What happens to a sculpture made from an abandoned building once the town starts demolishing that building?
On October 13, 2026, the Township Committee hired a contractor to demolish structures at Creek Turn Park on Route 38, the wooded site where Big Rusty has stood since June 2023. The plan does not clear the site. It takes down part of the old ceramics plant and keeps the rest standing so the troll keeps her setting. That decision says a lot about what the township thinks it owns on Route 38. Big Rusty started a countywide exhibit, and she is the first chapter of a story that ends on the other side of the country. In the township's plans she is the center of a creekside park.
Made From the Factory She Stands In
The township bought the property in 2017. The Burlington County Times reported at the time that the purchase covered more than 28 acres: 24.56 wooded acres along the creek and a 3.58-acre tract across Route 38. Two buildings on the larger parcel had housed Creek Turn Ceramic Supply Co. The ceramics business was run by Herman Kleiner, a sculptor who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.
Danish artist Thomas Dambo built Big Rusty there in June 2023. She stands 20 feet tall, and the township project summary calls her a nod to the site's artistic past. Burlington County's 2026 Troll Trek guide says she was "made almost entirely from recycled materials found at the abandoned Creek Turn Ceramic factory off Route 38." So the scrap she is made of and the walls behind her came from the same building.
What the Winzinger Contract Takes Down, and What Stays
The demolition contract went to Winzinger Inc., a Hainesport company based at 1704 Marne Highway, for no more than $69,000. The work was set up over the summer:
- June 2026: Remington and Vernick finished a pre-demolition assessment of three of the site's five buildings, a required step for the park's Phase I work.
- June 2026: Artheon, formerly CME, was writing the bid specifications for the demolition.
- October 13, 2026: The committee approved the contract with Winzinger.
The design work from Taylor Design Group, which Committeewoman Anna Evans summarized, lays out what the demolition is for. Portions of the large industrial ceramics buildings will be demolished, and "other portions of the building will be stabilized to maintain the setting / backdrop of Big Rusty." Some of the building slab stays too. The plan puts picnic areas on those leftover slabs, adds a circular concrete walkway from the parking area around the troll, tops part of the old concrete around her with stabilized stone, and adds solar security lighting.
The sculpture is being looked after while this goes on. Township minutes from April 2026 thanked volunteers for helping with Creek Turn Park cleanup and repairs to Big Rusty. The same minutes say the county is helping the township open and close the site's gate. The county guide describes the current approach as a parking area off a dirt road with flat but loose, unmaintained pavement. Its listed location is near 1400 Route 38.
The Park Being Drawn Around Her
The project has two grants behind it. A township request for qualifications posted October 26, 2026, lists a $748,000 FY24 NJDEP Green Acres award for Phase I and $850,000 in FY26 federal Community Project Funding for Phase II. The township is now hiring a consultant to manage those grants.
The Phase I design runs from the parking area out to the creek. In the order a visitor would reach them:
- The Big Rusty loop. A circular walkway around the troll leads to picnic spots on the remaining building slab and to a quieter grassy area with a bench at the lower overlook.
- The pollinator habitat. A large concrete area will be sawcut, removed and replaced with pollinator plantings, bioretention, sculpted lawn mounds and interpretive signs.
- The Longview Picnic Area. A pavilion for outdoor education and events will have rusted metal roof elements chosen to match the site's industrial past. It will also have picnic tables, benches, grills, and a gently sloped play and event lawn shaped like a bowl.
- The Longview Overlook. A deck and bench will look out over the bend in the Rancocas Creek that gives the park its name.
- The Upper Bluff Loop and Creek Edge Trail. Both will be ADA-compliant stone paths with a maximum 5 percent slope. They will be laid out on site to keep tree removal low, and the Creek Edge Trail will reach the water by boardwalk.
The rusted roof and the kept factory walls follow the same idea. The plan treats the site's industrial history as part of the park's look. Behind the scenes, the township has begun a 10-year resource development plan for the property. It will identify non-native plants for removal and manage the land for recreation, fire and wildlife. The design names bamboo, winged euonymus, periwinkle, English ivy and honeysuckle vine as invasive plants to be replaced with native species.
The Creek Side of the Plan
From the water, Creek Turn Park becomes a landing. The design calls for a canoe and kayak tie-up at the existing gravel beach, linked to the boardwalk. The design report places it between Burlington County's Hainesport Landing at Walnut Avenue to the north and the Lumberton launch to the south. It also notes that the Rancocas Creek Watershed Water Trails map already marks Creek Turn as a future landing on the Rancocas State Park Bluewater Trail.
Today the site is reached from the existing Route 38 driveway. In a later phase, a new driveway and sidewalk from Bancroft Lane would bring cars, walkers and bicycles into the park. The Route 38 entrance would then be closed or kept for emergency access only. The county is also looking at a larger trail along the creek. In July 2026 it announced funding for a feasibility study of a possible Rancocas Creek Greenway segment of about 9 miles, from Rowan College at Burlington County to Historic Smithville Park. The route would pass through Hainesport.
Eighteen Other Trolls Lead Back to Route 38
Big Rusty's influence reaches well past the township line. Burlington County's Troll Trek exhibit has 19 troll sculptures made from recycled and natural materials, and the county says Big Rusty inspired it. Each artist or team selected received a $500 stipend for materials and installation. In March 2025 the county announced that the exhibit would continue indefinitely. In an October 28, 2026 county update, Commissioner Allison Eckel said:
"The trolls have been fantastic additions to Burlington County parks and downtowns, attracting visitors from across New Jersey and beyond."
Several of Big Rusty's successors are close to Hainesport. These are listed in the county's 2026 guide:
| Troll | Artist | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Melinda | Jennifer Hildebrand | Country Village Playground, 139 Stonebrook Dr., Lumberton |
| Bucket Head Bobby | Lowell Doerr | Near 61 Washington St., Mount Holly, close to the Rancocas Creek |
| Woody | Jason Brown | Rancocas Nature Center, 794 Rancocas Mt Holly Rd., Westampton, on the blue Deer Run Trail |
| Sally McScraps | Marc Tous, Fred Poinsett and Steven Thorpe | Elbo Park, Elbo Ln., Mt. Laurel |
| Flora | Carmen and Eduardo Jimenez | Between 6 and 10 S. Main St., Medford |
| Gracie, the Gardener | Norma and John Neimeister | Pennington Park community gardens, 801 Creek Rd., Delanco |
| Troll on a Stroll | KT Carney | Amico Island Park, 81 Norman Ave., Delran |
The last two in the table are the newest moves. In July 2026 the county announced that Gracie and the Delran troll had moved from Historic Smithville Park to Pennington Park and Amico Island Park. In the county's announcement, Deputy Director Eckel pointed out that the Rancocas Creek Greenway Trail links the two parks, and "visitors can walk or cycle the trail and see both statues."
Hainesport Is Also Chapter One of Dambo's Story
The county exhibit is one sequel to Big Rusty. Dambo's own series is another. His official project page lists Big Rusty as the first of ten trolls in "Way of the Bird King." The other nine stand in South Londonderry, Vermont; Germfask, Michigan; Victor, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and five places in Washington state, ending with Oscar the Bird King on Vashon Island. The ten trolls are connected by a story about Oscar's search for the Bird King. NJ.com reported in 2023 that the story begins in Hainesport, where the traveler meets Big Rusty before heading on to Lost Finn in Vermont. Dambo's poem for her describes a troll who eats trash and grows larger. The township's plan follows the same idea by keeping part of the old factory standing around her.
The township's own holiday event is close by. The Hainesport Tree Lighting is on the township calendar for Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. at 1401 Marne Highway.
Our family has watched Hainesport for decades, and a project like Creek Turn Park changes how the township looks from Route 38 and from the creek. If you own a home in Hainesport and want to know where it stands as the park comes together, Ray Moorhouse Real Estate Group can walk you through it. Start with our What's My Home Worth? review, and we'll talk through the numbers with you in person.
