Located at 345 Oak Hill Road, Middletown, NJ 07748, Poricy Park is a regional resource, serving residents throughout New Jersey and the tri-state area. It is a center for environmental and cultural education, enhancing the community’s enjoyment and appreciation of nature and local history. Poricy Park is managed by Middletown Township.
Poricy Park Conservancy is a non-profit organization, it depends primarily on memberships and donations to secure the educational, historical and natural resources at the Park for this, and future generations.
History of Poricy Park
Poricy Park is an exceptional ecological resource whose 250 acres make it one of the largest parks in Monmouth County. Poricy Park is a regional resource, serving residents throughout New Jersey and the Tri-state area. The park is a center for environmental and cultural education, enhancing the community’s enjoyment and appreciation of nature and local history.
Within the Park there is a 30-acre section called the Cotton Tract with trail entrances located off of Ivy Hill Road in the Colts Glen development, which borders the Park. The Cotton Tract is named for Leigh Cotton who raised horses on the property until he sold the land to the Poricy Park Citizen’s Committee in 1970. This section combines unique features of seclusion, forest, and marsh supporting a large variety of wildlife. The booklet, An Introduction to The Cotton Tract, can be obtained at no charge from the Nature Center located at the main entrance to Poricy Park off of Oak Hill Road.
Since the beginning of the Poricy Park Conservancy, many have researched the origins of the name “Poricy” to no avail. It is generally accepted that Poricy is a Lenapi word although it may have been altered by the Europeans as they struggled to understand the native language. There are very few Lenapi descendants left in the United States. Most were forced westward and their traditions, culture, language were lost as they mingled with other tribes and cultures. We have had some Lenapi descendents and native experts research and they have discovered no such word.
So the wondering continues….there are very few Lenapi descendants left in the United States. Most were forced westward and their traditions, culture, language were lost as they mingled with other tribes and cultures. We have had some Lenapi descendants and native experts research and they have discovered no such word.
Poricy Park is proud to be the headquarters of the Monmouth County, New Jersey Chapter of the Pajama Program. For information about the program, visit their website: https://pajamaprogram.org/people/new-jersey/