Old City

Bhavna and I were in the Center City section of Philadelphia early this morning. I had a CT scan and pre-surgery testing for my upcoming orbital decompression surgery. The Wills Eye Institute is several blocks, about a 10-minute walk, from the outer edge of the Old City section of Philadelphia, which was an excellent opportunity to capture some images at Independence National Historical Park for Frank's weekly challenge.

Bhavna is still recovering from her foot surgery. Her foot was still sore, and she did not think she could walk to Old City, so I went alone. She stayed behind in the sitting room at Wills Eye Institute.

I wanted to be respectful of her time. I quickly walked to Chestnut Street to Independence Hall. Tourists were milling around outside the building, and only later did it occur to me that people might enjoy the long weekend visiting this historic section of Philadelphia. I stood close to the edge of Chestnut Street to get a photograph that included as much of the Independence Hall building as possible while reducing the chance of tourists stepping into my frame. It was frustrating. The 16mm end of my Fujinon XF16-55mm R LM WR lens was not wide enough for this occasion.

Old City, Philadelphia
Aug 30, 2019, Tourist, Old City, Philadelphia — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed, bringing the United States of America into existence.

Old City, Philadelphia
Aug 30, 2019, Liberty Bell, Old City, Philadelphia — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

After photographing Independence Hall, I headed inside to photograph the Liberty Bell. Although I have visited and photographed Old City a few times, this was my first visit to the Liberty Bell. The popular activity is photographing the Liberty Bell.

In the 19th century, the State House bell became known as a symbol of freedom. Its inscription, "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof," inspired abolitionists who wanted to end slavery. The bell was first called the Liberty Bell in 1835 by an abolitionist paper, The Anti-Slavery Record. However, it took years for this name to become popular.

From the late 1800s, the Liberty Bell travelled across America. It was shown at fairs and expositions, visiting many towns. This tour was important for a country healing from the Civil War. The bell reminded people of their shared fight for independence. Over time, different groups like the Women's Suffrage and Civil Rights movements also used the bell for their causes. For example, in 1915, Pennsylvania suffragists made a copy of the bell. They called it the "Justice Bell" and toured it around Pennsylvania to support women's right to vote. This bell stayed silent until the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920.

Today, the Liberty Bell is a symbol known all over the world. Its message about freedom is still strong and important: "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof."

After I got my photograph, I stood there watching the Bell and pondered how incredible it was to live in a part of the United States with such historical significance.

Old City, Philadelphia
Aug 30, 2019, Liberty Bell, Old City, Philadelphia — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

After photographing the Liberty Bell, I looked at my watch and realised that I needed to get back to my wife. I walked down 4th Street, crossing through Independence Square toward Walnut Street. I felt rushed and wish I had more time to compose my shots. Perhaps I'll plan a photo walk with some friends.

Old City, Philadelphia
Aug 30, 2019, Thomas Jefferson Garden, Old City, Philadelphia — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Old City, Philadelphia
Aug 30, 2019, Independence Square, Old City, Philadelphia — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR
Old City, Philadelphia
Aug 30, 2019, Commodore John Barry Statue, Old City, Philadelphia — FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR

John Barry was the first Commodore of the U.S. Navy.

Griggstown's Delaware and Raritan Canal Lock

Griggstown Lock on the Delaware & Raritan Canal is about one kilometre south of the Griggstown Causeway and about 7.4 km, a 10-minute drive from my home in Skillman. The Kingston Lock is approximately 7.4km to the south. The Millstone River runs more or less parallel to the D&R Canal, with many more twists and turns along the way. I captured this set of images with my Fujifilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 vintage lens, a recent purchase, using an in-camera Kodachrome II film simulation recipe. Except for perspective correction, all of the images are otherwise untouched straight-out-of-camera.

The asphalt, crushed stone, and dirt surface of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park Trail, part of a transportation corridor between Philadelphia and New York, follows the Delaware & Raritan Canal towpath that dates to the early 1800s. The New Jersey portion of the trail starts in Trenton. It runs along the Delaware River for almost 117 kilometres before ending at Landing Lane, just north of George St. in New Brunswick on the outskirts of Rutgers University. The trail follows the outer eastern edge of the Princeton University campus and passes through Kingston, Griggstown and East Millstone. The waterway is tree-lined, supporting many types of wildlife, including bald eagles, herons, ospreys, and smaller bird species. Walleye, bass, and shad thrive in the Delaware Canal.

Points in Griggstown or Princeton offer canoe rides along the water route. During heavy rains, parts of the trail become impassable from floods. Flooding effectively cuts me off from areas of New Jersey to my east and north, especially if the Millstone River is also flooded.

This is a second entry for Frank Jansen's <a href="https://dutchgoesthephoto.net/2019/08/13/tuesday-photo-challenge-lock/ class="u-in-reply-to">Tuesday Photo Challenge - Lock.

Griggstown Delaware Canal Lock — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Griggstown Delaware Canal Lock — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Griggstown Delaware Canal Lock — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.002 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Griggstown Delaware Canal Lock — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.003 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Griggstown Delaware Canal Lock — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.004 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Griggstown Delaware Canal Loc k— FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.002 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Bridgetender's House — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.003 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Delaware Canal Trail — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Delaware Canal Trail — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Delaware Canal Trail — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.005 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Griggstown Delaware Canal Lock— FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.008 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019
Fishing for Bass — FujiFilm X-T2 + Soligor 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Auto M42 @ 35 mm, 0.003 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 17, 2019

Kingston Lock at D & R Canal State Park

I've photographed the area around the Kingston Lock in the [Delaware & Raritan State Park])https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/maps/KingstonTrailsMapFinalDraft.pdf_ many times in the past. The photos included here are nothing new in term of subject matter, and the composition varies slightly from previous captures. I chose to photograph using the Dramatic Classic Chrome Film Simulation Recipe created by Ritchie Roesch. I chose to do this in preparation for another project proposed by Ritchie. Except for cropping and perspective correction, all of these images are as-is from the camera.

A lock is an enclosed chamber in a canal, dam, etc., with gates at each end, for raising or lowering vessels from one level to another by admitting or releasing water.

My daughter, Kiran, thought that using the homonym, loch, was stretching things it a bit too far, given that loch means lake in Scottish Gaelic. I argued that the Kingston Lock Controls water flow through the Delaware & Raritan Canal which runs alongside Lake Carnegie, the common name for Loch Carnegie. I lost the argument.

The sky was overcast with 100% cloud cover. The Kingston Lock is about 4 kilometres from my home in Skillman. There were no shadows to be found, but the images have a great deal of contrast between light and dark areas. I parked in the empty parking lot, grabbed my tripod, slipped on my headphones and walked over the lock. I like to listen to music, one of several EDM playlist in iTunes, when I out on private photo walks by myself. The music calms me and helps me focus.

In the early 18th century, the Lenape Native Americans who lived in this part of what would eventually become New Jersey sold 4 km2 of land to Jediah Higgins, who established the town of Kingston. The small village is located on the Lenape Assunpink Trail, crossing the Millstone River at what would later be named the King's Highway. Kingston is the only area of New Jersey that exists within the borders of two counties, Middlesex County and Somerset County.

Its location on the main road, King's Highway, connecting the colonies made Kingston a major transit stop for stagecoaches and numerous inns and taverns were established. The Kingston Lock, which included a toll house that had one of the first telegraph offices in 1846, is number 8 of 14 built along the 73-kilometre D&R Canal, portions of which today are part of the D&R Canal State Park.

Eventually, after the paving of US Route 1 in the 1920s, commercial traffic moved further east, and the canal was closed in the early 1930s.

Kingston's historical importance is well recognised with entries on the State/National Register of Historic Places, including:
- Kingston Mill Historic District
- Kingston Village Historic District
- Lake Carnegie Historic District
- Princeton Nurseries Historic District
- Delaware and Raritan Canal
- Withington Estate/ Heathcote Farm,
- King's Highway (Upper Road/Lincoln Highway) Historic District
- Rockingham State Historic Site

Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, 0.003 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 36.5 mm, 0.008 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, 0.001 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock Bridgetender House, Delaware and Raritan Canal, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, 0.004 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 27.4 mm, 0.002 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock Bridgetender House, Delaware and Raritan Canal, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 27.4 mm, 0.003 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 27.4 mm, 0.004 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 42.7 mm, 0.004 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, 0.003 sec at f/5.6, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019
Kingston Lock in the D&R Canal State Park, Kingston, Somerset County, New Jersey— FujiFilm X-T2 + XF16-55mmF2.8 R LM WR @ 16 mm, 0.003 sec at f/2.8, ISO 400, ©Khürt L. Williams, Aug 16, 2019