Charleytown Tavern

[EastCoastMountaineer]

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and have found such a wealth of information here so far, it is an incredible resource. I am a native of Berkeley Township and have spent much of my life in Bayville; I've been residing in Burlington County for the past six years so I can be closer to work.

I am posting today to ask if anyone has an idea of where the Charleytown Tavern would have been located? I have been researching and cannot find it marked on any of the old maps and it is not mentioned in Boyer's Old Inns and Taverns as it is not in "West Jersey"; but given the narrative descriptions I've found online, I think I might have a decent guess as to where it was situated. I could be wrong though! Would anyone be able to verify where the Charleytown Tavern was located?

Thank you.

 

[Boyd]

Welcome to the site! During my younger (and wilder) years, I worked at Ocean County College and lived on Station Road in Bayville from 1972-1973 in a little farmhouse rented from an interesting old character named Larry Scillitani (or something like that )

Anyway - sorry, never heard of Charleytown Tavern but no doubt someone else here will be able to help.

 

[EastCoastMountaineer]

Welcome to the site! During my younger (and wilder) years, I worked at Ocean County College and lived on Station Road in Bayville from 1972-1973 in a little farmhouse rented from an interesting old character named Larry Scillitani (or something like that )

Anyway - sorry, never heard of Charleytown Tavern but no doubt someone else here will be able to help.

Thank you! I hear Bayville in the 70s was beautiful! I spent a lot of time in the woods just north of Station Road when I was a kid. My best friend's family moved into one of the newer developments from Veeder Lane in the (late?) 90s. We had some great times there, at Double Trouble, and all along and on the Barnegat Bay.

 

[Gibby]

I am certain that the Charleytown Tavern location has been discussed here in the past. I would have to search the forum but I think Ben brought up the location from a book he got from the historic society.

 

[Gibby]

taverns

quaker bridge was a busy little hamlet in the 1830's . it was located about 4 miles from astion furnace on the old tuckerton road in burlingtoncounty. a tavern was opened in 1809 and stayed opened as late as 1849. today all sighns of both the tavern and village are gone...

forums.njpinebarrens.com

 

[EastCoastMountaineer]

I am certain that the Charleytown Tavern location has been discussed here in the past. I would have to search the forum but I think Ben brought up the location from a book he got from the historic society.

I've searched but perhaps not thoroughly enough. The most specific description I've come across is that it was Between Dover Forge and Mule Road, on the south side of Mule Road, near Zeb,s Bridge. I'm trying to narrow down exactly where it would have been, not for any particular reason other than curiosity. I suspect it would be near near present day Miller Air Park. There are a couple of spots on Cook's atlas I think might be where it was situated.

Thanks for chiming in!

 

[Boyd]

I am certain that the Charleytown Tavern location has been discussed here in the past.

How about this?

charley town anyone ? am new here.

a perserve now but rich with history

forums.njpinebarrens.com

If I understand these, apparently this is the general location

https://boydsmaps.com/#15.00/39.939103/-74.281344/ustopo2023/0.00/0.00

across the street from miller air park ,along the power lines, near whiting,

sam,e side as the new extencion or mule road ,going south take the dirt road on the right after the industral road . go down the tyrail and you come right to it

 

[Boyd]

Here's another one, there may be more...

https://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/mystery-cemetary-dover-forge.675/#post-4991

The letter was from Dr. John Torrey, a botanist from Philly, to his collegue Zaccheus Collins in Philly, who was probably no direct relation to the Collins family in the area:

"Some places called Taverns that we put up at were not fit for an Arab. At a place called the Ten-Mile Hollow, or Hell Hollow, we expected to sleep in the woods, for it was with difficulty that we persuaded them to take us in. This was the most miserable place we ever saw, they were too poor to use candles. No butter, no sugar, etc. A little soup stuff which I believe they called rye bread, but which was half sawdust, and a little warm water and molasses were all we had for breakfast. For supper I could no see what we had for we ate in the dark."

This was referring to the Charleytown tavern in the area. The reference to "Hell Hollow" was an insult originating with Torrey--I haven't found it documented anywhere else. Apparantly, the botanist didn't know the difference between a jug tavern and an actual tavern and thought the former was used to house guests.

And this too...
[edit - this is the same post referenced above by @Gibby ]

https://forums.njpinebarrens.com/threads/taverns.640/#post-4657

Yeah, Miller's book is a nice book. A bit sketchy in some her citations, but otherwise quite useful. The tavern referenced at being near Ten Mile Hollow was the Charleytown Tavern:

"It stood on the south side of Mule Road near the Irish Branch and north of Dover Forge. The men from Dover Forge, Ferrago Forge, Zebulon Collins Saw Mill, Van Horn Saw Mill, and Webb's tar kiln were within two or three miles of the tavern. As teamsters traveled Mule Road from forge to forge and from the forges to the landings in Toms River, Cedar Creek, or Forked River, they had to pass the door of this tavern. Often they stopped long enough to fill up their jugs with Jersey Lightening from the local stills in the pines, then traveled on imbibing as they walked beside their wagons." (pg. 200)

There's a small sketch of the Charleytown tavern on the same page, although she doesn't reference the source.

 

[EastCoastMountaineer]

How about this?

charley town anyone ? am new here.

a perserve now but rich with history

forums.njpinebarrens.com

If I understand these, apparently this is the general location

https://boydsmaps.com/#15.00/39.939103/-74.281344/ustopo2023/0.00/0.00

Thanks Boyd! I had not seen Alfonso's comments before. I was placing it to the left of Pinewald-Keswick Rd, North of the airport runway.