Nuclear power plants, Old Barracks, and other tidbits of N.J. history | Albright

The Hope Creek cooling tower at PSEG Salem Nuclear Power Plant on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek on June 19, 2014. (Joe Warner | For the Star-Ledger)(Joe Warner | For the Star-Ledger)

Historically speaking, did you know:

There are three nuclear power plants located in New Jersey -- all in South Jersey -- while its neighbors in Pennsylvania and New York have five and four nuclear plants, respectively.

The Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township is New Jersey's oldest such nuclear power plant, having opened in 1969. The Salem Nuclear Power Plant in Lower Alloways Creek followed in 1977, followed by the state's newest plant -- the Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station, also in Lower Alloways Creek -- in 1986.

The North American Butterfly Association of Morristown is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the public enjoyment of butterflies. The NABA also works to preserve and save endangered populations of butterflies.

New Jersey's 15 species of oak trees have dominated the forests of North Jersey 10,000 years. The red oak is the official state tree of the Garden State.

Ocean County College, the first community college in New Jersey, was founded in 1964.

The nation's first facility for processing crude oil was built in Bayonne in the 1870s, paving the way for one of the state's most economically important industries.

The Old Barracks in Trenton lodged British troops in the French and Indian War, but is best known for its role in the Revolutionary War when Gen. George Washington's Colonial troops attacked Hessian mercenaries stationed there on Dec. 26, 1776. It was the first Colonial victory in the war, serving as a turning point of sorts in the conflict. The building, which is now a museum, has been operated by the Old Barracks Association since 1914.

Joseph Albright's column appears every week in The Jersey Journal.

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