Any near Tuckerton?

Are there any ghost towns, or forggotten towns near Tuckerton? I don't need directions, just want to know if i might stumble across something in the area. I did find what i believe was a foundation of an old house somewhere near bass river, maybe about a mile down some trail. I don't remember where it was i'm gonna give a look see this weekend possibly. Thanks for the help..
 

tugwake

Scout
Sep 15, 2008
62
0
I'd like to know, as well

Hello everyone. I'm new here and we are moving to the LEHT area very soon. I have the Weird NJ books (and explored several places already) that have some information on this subject. I'll research it and post when I can but I'd like to know if anyone else has any good information on Ghost Towns and Forgotten Places in the area. In fact, anything helpful you all could tell me about LEHT and surrounding areas would be awesome!

I've been to Batsto Village and explored the Pine Barrens. I love it!

Nice to be a new member here. Thanks! :dance:

Star
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,618
1,873
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
You should take advantage of the historic maps section of the site.

Take a look at a map around your area, and look for any towns that show up that you don't recognize. Off the top of my head, I don't really think there's too many around Tuckerton since that area is pretty built up. You can visit Brookville, but that's not really a ghost town. Most of the hard-core ghost towns are in Wharton and Brendan Byrne State Forest.
 
Hello everyone. I'm new here and we are moving to the LEHT area very soon. I have the Weird NJ books (and explored several places already) that have some information on this subject. I'll research it and post when I can but I'd like to know if anyone else has any good information on Ghost Towns and Forgotten Places in the area. In fact, anything helpful you all could tell me about LEHT and surrounding areas would be awesome!

I've been to Batsto Village and explored the Pine Barrens. I love it!

Nice to be a new member here. Thanks! :dance:

Star

Star:

Welcome to the forums and congratulations on contemplating a soon move to LEHT—a beautiful spot, to be sure! Pull up a chair, sit a spell, and begin reading the many threads in these forums and you will learn a great deal about the Pine Barrens in particular and New Jersey in general. A word of caution, however. For seasoned veterans on these forums, a mention of Weird New Jersey (WNJ) elicits a certain response of distain and, perhaps, distrust. If you conduct a search of WNJ in the forums, you will gain a sense of why that is so and I will leave it to you to discern why.

As Ben suggests, investigate the historic maps section of this website and you will begin to see where you might locate cultural remnants of the past. If you are interested in aboriginal traces, the so-called Tuckerton shell midden might interest you. And don’t neglect visiting the Tuckerton Historical Society and the Tuckerton Seaport Museum as well as other local organizations. The Bass River Township Historical Society maintains a dynamite website chock-full of historical information. Pete Stemmer is a real asset to that organization!! But you will also learn much from the historical and anecdotal information that you find right here and we all owe Ben Ruset a deep debt of gratitude for putting this website together and maintaining it. BTW, that is pronounced like the potato species and not with a silent "T" as the French employ in their language.

So, enjoy your stay here and, again, welcome to the NJ Pine Barrens website and forums!

Best regards,
Jerseyman
 

tugwake

Scout
Sep 15, 2008
62
0
Thank you!

Ah, you guys are great. Thanks for the info and yes, I know WNJ is silly. I was given the book when I moved here and I noticed a lot of the entries are from kids. Still, the historical part is what I am interested in and you've given me some research to do! :) There is so much to see and do here. I adore it!

Thank you again and I am looking forward to all the wonderful information I can get on this forum. I'm very glad I found it. Nice, nice work!
 
My name is in the first book. I forwarded them a bit of info about the Jersey Devil many moons ago.

http://books.google.com/books?id=G8...4-KzQS3z6HEBw&sig=fpHAw9dI0sOY_4oEbjBRzK6f3gU

The last sentence, "mass hysteria was certainly gripping the area," was not in the article, but was an observation I made in the email I sent them. I don't know why they tacked it on the end.

Ben:

Although I did not actually look at it, I did observe at Borders bookstore two evenings ago that WNJ has a new book out dedicated solely to the Jersey Devil, so you might actually be in two books now!! I will review to work the next time I am in a bookstore!

Best regards,
Jerseyman
 

tugwake

Scout
Sep 15, 2008
62
0
My name is in the first book. I forwarded them a bit of info about the Jersey Devil many moons ago.

http://books.google.com/books?id=G8...4-KzQS3z6HEBw&sig=fpHAw9dI0sOY_4oEbjBRzK6f3gU

The last sentence, "mass hysteria was certainly gripping the area," was not in the article, but was an observation I made in the email I sent them. I don't know why they tacked it on the end.

Wow! That was very interesting. You should be proud and I like the "mass hysteria" line. It added a lot of flavor to the article. Nice!

Though the entire concept of WNJ is just silly, there are some stories that are quite believable and I have visited many of the places. It just happened to be the first book someone gave me on the area. The Jersey Devil is particularly interesting to me and I understand that next year marks 100 years and he will make his appearance. I hope I can hold my water if I see him! :D
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
Welcome aboard, Star. You won't find a better source of information, or a more respectful and helpful group of people to get it from.

I think the thing about Wierd New Jersey that gets me, and probably many of us, is the sensationalism. The things they cover are, for the most part, not wierd at all. What they are is interesting, meaningful to some, perhaps even astonishing in parts, but not wierd. Everytime I go out in the woods of northern or southern NJ and find something fascinating, it occurs to me that the carnival barkers of WNJ and their customers would put it in the same category as the two-headed farm animals in jars that were the staples of the county fair shock shows when I was a kid. It's sad. There's so much more to these sites.
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,618
1,873
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
WNJ serves a purpose. They do cover a lot of interesting local history. They do visit a lot of historic and quasi-historic places.

The problem with WNJ is that they tend to not filter out so much of the blatantly ridiculous stuff (aliens, nazi's, etc.) that tend to get lumped into their articles. So nearly every abandoned church becomes a "satanic church." Every abandoned cabin in the mountains becomes a "secret nazi hideout." Which, if you do any serious research and find out that it's true is fine to report, but if you don't, then it's just hearsay.
 

tugwake

Scout
Sep 15, 2008
62
0
Welcome aboard, Star. You won't find a better source of information, or a more respectful and helpful group of people to get it from.

I think the thing about Wierd New Jersey that gets me, and probably many of us, is the sensationalism. The things they cover are, for the most part, not wierd at all. What they are is interesting, meaningful to some, perhaps even astonishing in parts, but not wierd. Everytime I go out in the woods of northern or southern NJ and find something fascinating, it occurs to me that the carnival barkers of WNJ and their customers would put it in the same category as the two-headed farm animals in jars that were the staples of the county fair shock shows when I was a kid. It's sad. There's so much more to these sites.


Well, thank you very much, Mark. Like I told Ben and Jerseyman, you guys are great!

I moved up here from FloriDUH (little pun there) and was almost shocked at the hospitality I received from the locals welcoming me. I love New Jersey and I plan to call it home from now on. The people and the State is just precious. I love the natural environment so much and the fact that I can experience all four seasons. You all just put the sugar on the cookies!

Being Native American, myself, I've always been interested in any kind of lore or history. I found the WNJ book interesting but I have seen that is way overrated. But good for the authors. They are lining their pockets and have the general interest of the younger public. I liked your depiction of them. That was funny! You too, Ben!
Thanks again.
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,618
1,873
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
Well, WNJ is made up of a lot of articles submitted from other people. The articles by the Marks (Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman) are generally of higher caliber than a lot of the other ones printed in the magazine.

But, good for them. They're able to make a living doing what they love. I wish I could make a living reporting on the history of the Pine Barrens. Maybe some day. :)
 

Ben Ruset

Administrator
Site Administrator
Oct 12, 2004
7,618
1,873
Monmouth County
www.benruset.com
You're making history about living in the Pine Barrens now! That's close. ;)

I wish I lived in the Pine Barrens. I'm one town away from the generally accepted start of the Pines, which is Toms River. Brick Township, though, does have a lot of the same features of the Pines, mainly sandy soil and pitch pines - at least the spots that haven't been overdeveloped. :cry:
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
Being Native American, myself, I've always been interested in any kind of lore or history.

Wel, here's your first assignment :). Stop by Buzby's Store in the center of Chatsworth before 2:00 PM on most weekdays, introduce yourself to Marilyn Schmidt, and pick up a copy of George D. Fleming's "Brotherton," a history of the only reservation in New Jersey (at the location of what is now Indian Mills). It's a fascinating read that touches on many other topics of pine barrens lore.
 
Star, you should visit the Tuckerton Seaport (http://www.tuckertonseaport.org/). They have a lot of history on the area, a great maritime museum, and a re-created/restored seaport built along a boardwalk surrounding Tuckerton Creek. Often, docents are on site, carving a decoy or shucking clams. There are lots of great events and presentations that go on here, and a good seafood restaurant is right on site.

The Tuckerton Historical Society (http://www.tuckertonlehhs.org/index.php) has a museum about the Tuckerton-Little Egg Harbor area.

A bit further south, just across the County line in Port Republic is the site of a significant Revolutionary War Battle, The Battle of Chestnut Neck: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/county/atlantic/Pinelands/ChestnutNeck.htm.

While you're in Port Republic, call ahead first, but visit "Mayor Gary's Garage" (http://www.mayorgarysgarage.com/) . Gary Giberson is living on the same property as his ancestors did back in the 1600's. If anyone has stories of the coastal pinelands, he surely will. He's also a master decoy carver - one of the best in the country, if not THE best, and his wife teaches basket weaving - and makes homemade jams!

There's plenty of history in Tuckerton, "The Country's Third Port of Entry!
 

tugwake

Scout
Sep 15, 2008
62
0
Thank you!

Thank you, Cathy and Mark. All of that sounds just lovely and I will most definitely visit those places. I'm really excited about this area! Thanks for letting me know.

Ben, we lived in Monmouth County for a short time and decided to move just because of our explorations of the Pine Barrens. It's breathtaking! *sigh*
 

no1one

Scout
Nov 2, 2007
38
0
Does anybody know about any ghost towns in tuckerton, there is an area near the intersection of Green St and Thomas Ave where grid roads were cut and are now overgrown. It's visible on aerial views. It is described in this post: http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/showthread.php?t=4840&page=3

There's another "town" area that only shows up on maps just north of Freedom Fields near the weird colorful office building. There's a big tower inside this area and two dirt roads were cut and there are a few houses, but on old maps, it shows several blocks of a grid plan.

Does anybody know about these two "ghost towns"?
 
Top