Red Lion, New Jersey
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Looking north along Eayrestown Road approaching Red Lion Road in the center of Red Lion
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  Red Lion Location of Red Lion in Burlington County (Inset: Location of county within the state of New Jersey) Show map of Burlington County, New Jersey Red Lion Red Lion (New Jersey) Show map of New Jersey Red Lion Red Lion (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates: 39°53′22″N 74°44′41″W / 39.88944°N 74.74472°W / 39.88944; -74.74472 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Burlington |
| Township | Southampton |
| Elevation | 62 ft (19 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 879636[1] |
Red Lion is an unincorporated community located within Southampton TownshipinBurlington County, in the U.S. stateofNew Jersey.[2]
Red Lion is home to the Red Lion Inn, a diner, and a few houses, all located near the Red Lion Circle, within the New Jersey Pine Barrens.[3][4]
The name, Red Lion, comes from a story about one of the original settlers, a man by the name of Parks, who battled a mountain lion. The lion's coat turned red from its own blood.[5] Mountain lion and black bear were common in the area before being hunted to extinction.
The original settlers were people by the name of Parks. No one seems to know from where they came nor exactly when. It was long before the present inhabitants can remember, but the story of how the town was named has been handed down from the Parks, father to son, for several generations. About half a mile from the settlement is what is known as the Bear Swamp. (Editor's Comment: Bear Swamp is a part of the current Red Lion Preserve, 827 acres dedicated to passive recreation and located on Hawkin Road, just south of Red Lion Circle. Oversight of the preserve is in the hands of the New Jersey Natural Lands Trust – JL) Bear were plentiful once through this locality and were hunted, in season and out of season, by earlier inhabitants. This town, before it had any definite name, was supposed to be a base for such hunters. They used the settlement at the crossroads as a sort of headquarters for their expeditions. Here at the intersection of the winding trails that lead to Tabernacle, Beaverville, Vincentown, Friendship and Medford, the hunters gathered in those long-ago days to take vengeance on the wild animals that were nightly attacking their cattle. But on this occasion the huntsmen failed to find even a bear. However, after the "posse" departed, the same conditions prevailed and Old Man Parks resolved to do a little hunting by himself. He thought he was going out in search of a bear. Actually he was to meet a lion and get a name for his home town. He came upon it one day, a mountain lion, crouched at the edge of a cedar swamp. Parks shot at the lion and wounded it. Then his gun failed. He was compelled to grapple with the animal hand-to-hand. He clubbed at its head and it clawed at him. Blood flowed freely. The yellow beast, covered with gore, seemed to turn red, as it expired. Parks finally brought his kill to town and the town became Red Lion.
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