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Personally, I relish the anonymity. Spotty cell phone coverage means that I’m not fettered to a cell phone, a rare treat today. Our house is on the wrong side of the tracks, so we are the last place along an extended, circuitous utilities leg. The electricity goes out once a month on average...

I invited Pinelands Paddler to meet with some old friends from Hamilton Township Historical Society (Carl Farrell, Elmer Ripley). We made a photocopy from an 1891 redrawing of the 1867 Wright survey in an effort to track down possible locations of Green Tree and Sailor Boy Taverns. Below are...

During the 1960s our family business, Richland Grain Company, was the economic hub for Richland, a racially mixed Pinelands community. We were all greatly saddened by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in April 1968, and my father wanted to show our solidarity with black members of...

I had heard the Water Quality Management Plan (WQMP) was in tatters. While the WQMP was a good thing for the rest of the State, in its last iteration it would have designated all 47 Pinelands Villages as priority investment sewer zones. The Pinelands Commission staff pushed hard for its...

I reviewed the Hopkins map, and saw the watercourse adjacent to Newton Creek was Negro Creek. Is it possible that Newtown was a black hamlet, hence its obscurity? The nearby charcoal hamlet of Carmantown had at least two locations, one in Laureldale and one about a mile west of the McKee City...

I believe ironmaster Stephen Colwell of Weymouth Frurnace fame had a penchant for gambling, and built a horse track next to his mansion (here?): http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.5133452136442&lng=-74.78069670471189&z=16&type=nj1930&gpx= Also Cavoli's laid out a track next to their...

Here are All Ballangee references in Brief of Title of Lands Belonging to the Weymouth Farm and Agricultural Company. 1748 Evi Ballangee has one survey of 50 acres in what later becomes the Weymouth Tract. noted in survey dated 9th June, A.D. 1748; inspected and approved 4th August, A.D. 1748...

Gabe, There is a sale reference in New Jersey Archives, Vol. XXV-First Series that might provide a clue: To be sold. A valuable tract of land, in Great Egg Harbour Township, Gloucester county containing 75 acres, most part bears a large burthen of fresh grass, and has been mowed many years...

Bob, I think that's the man-made ditch I referenced in the LiDAR image that turns toward the upper depression by the road intersection. S-M

I've noticed that many Pinelands streams once began in natural bowl-shaped depressions, but as groundwater drops the original "heads" are abandoned. It is not unusual for farmers to excavate older sites for irrigation purposes to keep up with regional groundwater loss. Let's look upgradient...

I too have over the last couple winters seen bats during warm spells. They like to cruise along the Cape May Branch right-of-way between Richland and Milmay, my favorite clear-my-head trek. There are no structures within a couple miles, so either the bats live in tree cavities or they travel...

AMF, here's where the similarity ends. Permian wedges are earthquake related, if memory serves me. Pine Barrens sand wedges are the result of frost cracking – cryodessication and/or thermal-contraction. The latter type have distinct primary infill laminations that, as far as I know, can only be...

Pineywoman, I am delighted to see the Manumuskin Preserve included at the #2 position in the Y-list! Its remarkable biodiversity is related to the Preserve's remarkable geodiversity. The location is a good example of a Pleistocene dune field. Attached is a copy of a poster I just presented at...

Cathleen, I am excited to hear from a family member! Uncle Jenk Evans did pass away in the '60s. You are referring to his namesake, Jenkin Snell, oldest son of Evard. He was a nephew of Ole' Jenk. Myrtle was his mother. The family kindly allowed me to copy photos, which I will forward if you...

My favorite account of Mannington Meadow is about the Hackett mastodon, which is the centerpiece of the Rutgers Geology Museum in New Brunswick. It was discovered in 1869 in a series of spungs formed in windblown silt called loess that blew off the Ice Age Delaware River floodplain. Two...

We can do so much more than turn the Villages into shopping malls. I'm happy to see Archie (Richland General Store) interviewed in Legendary Locals of the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. It's been an important cultural resource for our community since 1908...

The NJDOT Rail Freight Assistance Program just granted $1,502,577 to the New Jersey Seashore Lines (9-26-13) to improve the CNJ route, which is owned by the same person who operates the intermittent tourist train at Richland Village. I would wholeheartedly support his projects if it could be...

Actually, this issue is reminiscent of the “railroad-themed” Richland Village concept. To be Smart Growth Centers of Place in the State Development and Redevelopment Plan, transportation is key. NJ Transit gave up rights to rail passenger service on the Cape May and Jersey Central Branches in...

Buena Vista officials continue effort to end investment in railroad-themed project http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/atlantic/buena-vista-officials-continue-effort-to-end-investment-in-railroad/article_c55eb388-5650-11e3-a57b-001a4bcf887a.html The Pinelands Commission’s Smart...

RR, I miss the time when there were few “No Trespassing” signs to be found in the Pine Barrens. It was the norm to hunt, pick mushrooms, gather spring greens, snag herring, and cut smoke-hickory on any land. Even today I refuse to post my property, even though the Township repeatedly...