After wandering about Bordentown Bluffs we headed very short distance to the newest section of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, the Point Breeze section.
Once upon a time Joseph Bonaparte, former King of Naples and of Spain, and brother of a somewhat more famous short French guy, called this place home.
There is this bridge, on what was once the main road into the complex.
Alas, little is left of his magnificent buildingss and gardens.
And the two story structure at the end of this road is the gardener's residence. It is the last remaining structure from those times, from 1815 to 1839, after which he returned to Europe.
The large tree in the center of the image above is a Willow Oak, brought back by Lewis and Clark. Yep, of Expedition fame.
As was the Osage Orange tree pictured above.
The ex-king built several homes on the property, and connected them by tunnels. Rumors were the tunnels were escape ways should his enemies from Europe come calling. In reality, they were routes between the buildings, passages to avoid bad weather it seems.
Once Joseph returned to Europe title passed to his grandson, also Joseph Bonaparte, who promptly sold the property.
Somewhere along the ownership timeline a stone grotto was build on the land.
A popular place for children, and obviously some adults, to play (there are ball fields just outside the frame of the road image above) but apparently too dangerous for the state of New Jersey, which plans to make the grotto off limits.
A curious little place.
It will be interesting to see what the state does with this property.
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