Historical Name: Chief Ockanickon
Common Name: Sycamore
Latin Name: Platanus occidentalis
The city of Burlington, NJ, situated along the Delaware River, has many historic sites. As one of the first locations where European colonists settled in NJ, the city’s history extends back to 1624. One of its more noteworthy sites is the Friends Meetinghouse built by Quakers at what is now 341 High Street. The original 1685 hexagonal building was replaced by the current brick structure in the 18th century, and today it is still in use with seats and tables dating back to the American Revolution.
In the cemetery behind the building an ancient sycamore nearing the end of its life shades the 1681 grave of Chief Ockanickon. He was the Chief of the Mantas Tribe of the Lenape, who helped the early colonists when they first arrived in the area. A boulder bearing his mark indicates his resting place. A bronze plaque nearby notes his last words: “Be plain and fair to all, both Indian and Christian, as I have been.” The tree in UCNJ’s Historic Tree Grove was grown from a seed collected from the Chief Ockanickon Sycamore in 2005.