The "DUI Decoy" At Your Service! .... And Other Things..

[Teegate]

All,

We were exploring a tract of land owned by Camden County and came upon the "DUI Decoy" which obviously has been on it's last run.

It even had a sheriff star on the door.

After the window was smashed out they added some mesh and continued on it appears.

Along with the car there is multiple 4x8 sheets of plywood behind the car with writings and paintings dedicated to Brad and Joe. They were continuous and were painted all together in a row. With a little searching Jessica found out they were dedicated to at least one of them who died in 2011 at the age of 19. He was in a music group named "Moss Fighter."

Joe's Obituary. RIP Joe.


http://lpwoosterfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/440/Joseph_A__Gameron/obituary.html#tribute-start



Nearby at the ruins of what most likely was an old gun club was a well visited hangout which included a homemade skateboard ramp and many other interesting things.

The fireplace from the club is still in use.

Homemade concrete moguls.

I found this to be the most interesting thing there.

I suspect Joe from above had been a visitor there since he was into skateboarding.


When leaving we came across another old possible gun club.

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

I surprised that car wasn't stripped.Looked like some possibly good parts left in there.How close were we to this?

 

[Teegate]

Less than 400 feet and most likely less than 300. Easy walking and a really nice area.

 

[manumuskin]

I think I may see it.Southwest of the Wide Tape Stone?

 

[Teegate]

I suspect you are correct. I can see it on the aerials.

 

[RednekF350]

The accident in which Joe Gameron was killed was very tragic. I drove through the aftermath on Route 54 the night it happened.
Head on with a dump truck. I believe his father was following behind him when it happened.

 

[Teegate]

The accident in which Joe Gameron was killed was very tragic. I drove through the aftermath on Route 54 the night it happened.
Head on with a dump truck. I believe his father was following behind him when it happened.

Sad.

 

[JerseyG]

Looks better than what I was driving in high school!...lol

 

[Jamea Gameron]

Joe Gameron was following my uncle (his father) home from work in his dads truck when he hit a tri-axel dump truck. They were actually about 15 minutes away from my dad they were going to meet him. His whole family misses him greatly. And brad was a neighbor who lived in atco and was taken in his mid fourtys I believe. I also believe he had two young kids and a wife. RIP both Brad and Joe. Miss jamming with you man.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Joe Gameron was following my uncle (his father) home from work in his dads truck when he hit a tri-axel dump truck. They were actually about 15 minutes away from my dad they were going to meet him. His whole family misses him greatly. And brad was a neighbor who lived in atco and was taken in his mid fourtys I believe. I also believe he had two young kids and a wife. RIP both Brad and Joe. Miss jamming with you man.

Sorry for your loss, Jamea.

 

[Teegate]

Sorry I forgot to respond to this recent post.

Jamea ... were you ever at the decoy car? Anything you can tell me about it and the area around it which appears to have been an old gun club?

Guy

 

[Ben Ruset]

Sorry for your loss, James, as well.

 

[Mom G]

Just came across this tonight. Joe is my son.

 

[Teegate]

I am so sorry for your loss. I hope you are not annoyed at my thread.

Guy

 

[Mom G]

Not at all. Glad you stumbled across his little bit of heaven here on earth.

 

[TheChimbo]

The area you stumbled upon is called "The Chimney." It was where a group of us hung out during most of our free time, but now that we're older(we're in our early-mid twenties), it's mostly frequented by the younger generation that likes to break a lot of glass and generally trash the place. I built the garden, and still tend to it during the spring/summer. The last thing we built back there is the tree fort/platform, maybe 2-3 years ago. The ramps are 5 years or older, I think.

The DUI Decoy was our woods car. A car no longer fit for the road, but perfect for the woods. Just something to rip around on the trails, either for fun or for gathering firewood. Eventually kids(we assume) smashed out the windows, which is why we put up wire mesh as our windshield.

 

[Teegate]

The area you stumbled upon is called "The Chimney." It was where a group of us hung out during most of our free time, but now that we're older(we're in our early-mid twenties), it's mostly frequented by the younger generation that likes to break a lot of glass and generally trash the place. I built the garden, and still tend to it during the spring/summer. The last thing we built back there is the tree fort/platform, maybe 2-3 years ago. The ramps are 5 years or older, I think.

The DUI Decoy was our woods car. A car no longer fit for the road, but perfect for the woods. Just something to rip around on the trails, either for fun or for gathering firewood. Eventually kids(we assume) smashed out the windows, which is why we put up wire mesh as our windshield.

Thank you for replying. The property in the last two photos have new owners. A member of this site knows them.

 

[Mom G]

As stated above, The Chimney is/was almost a magical place. It was a place where anywhere from 2 - 20 people (kids) would gather together to just hang out. It was in walking distance for most of them, but some would ride bikes. I knew about The Chimney from my son and his friends, but I didn't KNOW The Chimney until after his death when I finally visited their site to bring some flowers.
It was a unique site with many different things set up to do. The checkerboard painted on a picnic table, the amazing decking that was put up in the trees, notes painted on boards, Carol the Barrel, and of course the tribute to Joe and Brad that was brought back "home" there from a neighborhood block party.
The Chimney was a place for them to get to know each other.
It was their social media without the help of the Internet.
It was a place for them to talk, to fall in love, to fall out of love, to complain about their parents, and to just be together as one. No one would be turned away without good reason.
As the "kids" got older and things changed as far as going to college, getting full time jobs, having more responsibilities, the trips to The Chimney seemed to get shorter and with lesser people. It still makes me smile though when I will see a group of those "kids" riding their bikes back to that area or seeing some cars parked down that way knowing that a short walk back there was happening.
I am happy to be able to see a part of what is and what will always be the magic of The Chimney, and a group of friends that will have memories of growing up that I am sure will be passed on to their own children one day.
So I'm glad you stumbled across their site, and I hope that from these postings that you get an idea of what a place of beauty a silly little place in the woods was for so many amazing people.

 

[Teegate]

A very nice post.

 

[Bobbyc]

Thank you for replying. The property in the last two photos have new owners. A member of this site knows them.

I am glad to see that so many people love the area. I am the owner of the property and it is our intention to leave the history and structures there intact.