Mantua Creek

Mantua Creek is a stream in Mantua Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey with headwaters near Glassboro, which flows northwest for 18.6 miles (29.9 kilometers) to the Delaware River at Paulsboro across from present-day Philadelphia International Airport.^[1][2] The name Mantua Creek is derived from the Native American word “Manta”, meaning frog, and was so named because of the remarkable chorus effect produced by abundant frogs in its watershed.^[3] Mantua Creek and its two major tributaries, Edwards Run and Chestnut Branch drain over 50 square miles (130 km²) of Gloucester County.^[4]

History

Early human settlement along Mantua Creek dates back to the Lenni-Lenape Native Americans who exploited its abundance of fish and game and utilized the creeks for transportation. Early European settlers also used the creek for transportation, and constructed saw mills and grist mills on the creek and its streams, encouraging flood plain development for agriculture.^[5][6]

See also

• List of rivers of New Jersey

References

1. ^ NJ Hometown Locator: Mantua Creek, Gloucester County, accessed August 27, 2011.
2. ^ South Jersey Land & Water Trust: Mantua Creek Watershed Facts, accessed August 27, 2011.
3. ^ Mantua Township Clerk’s Office: A Brief Tour of Mantua Township History, last modified on June 3, 2011, citing “A Bicentennial Look at Mantua Township”, presented to the Township on Memorial Day, May 31, 1976.
4. ^ South Jersey Land & Water Trust, 2011, op.cit.
5. ^ South Jersey Land & Water Trust, 2011, op.cit.
6. ^ Mantua Township Clerk’s Office, 2011, op.cit.

Coordinates: 39°51′14″N 75°13′52″W / 39.85377°N 75.23111°W / 39.85377; -75.23111