About the Oldmans Creek Preserve

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The Oldman’s Creek Preserve was the first parcel of preserved land owned outright by the South Jersey Land & Water Trust. This 39-acre property in Auburn, NJ, was preserved in 2009 through the combined efforts of SJLWT, the NJDEP Green Acres Program, the NJDEP Office of Natural Resources Restoration, Conservation Resources Inc., and the New Jersey Conservation Foundation.

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The property features 3,000 feet of stream frontage along Oldman’s Creek, significant old-growth forest, nature and hiking trails, a 1790s-era homestead, some log cabin remnants, and a post-and-beam barn.

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The property was formerly used as a summer residence for the Selack family from 1913 to 1938, then as Boy Scout Camp Kimble from 1938-1967. The MacKannan family purchased the property in 1967 and operated their family enterprise, the Auburn Hills Campground, until 1982. The MacKannan family’s vision for seeing the property preserved forever was the impetus for the acquisition of the land by the South Jersey Land & Water Trust.

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The preservation of a property often leads to the preservation of contiguous and surrounding properties; the South Jersey Land & Water Trust hopes that the Oldmans Creek Preserve serves as an example for the future preservation of more parcels of land in this area of South Jersey.