Philadelphians have been frustrated by Facebook’s “Near Camden, NJ”, as long as the automatic geolocation of posts has been around. Recently, it’s made several, local news headlines. I mean, it’s definitely something that has irked me. While the statement is true, no true Philadelphian posting from Center City wants to be reduced down to another urban locale with a sordid reputation, across a major river and in entirely different state.

However, a recent discovery made by University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology might throw everything we know about Center City Philadelphia into complete disarray and its impact goes well-beyond even Facebook, possibly to Instagram as well. A map, indicating the boundaries of Camden, NJ extending well-into Philadelphia, just short of what’s known today as 30th Street Station has been discovered in the Queen Village neighborhood.

I spoke with Professor of History, Lana Q. Farnsworth from the Penn Museum about her discovery. She tells me it was made at a joint excavation between the water department, PGW and Penn Museum. The two municipal departments were attempting to work on ever-present gas and water main problems, while the museum was taking an opportunity to excavate an old Dutch settlement. Amongst the rubble, with typical findings of pottery and human remains, was an iron lockbox—perhaps a time capsule—which contained a surprisingly well-preserved map.

In the map (featured in this post), it’s clear to see that the boundary of Camden, New Jersey extends across the Delaware River and stops at the Schuylkill. “In fact, the entirety of Center City, everything from Spring Garden St. to Bainbridge St., river to river is pretty much part of New Jersey. I don’t know how we missed this.”, explained Professor Farnsworth. “The implications of these findings are monumental and exponential.” she continued. “Either way, Facebook is actually more correct than we give it credit for. We’re not just NEAR Camden, NJ; we ARE Camden, NJ.”

When I first heard about this discovery, I reached out to local author and co-founder of Geekadelphia, Eric Smith. “We’re part of what?!” he asked, shocked. I went on further to explain that it seems he never did manage to move out of New Jersey, considering his residence in Rittenhouse Square. He declined to comment further until his Gchat icon turned yellow with sickness.

The impact of this discovery is likely to change the entire course of all municipal organizations. It’s reported that the Delaware River Port Authority is already attempting to calculate the refund of decades’ worth of toll fees. Meanwhile the Philadelphia Parking Authority and the Office of Mayor Michael Nutter are allegedly making plans to send bills to all drivers who benefitted from “Free Center City Parking Wednesdays After 5” on behalf of Camden. A representative from the PPA states, “Looking back, I guess it wasn’t our call to give away free parking on land we didn’t even have authority over. Woops.” The representative continued, “The complicating aspect about this is the fact that most people would feed the meters when the parking was free anyway. So now, we have to assess the total from the past few years and write a check to Camden.”

What further complicates this situation is the current tax structure and boundary lines of voting wards. According to city officials, Christopher Wink of Technically Philly might be the only person in the city who actually knows what the Philadelphia Wards are, how many there are, and their boundaries. I sat down with Wink at 3rd & Arch Sts., in Camden’s newest Starbucks. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he said, “All these years people still kept making fun of Fishtown, but I’m still in Philly. Who’s laughing now?”

I had no answer for that question. I returned with another question, “Where we’re currently seated…is this technically Philly?” Wink shook his head to express “no” that in one motion answered my question, expressed his disapproval for my unfortunate pun and shared his sentiment regarding this historical discovery.