Petty Island, River island in Camden County, United States
Petty Island is a roughly 120-acre landmass located between Philadelphia and Camden in the Delaware River, visible from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The island now displays mostly natural conditions as it recovers from its earlier industrial past.
The area was originally known to the Lenni Lenape as Aquikanasara before Elizabeth Kinsey purchased it from local leaders in 1678. Over the following centuries, the island became an industrial site before restoration and protection efforts began.
The island shelters birds and other wildlife adapted to the Delaware River's shoreline conditions. Visitors can observe a return to natural habitat where animals have begun to thrive again.
The island currently remains off-limits to the public as authorities work on transforming the former industrial site. Visitors can view it from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge or nearby river viewpoints while future access is being developed.
The oil company Citgo, with Venezuelan ownership, transferred the island to New Jersey authorities in 2009. This move redirected the site toward environmental conservation rather than continued industrial use.
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