12 Interesting Facts About New Jersey’s Hidden Industrial Time Capsule

Iron Town Called Batsto Village

Batsto Village sits in the middle of New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, founded by Charles Read in 1766. The village has since taken advantage of natural resources like the bog iron from streams, pine trees for charcoal, and the powerful Batsto River.

The village played a key role during the American Revolution by making cannonballs, cooking pots, and iron parts for ships.

Today, you can explore more than 40 original buildings at this historic site in Wharton State Forest, including the mansion, gristmill, sawmill, and general store.

A Prehistoric Lake Created the Perfect Spot for Batsto

A huge lake once covered this part of New Jersey about 10,000 years ago, spreading across what would become the Pine Barrens. This ancient lake left behind iron-rich deposits that would later make Batsto’s iron production possible.

The lake’s presence changed the land entirely. It created streams full of iron that would power the village’s furnace, and it left behind a special type of white quartz sand (spodosols) that makes the Pine Barrens unique.

The Village Made Its Own Money

Life in Batsto Village worked differently from other towns because it had an independent money system in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The use of scrip helped the village maintain a self-sufficient economy.

Workers got paid in this special currency, which came in different amounts from 5 cents to 5 dollars. They could use this money to buy everything they needed at the village store, from food and clothes to tools for their homes.

They Had an Advanced Water System

The village employed a hydraulic ram, an underground device powered by water flow from Batsto Lake, to pump water to storage tanks in the mansion and piggery without the need for electricity. ​

The gristmill, built in 1828, originally operated with a wooden water wheel, which was replaced in 1882 with a more efficient water turbine. The Batsto River was dammed to create a water source for powering the ironworks.

The Mansion Had Modern Features

Constructed in 1785 and later renovated under John Wharton in 1856, this private mansion originally was a 32-room residence for William Richards. It had an early version of an intercom system, with 14 metal tubes connecting different rooms.

The roof was designed to collect rain in a huge 2,000-gallon tank under the house. Today, only fourteen rooms of the mansion, including the parlors, dining room, library, and bedrooms, are currently open to the public for tours.

Iron Furnace in the Revolution

Every day, workers had to keep the furnace at exactly 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit to make good iron for the Continental Army during the war. In October 1778, British forces planned a raid on Batsto Iron Works to disrupt its supply of materials.

However, Count Casimir Pulaski’s Legion intervened, preventing the attack. In 1829, the Batsto furnace was rebuilt, enhancing its capacity to produce pig iron, cast-iron water pipes, and firebacks.

America’s Oldest Running Post Office

The village post office has been handling mail continuously since 1852, with Jesse Richards as the first postmaster. People used to collect its special six-sided postmark because it was so unique.

Today, it operates as a rural station for Hammonton, New Jersey. When you visit, you’ll see the original equipment from the 1800s, including brass mailboxes, sorting tables, and even the postmaster’s desk from 1858.​

Glass Blowing Became a Trend

Beyond iron, Batsto Village ventured into glassmaking in the mid-19th century. The Richards family, who owned Batsto Iron Works for 92 years later established a glassmaking factory in 1846.

The factory utilized the “cylinder sheet method” for making window panes, leveraging sand, lime, and wood from the Pine Barrens. In 1852, Batsto’s glass factory contributed to lighting Camden with lamp lights made from their manufactured glass.

Tunnels Connect the Village

Below Batsto’s streets, you’ll find a network of brick tunnels connecting important buildings. Sources suggest these tunnels may have been used for transporting iron goods.

The tunnels include special rooms with just the right temperature for storing glass items and food. Many tunnels have beautiful brick arches and stonework that show how skilled the village’s builders were in the 1800s.

The Village School Taught Kids

In 1828, Batsto built a one-room schoolhouse from local bricks to teach both village children and kids from nearby areas. Large windows let in plenty of light for reading and writing.

The school adopted peer teaching where older students helped teach younger ones. You can still find the original schoolbooks, writing slates, and the old stove that kept everyone warm in winter.

The school was operational until the mid-20th century.

People Still Live in Batsto

Most old industrial villages turned into ghost towns when their factories closed, but Batsto was different. The village was purchased by the state of New Jersey in the late 1950s so people kept living here right up until 1989.

Many of the original workers’ houses were maintained by families who had lived there for generations. The village is now recognized as a historic site for its well-preserved structures, which include over 40 original buildings.

Prominent Relics From the Past

The village’s blacksmith and wheelwright shop are examples of metal craftsmanship: shoeing horses and mules, repairing farming tools, and repairing wheels for carriages and wagons.

The village’s sawmill, constructed during Joseph Wharton’s ownership in the late 19th century, helped process timber. Even the 1828 gristmill, was an essential facility for grinding grain into flour, serving both the local community and surrounding areas.

Carefully Managing the Forest

The village had a smart way of taking care of their forests starting in 1786. They divided 100 square miles of woodland into 25 parts and only cut trees in one part every 25 years to make charcoal.

This careful planning meant each section of forest had time to grow back again. Today, the village is part of Wharton State Forest, a protected area that encompasses vast expanses of the Pine Barrens.