Ghost Town
Guide to the Ghost Towns of
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Treasures Ghost Town USA Column Index for New
Jersey |
New Jersey is loaded with
many interesting ghost town, near ghost towns and other historic locations
all worth looking into by followers of Ghost Town USA. Unlike most of the eastern states, New
Jersey’s ghost towns are well documented in a series of books. A large number of ghost towns are located in the
Pine Barrens, a forested area in the heart of the state. Many were lumbering centers or bog iron forge
communities. New Jersey’s rich history
dates back 350 or more years, and during that time many communities grew up,
lived long and productive lives, then faded into the
dusty recesses of history. With a history of settlement over 350 years, New
Jersey is rich in tiny towns and forgotten communities. A little research in the archives of the
Garden State should reveal a lot of interesting old towns. I have discovered a number of old iron
forge communities that subsisted on Bog Iron. There were also lumbering communities, and
many old taverns lined the roads between New York City and Philadelphia and
other cities. My several visits to New Jersey have been very
limited, and I have not had the opportunity to explore as much as I’d
like. If
you know of any ghost towns in the Garden State that are not listed here, or
know the current status of towns listed with little information, please
contact us at GTUSA. |
(AKA
- Howell Works, Monmouth Furnace, Williamsbridge Forge) |
Monmouth Co. |
This historic class C/F
bog iron forge community is now located within Allaire State Park. The town began as early as 1793, and
quickly grew to a population estimated from 4-500 people living in brick
homes. It peaked between 1834-1837,
and by 1850 had faded. It supplied
pipes for use in New York City. In the
early 1900's it was used as a Boy Scout camp, and in 1941, was given to New
Jersey for use as a living history museum. |
ASBURY PARK
|
Monmouth Co. |
Huh??? A city with
15,000 plus population listed??? YES! Not the entire town per se, but the seaside
resort area. Asbury Park was a major
resort area from the 1890s through the 1920s.
During the 1930s it began to fade, and through the middle and later
parts of the 20th Century it left its resort status behind. The
1960s were probably the last years with any semblance to “resortiness.” Today
what remains is a sad memory of its boom days. We visited in July 2007, and there were NO
PEOPLE on the beach or walking the formerly busy boardwalk. The main part of town still has a lot of
life, but in the seaside portion, many abandoned/unoccupied buildings still
lend a major ghostly air to this former booming seaside resort. ·
Latitude: 40.2203907 / 40° 13’ 13” N ·
Longitude: -74.0120817 / 74° 00’ 43” W |
ATSION
|
Burlington
Co. |
This 1770s era bog
iron forge community was located along the Mullica River in the Pine Barrens,
along US 206, nine miles north of Hammonton and 26 AIR miles southeast of
Camden. ·
Latitude: 39.7426177 / 39° 44’ 33” N ·
Longitude: -74.7259920 / 74° 43’ 34” W |
BAKER’S TAVERN (AKA
- Hancock House) |
Salem
Co. |
This old tavern/road
house is located at the town of Hancock’s Bridge, south of Wilmington,
Delaware, and about five miles south of Salem. Originally built in 1734, the tavern opened
in 1761 and was known as the Hancock House. The tavern lasted as late as l
870. It is a state monument. |
BATSTO
|
Burlington Co. |
Located in Wharton
State Forest, on SSH 542, nine miles east of Hammonton, this iron forge
village was founded in 1766. After the
Revolutionary War ended, brickyards, glassworks, a gristmill, iron forge and
sawmill helped Batsto’s population grow to about 1000. The charcoal-fired forges became
unprofitable, closing by 1848. In 1874
a fire destroyed half of the nearly abandoned town. In 1954, Wharton State Forest was
established, and Batsto was partially restored, and designated a State
Historic Site. This was our GHOST TOWN OF THE MONTH for Jan 2006. This is
one of the towns featured in my newest book, GHOST
TOWNS: Yesterday & TodayTM. |
CORYELL’S FERRY & TAVERN
|
Hunterdon
Co. |
The site of this ferry
and tavern are located along the Delaware River at Lambertville (NJ) and New
Hope (PA), 15 miles northwest of Trenton. Coryell's Ferry Tavern was located
where Lambertville is today, and the ferry crossed the river to what is now New
Hope, PA. The tavern opened in 1726, and the ferry opened in 1732. They operated until after the
Revolutionary War. Both Lambertville and New Hope (PA) are small, but active
communities. Thanks to Ed Margerum for clarifying this via
E-mail Aug 2005. |
|
Hudson
Co.* SEE NOTE
in text |
In Upper New York Bay at the mouth of the Hudson River, southwest of
the southern tip of Manhattan Island.
Access is by Ferry. Ellis
Island is a class C/F
location. In
1998, the US Supreme Court split Ellis Island between NJ and NY. This historic immigration station was an
extremely busy, self contained island community that served as one of the
busiest immigration stations in the country from 1892-1954. PHOTO! This was our Ghost Town of the Month for January/February 2009 |
FORT MOTT
|
Salem Co. |
Fort Mott is along the
Delaware River, in Fort Mott State Park just south of Wilmington, DE, at the
westernmost point of NJ. Built to
protect Philadelphia, the fort was built beginning in 1875. The first permanent troops were quartered
here 1897 (Battery I, 4th Artillery. The fort remained active until 1922,
when a caretaker detachment was stationed here. It was decommissioned at the
start of WWII when the guns were removed. |
HANOVER FURNACE |
Burlington
Co. |
Four miles east of
Brown Mills, which is on SSH 530 south of Ft. Dix. In the 1770s this was a busy iron forge
community with 200 homes and a population nearing 1000. Its furnaces produced many cannon balls and
cannon barrels used during the Revolutionary War. The furnaces were powered by
site-manufactured charcoal. |
OLD HALF WAY
|
Burlington
Co. |
Near Woodmansie
Station (which is shown on NJ 1991 map at N/9). It was dug up by clay miners from the Union
Clay Works, which was also a small clay mining town located nearby. |
ONG'S HAT
|
Burlington
Co. |
Four miles east of
Burrs Mill, then two miles northwest on Pemberton Road, at the western most point
of the Lebanon State Forest, deep in the heart of the Pine Barrens. A tavern was opened here around 1800. It is said to have been a wild place during
Prohibition, and the town was still operating as late as the 1930s. Only rubble remains. |
PAHQUARRY COPPER MINES
|
Warren Co. |
This early day copper
mining community was located in the northwestern part of the county,
northeast of Stroudsburg, PA. These
copper mines were the first commercial copper mines in the United States,
beginning operation as early as the 1640s by Dutch miners. The copper was excavated and processed on
site, and then shipped to Esopus, (now called Kingston, NY.), for refining. |
POINTVILLE
|
Burlington Co. |
“It is within Ft
Dix. The Army took the land in 1917
and the cemetery is still there within Ft Dix boundaries. There is an administrator charged with its
maintenance and state functions.” Contributed by ‘CBorsavage’, October 26 & November 30, 2010 |
QUAKER BRIDGE |
Burlington
Co. |
This old river
crossing is located in the center of the Wharton State Forest, four miles
from Atsion Furnace, on the old Tuckerton Road. A tavern was located here from 1809-1849. |
SEVEN STARS TAVERN |
Salem Co. |
A Revolutionary War
era tavern and roadhouse located between Swedesboro and Sharptown. |
SOOY PLACE
|
Burlington Co. |
Six miles
east-southeast of the junction of SH 70 and US 206, at a point 12 miles east
of Marlton. |
STERLING HILL ZINC MINE
|
Sussex Co. |
This old zinc mining
camp was founded by Dutch miners as early as the 1640s. The mine was worked off and on until 1913,
when the New Jersey Zinc Co. operated the site profitably for 70 years,
finally shutting down in early 1983.
During its peak, 500 miners worked this mine, which was the third
largest in the country, with shafts 2600 feet deep. The site is now a mining museum and is
located north of Ogdensburg, which is on SSH 517, four miles north of Sparta. |
TOPANEMUS
|
Monmouth Co. |
This old town was
founded by Scottish Quakers in 1685, and abandoned by the Revolutionary War,
with the citizens relocating to Freehold, which is to the southeast of the
old site. The tiny town was clustered
around the Quaker’s meetinghouse. Its exact location is not determined. |
UNION FORGE
|
Burlington Co. |
This iron forge community processed the iron ore smelted at the
Speedwell Furnace. It was located on
the White Horse Road out of Chatsworth, which is 32 AIR miles east-southeast
of Camden. The exact location is not
determined. |
YARDLEY’S FERRY & TAVERN
|
Hunterdon Co. |
Near Trenton. Yardley's Ferry and Tavern began operation
in 1729 and in 1794 relocated to the Township of Trenton. |
MORE INFORMATION
Historians estimate that there may be as many as
50,000 ghost towns scattered across the United States of America. Gary B.
Speck Publications is currently in process of publishing unique state,
regional, and county guides called The Ghost Town
Guru's Guide to the Ghost Towns of *** ™
These original guides are designed for anybody
interested in ghost towns. Whether you are a casual tourist looking for a new
and different place to visit, or a hard-core ghost town researcher, these
guides will be just right for you. With over 30 years of research behind
them, they will be a welcome addition to any ghost towner's library. Thank
you, and we'll see you out on the Ghost Town Trail! For
more information on the ghost towns of NEW JERSEY, contact us at Ghost
Town USA. E-mailers, PLEASE NOTE: Due
to the tremendous amount of viruses, worms and “spam,” out there, I no longer
open or respond to any e-mails with unsolicited attachments, OR messages on
the subject lines with “Hey”, “Hi”, “Need help”, “Help
Please”, “???”, or blank subject lines, etc. If you do send E-mail asking for
information, or sharing information, PLEASE
indicate the appropriate location AND
state name, or other topic on the “subject” line. THANK
YOU! :o) |
IMPORTANT These listings and historical vignettes of ghost
towns, near-ghost towns and other historical sites in NEW JERSEY above
are for informational purposes only, and should NOT be construed to grant permission to
trespass, metal detect, relic or treasure hunt at any of the listed sites. If the reader of this guide is a metal detector
user and plans to use this guide to locate sites for metal detecting or relic
hunting, it is the READER'S
responsibility to obtain written permission from the legal property owners.
Please be advised, that any state or nationally owned sites will probably be
off-limits to metal detector use. Also be aware of any federal, state or
local laws restricting the same. When you are exploring the ghost towns of NEW
JERSEY, please abide by the Ghost Towner's
Code of Ethics. |
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FIRST POSTED: December 27,
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