Amatol

[stizkidz]

Anyone know anything about Amatol in Hammonton?
Cause now im curious...
Here's the story: A few weeks ago my friend took me to what he called an abandoned state police barracks in Hammonton (mizpah). It was a huge building off the white horse pike that resembled an old courthouse. On the property was also a motorpool garage and a lounge type building out back. In the very front of the property is a new building and a sign indicating it is now a "police forensics lab". I was recently talking to my "lifelong south jersey resident" grandfather about belcoville and he mentioned this place i just described. He called it Amatol and said that it used to be a munitions complex like belcoville. He particularly noted that he used to race cars at a racetrack there in the 40's in believe. Anyway, I saw Amatol in a book yesterday so I am looking for information on this site.

-Ben

 

[stizkidz]

i was researching this town further and i came accross some very informative sites about amatol.

it is amazing to think that this town was constructed in 1918 and was located so very close to "civilization". however, this town has all but dissapeared back to the woods now. the only remaining building can be seen on route 30 and was recently used as a state police barracks (i have visited this site myself). like i said before, it was used as the "Atlantic City Raceway" in the twenties and my grandfather remembers going there after it closed down.
i plan on visiting the other little remains of this town soon...
here are some great links:
http://library.atlantic.edu/amatol/amatol-home.html
and
http://apnostalgia.crosswinds.net/amatol.html

-Ben

 

[Ben Ruset]

Thanks. I've been meaning to go down there and check it out myself.

 

[JeffD]

Here's a little information from the ghost town link I have in my Old Railroad favorites. It may or may not have information you already posted, Ben, but it is succint and gives a location.

http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/nj/amatol,nj(mullicatownship,nj).html

Also, I think the New Jersey Central Railroad may have served Amatol. I followed the JCRR, starting on the west side of where the tracks cross route 206 in Atsion in my quest to find the ghost town of Parkdale (I think that's what it was). The Amotol company town was said to have been built two the ammunitions plant, which was built four miles east of Hammonton. I followed the tracks a few miles in from route 206 and found some old bricks and pieces of concrete. I wonder if that had anything to do with Amatol?

Notice, in the below link, a reference to Hammonton Pike just left (west) of Parkdale. If you scroll right until you get to Atsion, you'll see that following the tracks west from route 206, first come Atsion, then Parkdale, and then Hammonton Pike. As you'll see, it's not that great a distance.

http://raildata.railfan.net/cnj/cnj_pg30.html

 

[JeffD]

Also notice, a few miles futher along the old JCRR, is Winslow Junction, which is very close to Hammonton, as the tracks go southwest from Parkdale (cursor to the right edge of the page).

http://raildata.railfan.net/cnj/cnj_pg31.html

 

[stizkidz]

winslow junction is a pretty neat place itself. if you have ever been there, you know what i mean... next time i go there, i am definitely going into that little switch building!

-Ben

 

[Teegate]

Jeff,

Where he is talking about is much closer to the White Horse Pike and is not near Parkdale. By near I mean not within 5 or so miles.

 

[stizkidz]

amatol and the speedway are closer to moss mill rd than to rt 30.

 

[JeffD]

You've peaked my interest in Winslow Junction, Upper Case(to distinquish from our beloved webmaster) Ben. And there is a little switch building. Hummmmm....

Looking at an MSN map, I guess that Amatol not just east of Hammonton but south (or maybe north). Moss Mill Road doesn't seem to be four miles due east of Hammonton. I was just going to toggle back to look at the map, and then suddenly a damn pop up ad came on as I was studing the map and after I zapped the damn pop up ad the map was gone. I'm glad you don't have damn pop up ads on this site, lower case Ben. They are extremely annoying and should be plunishable by torture! (Talk about the punishment fitting the crime).

I thought Parkdale was probably on the outskirts of Amatol. If the town two miles away (I don't know in what direction) from the munications plant, then maybe that would bring Parkdale within just a few miles of that town. In any case, Parkdale isn't very far from Amatol, and it was a town within striking range of the JCRR.

It looks like the sun is making a cameo appearance today, and maybe I'll visit Winslow Junction. This is where the Blue Comet must have made the turn to go to Atlantic City, while the other route ended up around Vineland. This is more grist for my mill as I'm contemplating writing another article about the JCRR.

 

[BarryC]

Hi Ben,
I live about 5 or 6 miles East of there. I've always wanted to find some kind of ruins of Amatol, but have not really looked since most of the property along Moss Mill Road is posted private property. The only thing I've seen is the old State Police Barracks on 30. And I've seen the speedway oval on the topographical map, but have not gone into the woods to see the real thing, because, as I say, it's private property. I'm always leary about trespassing.
Belcoville, which is Southeast of Mays Landing, was also built in 1918 and was the same deal as Amatol, a town built around a WW I shell loading plant.
Barry

i was researching this town further and i came accross some very informative sites about amatol.

it is amazing to think that this town was constructed in 1918 and was located so very close to "civilization". however, this town has all but dissapeared back to the woods now. the only remaining building can be seen on route 30 and was recently used as a state police barracks (i have visited this site myself). like i said before, it was used as the "Atlantic City Raceway" in the twenties and my grandfather remembers going there after it closed down.
i plan on visiting the other little remains of this town soon...
here are some great links:
http://library.atlantic.edu/amatol/amatol-home.html
and
http://apnostalgia.crosswinds.net/amatol.html

-Ben