hampton furnace

[nek]

Went out with specific coordinates in mind to test a new GPS, but forgot the instructions so I ended up wandering around most of the day. Anyhow, I stumbled upon the hampton furnace, I'd never realized it existed before.

Some large block, I'm not sure what this part of the structure was

A bit hard to see the whole thing due to the sun, but...

Also interesting was that the area surrounding the furnace was burnt, while the inside seems to have escaped. Looking around a bit, I also found this fire trench a few hundred yards away which seems to successfully have stopped the fire

I was a bit disappointed on site about not finding a cornerstone or anything dating it, but later found the furnace was established 1795 (and found, for that matter that it was a furnace)

All in all, another fun day out in the pine barrens

 

[Teegate]

That is a much more modern structure than the furnace operation. It was used as a cranberry warehouse. The fire was a controlled burn which they do every year there. You can see my "Then And Now" photo of it here from 1978 and 2002.

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/2163


Thanks for the posts and sorry for the slow approval of it.


Guy

 

[Kevinhooa]

Hampton

Yeah, Hampton is a pretty neat site. And not to had to get to if you don't have 4 wheel drive either. I'm not sure if you saw it, but there is a huge slag pile about 20 feet from the river and about 100 feet from the cranberry packing house. I missed it the first time I went, and it's almost colored like the pine needles so it's easy to miss. And just up the road towards the railroad tracks at the next bridge over Roberts Brook is some scattered slag, possibly from the nearby Forge, but I'm not certain about that. But the slag matches forge slag I've found before. And there's supposed to be a cemetery in the woods nearby but nothing remains of the all wooden headstones from what I've read. I think the combination of the foundations along with the huge field and river give this place such an unique feel compared to some of the other sites in the pines. It is truly a neat place. Nice post.

Kevin

 

[Teegate]

At one time there was some sort of bridge across the stream just up from the furnace site, but I never saw it. And right by the packing house there is a charcoal pit. It came to light when an animal dug a hole and a friend of mine happened to come by soon after and found it.

And as I have mentioned before, some of the cement remains of the "modern concrete contrivance" that Beck mentioned is still there in the woods along the road near the forge site.

Here it is when it was still there in the stream. The present bridge is in the location now. You can look under it and still see some of the concrete.

http://gallery.njpinebarrens.com/showphoto.php/photo/3780

Guy

 

[manumuskin]

Did you find the big chunk of slag where the furnace actually stood?It was down by the creek.all thats left of the furnace

 

[nek]

interesting info

@Guy: Interesting info, I didn't realize that it was a cranberry warehouse, in the pictures you showed I'm surprised how much it deteriorated in only 24 years.

@Kevin & manumuskin: I missed the pile of slag, although I did see bits laying around, I'll have to stop back next time I'm in the area and look for it.


I hadn't realized it was a controlled burn, it seemed like a pretty large area from what I saw. I'm fairly new to the area, are controlled burns a common thing in the pine barrens?

 

[dogg57]

Nice update

 

[MarkBNJ]

I hadn't realized it was a controlled burn, it seemed like a pretty large area from what I saw. I'm fairly new to the area, are controlled burns a common thing in the pine barrens?

We passed by there on Sunday, and came to the conclusion that it was a controlled burn based on the freshly plowed firebreak ditches.

 

[Teegate]

They do a controlled burn every year there.

Guy

 

[kayak karl]

where could i read about Hampton Furnace. am hiking with a few friends Saturday from Lower Forge to Batona Camp with a little detour to HF. i would like to read up on it, but am only finding short blurbs.
TY
KK&K

 

[Boyd]

Family Empire in Jersey Iron, The Richards Enterprises in the Pine Barrens
Aurthur D. Pierce
Rutgers University Press,1964
Chapter 2, "Three at Hampton", p168-182

I picked up a nice hard copy of this book at an antique store awhile ago, still haven't gotten around to reading it myself yet.