Official state what? That’s right. New Jersey added the Hadrosaurus foulkiito its list of official symbols in 1991, and even created a mini park at the site where the fossilized remains were unearthed by William Parker Foulke in 1858 in Haddonfield, Camden County. People from all over the country and the world visit the modest historic site. But how many New Jerseyans even know they have a state dinosaur? And should they even care?

Visiting the Site

As a native-born New Jerseyan myself, although I’ve since moved away, I took the opportunity to visit the monument to the state’s official dinosaur on a visit back home. A stone market with a bronze plate stands at the top of the bank that drops away about 30 feet to the pit where the remains were found. When I went there were no other people around, and it’s easy to see why: the site is located in the woods at the end of a “no exit” street.

But when I left the monument behind and went down into the area where the bones were found, I got vibes from the spirit of the dinosaurs. Perhaps it was my imagination, but it was a pleasant feeling, wondering how it was in prehistoric times, how the Hadrosaurus foulkii lived its life among what was now a suburban neighborhood.

Significance of Foulke’s Find

The discovery of Hadrosaurus foulkii in New Jersey marked the first time the full skeletal remains of a dinosaur had been found. And it was no small find: the Hadrosaurus foulkii stood about 10 feet tall and was about 23 feet long. It walked upright on two legs and had two forelimbs that it used to gather its food. A plant-eater, it was also believed to be a good swimmer.

Until William Foulke found Hadrosaurus foulkii, scientists had seriously doubted the existence of dinosaurs. Therefore the nearly complete skeleton showed, beyond a doubt, that such magnificent creatures had once inhabited the earth-or at least New Jersey!-and it opened the door for paleontologists then and thereafter to vigorous and serious exploration into the world of dinosaurs.