Peace Pilgrim Park Regains Its Revered Statue

The weather and peaceful energy could not have been more perfect on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025 — the International Day of Peace — when dozens gathered in southern New Jersey’s Peace Pilgrim Park to celebrate the dedication of a new Peace Pilgrim statue.

The original terra cotta statue created by artist Sally McInerny was erected in the park in 2002, but was damaged when a branch fell from a nearby pine tree during a storm. The statue was repaired and reinstalled, yet its integrity was weakened at the ankles. The statue remained in place for several years but was again damaged when it toppled over in a windstorm. The second storm rendered the statue irreparable.

Egg Harbor City Mayor Lisa Jiampetti welcomed everyone to the rededication ceremony. Councilwoman Nanette Galloway, also a long time Friend of Peace Pilgrim, offered acknowledgements to the many people involved in making the new statue a reality. Nanette was instrumental in helping the city secure funding from the Leek Family Foundation to get the statue recast. Pieces of the original statue were transported by FoPP board member Bruce Nichols to the Green Foundry in Maine where it was recast in bronze and coated with a French brown patina. He transported the new statue to Egg Harbor City, where it was reinstalled by art installer Jim Dessicino, who grew up in the city, with the assistance of the local Department of Public Works.

The Rev. Jeannie Collins set the tone for the gathering with a beautiful prayer for peace, and Bruce tied Peace Pilgrim’s message of peace to her wonderful upbringing in Egg Harbor City. Following the unveiling and delicious refreshments, Peace Pilgrim’s nephew Dale Young offered a spontaneous and well-appreciated poem.

HISTORY OF THE PARK

Nanette explained that in 2001, the city’s Historical Society embarked on creating a monument to Peace Pilgrim, who grew up in Egg Harbor City and was valedictorian of Egg Harbor High School Class of 1926. They chose the former site of Dr. Smith’s Neutral Water Health Resort Sanitarium with its famous healing serpentine creek, which remains on the National Register of Historic Places.

When Nanette, a journalist, covered the story for the Egg Harbor News, she quoted then-Society President Sandy Weber as saying: “It is a wonderful idea to erect a statue of someone who has touched so many lives. Many people don’t know about Peace Pilgrim, but it’s our job to educate the public and honor someone from the community who has done so much to promote peace.”

The original statue was inspired by pictures of Peace Pilgrim walking along a highway and was cast at a foundry in Ohio, said Nanette. The rest of the money to pay for the statue was raised and the city tapped the Atlantic County Open Space and Recreation grant program to pay for the improvements to the park, including the sidewalk and platform, she said. She noted that children of the Egg Harbor City schools made the tiles surrounding the base of the statue.  

Sculptor Sally McInerny was integral to the journey of the old and new statues:

Some photos from the celebration:

Comments by Friends of Peace Pilgrim Board Member Bruce Nichols:

Poem by Dale Young, Peace Pilgrim’s nephew: