Area Considered for Redevelopment

State Owned Open Space

Why this is important:

Moffa's farm is located very close to the Big Timber Creek, which is an important tributary of the Delaware River. It is the oldest standing house in Gloucester Township, being built in 1708 (or earlier!). The house has been officially renamed as "The Historic Robert-Marshall Home" thanks to the New Jersey State Historic Register, which has deemed the house historic. The special craftsmanship in the house qualifies the Robert-Marshall Home for designation as historic. "Punch & gouge" mantle-craft and other elements of construction of the home make it a very distinct historic site. Another building, which served as a restaurant for many years was recently demolished. (This restaurant was frequented by many famous people including Frank Sinatra!) In its current state, the home does not look appealing from the outside due to its renovations over the years. With research and garnered support from the community, it will be possible to gain grants and other financial help to restore the site.This is what the site currently looks like.

The site is important to our community due to it's location along the Big Timber Creek. It sits between Old Pine Farm and Slim's Ranch, which are preserved green spaces. If preserved, it could be a prime spot for families and other groups to go canoing or on a nature hike, since it would sit in a large green-way which stretches throughout the Northeast.

Green space is very important, especially in Gloucester Township since our town is almost built out completely. It is nearly 100% suburban sprawl. The township has suggested building a Age-Restricted development on the site, which would bring high revenues for the town. Unfortunately, this would deplete another site which is full of history, and it will be completely forgotten. With only a few other preserved spaces and historic sites, Moffa's Farm preservation is crucial to maintaining our town's identity.

Land Cover/Land Use Map

The Green Space around Moffa's Farm

I made this map to show the space close to the site, which is undeveloped.

SITE LOCATION

As you can see, the Moffa's Farm house site (outlined in green) is situated within a large area of green space.

From the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Committee

"The 2030 Greenspace Network links existing parkland, population centers and key natural resource areas worthy of preservation into a unified system. Linking "green spaces" throughout the region boosts their recreational, ecological, scenic and economic value. Greenspace is a form of public infrastructure necessary for community health, function and sustainability."

Please click on the image to get a closer view. You will notice that #33 is Big Timber Creek. Moffa's Farm is located on the banks of this Creek.
(Please excuse this map's typos- "Big Timer" should actually say "Big Timber".)

A Bigger Picture

Here is where Camden County is spatially located within New Jersey.

MOFFA'S FARM SITE

Map made with data from NJDEP

New Jersey in 1823

Thanks to the West Jersey History Project for this image.

Garden State Greenways Map

This map of Camden County was created by Rutgers' own CRSSA- Center for Remote Sensing and Spatial Anaylsis.

Air photo

Here is an air photo of the Moffa's Farm site & surrounding area:

Thanks to Adin Mickle for providing the cropped image.

Introduction

My name is Gina Ferrara and I am using this blog as a connector between my research and the public. This project will be outlining the history and future of Moffa's Farm in Gloucester Township, New Jersey. Feel free to leave me comments, questions or suggestions. This blog will be updated as my research continues.