The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is made up of 70,000 acres spanning New Jersey and Pennsylvania. “The Water Gap '' as the locals call it, is the largest National Recreational Area in the Eastern United States.
The park was first imagined in 1960 as a way to manage the Delaware River. The Tocks Island Dam was to be built creating a 40 mile reservoir. In preparation for the dam, 600 families were displaced.
For the next 18 years this continued-some buildings were destroyed for the project, while others were vandalized. In 1978 the project was deemed economically and environmentally unsound and the Delaware River was placed under the protection of the Scenic River Act.
To date over 113,000 historical artifacts and 1200 historical sites have been found in the Delaware Water Gap. There are still many undiscovered archeological sites in the region.
To show respect to this areas rich history, I will be photographing the region with a medium format film camera in black and white as well as digital format.
Follow me on Instagram (@adampolingerphotography) to get regular updates about the project.