August 22, 2025
Provided Image/Hoag Levins
Deptford Township officials and historians say a site behind a Walmart is being neglected by the retail corporation. Above, a marker for the landing spot of the first balloon flight in the United States.
Nestled between Big Timber Creek and a Walmart Supercenter in Deptford Township, three markers denote two landmarks — the 400-year-old Clement oak and the landing site of the first hot air balloon ride in the United States.
The original two signs were installed in 1964 and were rededicated in 1993, and a third was added in 2019 to include a QR code for visitors to learn the spot's history. Deptford said Walmart agreed to care for the space when it opened 17 years ago, but the South Jersey town claims the retail chain's negligence has made the monuments inaccessible to visitors.
Hoag Levins, the chair of the publications committee for the Gloucester County Historical Society, said the group periodically received updates about the site's maintenance. When the latest complaint came in, he decided to go take a look himself.
"It took me quite a while trying to find the place behind the Walmart," Levins said. "It's like a jungle back there. ... It almost looks like a like a Mayan ruin. The jungle has reclaimed it."
The tree was a gathering site for Native Americans and early colonists — and is also noteworthy for its age. In addition to the marker, the historic flight is commemorated with a mural in city council chambers, and the town hosts yearly coloring and essay contests about the landing. Hot air balloon symbols can also be found on Deptford signs and water towers.
Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard, an inventor, made the journey from Philadelphia to South Jersey in 1793, departing in the balloon from 6th and Walnut streets. Armed with an introduction letter from George Washington, which explained the trip as Blanchard couldn't speak English, he traveled 15 miles over the Delaware River to Deptford, measuring altitude, pulse and magnetism and taking air samples. Deptford officials say it was the first manned flight in the United States.
For Levins, the trip marked a major technological landmark in the country, and he felt nearby residents and aviation fans needed to know about the deteriorating state of the site — especially ahead of next year's semiquincentennial marking America's 250th birthday.
"This was ground zero for flying balloon technology," Levins said. "I don't think it was a site that families came to on a regular basis, but it certainly is a site that is a really important part of American history. ... It doesn't seem to me, particularly as we move toward the 250th, that we should just ignore it and let it be grown over and forgotten."
At the time of the landing, the site was an open field. In 1964, the Radio Corporation of America bought 132 acres and had an office there for a number of decades. When that closed, a developer bought the space and built a shopping center, which Walmart moved into in 2008.
Deptford Mayor Paul Medany said he wasn't in office at the time, but he was on the planning board and in discussions with Walmart about the site. According to him, the chain agreed to tend to the property and built a ramp at the town's request for access to the tree and historical site. Local officials also hired an arborist to install lightening rods to prevent the oak from strikes, but the tree was heavily damaged during a storm in 2020.
Medany said Deptford's economic development team has reached out to the corporation and is hoping to work with Walmart to maintain the area. A spokesperson for Walmart said it was aware of the site and working toward a resolution with the township.
"It's on our street signs, the balloon logo, it's on our shirts. It's part of our history," Medany said. "So it's very, very important to us. It should be important to the country."
The three historical markers located behind a Walmart in Deptford.
Provided Image/Hoag Levins
A print in possession of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum depicts the 1793 flight, and the institution said that hot air balloons made a huge splash on culture 10 years earlier, when brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Etienne Montgolfier took to the skies in France.
"The balloons sparked new fashion trends and inspired new fads and products," the museum wrote in the summary of the artifact. "Hair and clothing styles, jewelry, snuffboxes, wallpaper, chandeliers, bird cages, fans, clocks, chairs, armoires, hats, and other items, were designed with balloon motifs."
Almost 200 years later, the balloons would come back into fashion in Philadelphia. During the bicentennial celebration on July 4, 1976, the city started annual balloon races retracing the route. For about 20 years, aeronauts would leave from Belmont Plateau and land in Deptford. In 1990, there was even a crash landing and subsequent robbery in North Philly. The last race took place in 1993, according to Billy Penn.
Philadelphia hasn't formally announced its full plan for the upcoming semiquincentennial celebration, but it's possible that it could bring back the races. Medany said Deptford's 2026 events will include highlighting the historical flight, but he declined to share details. However, he hopes officials will be able to find an agreement with Walmart by then.
"We were hoping the corporation can help us with that site because it should be important to them, too — it's right in their backyard," Medany said. "So we're hoping to work together to get this thing cleaned up in time for next year. But not only for next year, but for future generations, people should be aware of it, and they should be able to go back there and just visit the site and think about what happened here because it's a great story."
