Memorial honoring America’s first flight falls into ruin behind a N.J. Walmart
Behind a 6-foot high chain link fence at the Deptford Walmart Supercenter, hidden by overgrown foliage, lies an overlooked memorial to the first aerial flight in the United States.
Deptford Township was the landing place for the first air voyage in North America around 230 years ago. French inventor Jean Pierre Blanchard ascended in his air balloon from Philadelphia while crowds watched below, including some of the nation’s founders. He drifted eastward for 46 minutes before descending onto an open field in what is now Deptford.
While Blanchard’s flight launched Deptford into aviation history, the landing site has another significant historical landmark.
It is home to the Clement Oak: a 400-year-old white oak tree that was used as a shelter for Lenape natives centuries ago and a community meeting place in modern times, according to the Gloucester County Historical Society.
“This is really a major part of American history … and particularly given the history of aviation, it just seems somehow really sad and disgraceful that we’ve just allowed the whole thing to decline into the mess it is now,” said Hoag Levins, who chairs the society’s publication committee.
Three plaques mark the site’s place in history, but only two are readable. The other is now only a metal slab on a pedestal because the bronze plate has been ripped off and degraded.
These plaques sit in a heap of bushes, vines and weeds that can only be accessed by going around the 6-foot-tall fence. The only break in the fence is next to Walmart’s storage pen for pallets and cardboard waste.
Even the Clement Oak has disappeared behind a disarray of leaves and branches. According to Levins, the once mighty oak tree was ripped apart in 2020 after a windstorm and was never rehabilitated.
“It’s like a Mayan ruin that’s been reclaimed by the jungle,” Levins said.
Where it all went wrong
In 2008, Walmart built its supercenter on the field where Blanchard touched down.
Deptford Mayor Paul Medany said when the building was being approved, there was a verbal agreement that Walmart would maintain the area since it would be their property. Another stipulation was for Walmart to construct a walkway leading to the historic landmark.
The company kept this commitment as there is a concrete sidewalk that once guided travelers to the monuments, but it is now unusable because overgrown vegetation blocks the entrance.
Medany was on the Planning Board during this process and said the store representatives repeatedly discussed maintaining the site at board meetings.
For years, the area was well looked after with directional signs pointing to the landmark and no overgrown bushes in sight. However, Medany said he noticed maintenance declined after the Clement Tree was struck by lightning in a storm.
He said there is nothing the town can do since it is Walmart’s property, but the township will contact current management to encourage them to renovate the memorial.
“There’s no legal document that says they have to take care of it, but we’re certainly hoping that somebody there steps up and cleans up the site,” Medany said.
With the country’s 250th birthday next year, Levins said cleaning the space and promoting Deptford’s historical significance can be a good opportunity for the town.
In a statement, Walmart said the site is in the process of being cleaned up and maintained, adding, “We’re working toward a resolution with the township.”
The site has been used to commemorate numerous major celebrations in the past, including the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976, which included a 13-gun salute, performances from the Deptford High School band and a speech from NASA astronaut Henry Hartsfield.
Hot air balloons were planned to take off from Deptford and Philadelphia, but the weather did not permit it.
Every year on Blanchard’s landing anniversary, Deptford also holds an essay and coloring contest for local students where hundreds partake in the festivities.
Medany also retells the story of the flight that changed Deptford forever, evidenced by the town’s seal displaying a hot air balloon.
“It’s an important site for the history of the country as far as I’m concerned,” Medany said. “That area where the shopping center is built is the landing site of the … first manned flight in America, which is to us here in Deptford Township is a pretty historic event … we’re very proud to be part of that history.”
