well as the HQ. Allegedly the back area had once been used for testing the WWII famous “bazooka” weapon. Originally known as the Delaware Ordnance Depot. Later, I believe, it was used by a community college. Slightly outside the Penns Grove municipality, we were officially part of Camp Pedricktown–though as far as I know, I never put foot in Pedricktown itself.