Hampton Gate Hotel

[Jerseyman]

Folks:

If you read through the old Road Return books at the county clerk's office, you'll find that people's "gates" to their property served as regular landmarks. The designated surveyors would identify these gates within their written description of a road return and they would be labeled on the attached survey map. I suspect "Hampton Gate" appears in such a Burlington County road return.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Jerseyman! Thanks for chiming in, my friend. OK, I'm no longer running with my hypothesis.



Some research is in order!

 

[Teegate]

Folks:

If you read through the old Road Return books at the county clerk's office, you'll find that people's "gates" to their property served as regular landmarks. The designated surveyors would identify these gates within their written description of a road return and they would be labeled on the attached survey map. I suspect "Hampton Gate" appears in such a Burlington County road return.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

So Jerseyman, if you had to guess what do you think gate means in regards to Hampton Gate? I had always guessed a wooden or steel gate. I never even thought of a sluice gate but I really should have.

I would think if it was a sluice gate and it was at the bridge, there would be considerable evidence of former water storage above the road. I don't see that.

 

[Beach&Barrens]

Well, yes, “publish” as in offer to see if Ben wants to host it here. I only get to work on it in my limited spare time so to might take a bit.



According to Family Empire in Jersey Iron 1964, Pierce said the "gate" in Hampton Gate refers to a physical gate that existed at the end of the access road to Hampton. He states that Hampton was about a half a mile south of the gate. So, looking at the historical Cook map, it is my assumption that the gate was here, at the intersection with Carranza Rd:

NJPineBarrens Maps

You will note that road no longer exists today and access to Hampton is now provided by Glossy Spung/Hampton Rd, a bit to the southeast.

That would be interesting to read about. Hope you publish it.

 

[Jerseyman]

So Jerseyman, if you had to guess what do you think gate means in regards to Hampton Gate? I had always guessed a wooden or steel gate. I never even thought of a sluice gate but I really should have.

I would think if it was a sluice gate and it was at the bridge, there would be considerable evidence of former water storage above the road. I don't see that.

I would think it is a wooden gate that "guarded" the entrance road to Hampton. I don't believe it is a sluice gate, although anything is possible. PP is hot on the trail; let's see what his research reveals.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[stiltzkin]

And if anyone is interested the next time you are at the Hampton Gate bridge look over the edge and you will see the RW58a stone for the Rider Wilkinson Clayberger Goodrich property. Don't look for the other one because the stones are underground.

Found it while taking some other pictures nearby.

It actually sort of looks like two different types of stone - is that just a natural inclusion?

 

[Teegate]

I don't really know.

 

[Teegate]

BTW everyone,

I am still working on the hotel. I just have not gone back there to measure and look it over more. But there are some things to consider. I have a copy of a map drawn around 1798 showing the area when the Ashbridge's owned the Hampton property. And in what MIGHT be the same location as Hampton Gate it shows the home of Elliot Newman. Now I am uncertain if it is the same location since I don't know the true boundary of the property back then. However, since I doubt if anyone knows if the Hampton Gate Hotel was built to be a hotel, there is a chance that the Newman home may have been converted into the hotel. So we may have the same location for both structures.

Again, I am uncertain but will work on this. In the mean time, here is a little tease showing Elliot Newmans home. The round circle which is shown in the stream actually is on the other side of the stream from Newmans home and that is mentioned on the map. Nothing is mentioned at all on the map about Hampton Gate or the Tuckerton road. All I know is Elliot Newman lived about half way along the stream between Hampton and Moores Meadow as far as I can tell. That puts it around Hampton Gate.

 

[ecampbell]

BTW everyone,

I am still working on the hotel. I just have not gone back there to measure and look it over more. But there are some things to consider. I have a copy of a map drawn around 1798 showing the area when the Ashbridge's owned the Hampton property. And in what MIGHT be the same location as Hampton Gate it shows the home of Elliot Newman. Now I am uncertain if it is the same location since I don't know the true boundary of the property back then. However, since I doubt if anyone knows if the Hampton Gate Hotel was built to be a hotel, there is a chance that the Newman home may have been converted into the hotel. So we may have the same location for both structures.

Again, I am uncertain but will work on this. In the mean time, here is a little tease showing Elliot Newmans home. The round circle which is shown in the stream actually is on the other side of the stream from Newmans home and that is mentioned on the map. Nothing is mentioned at all on the map about Hampton Gate or the Tuckerton road. All I know is Elliot Newman lived about half way along the stream between Hampton and Moores Meadow as far as I can tell. That puts it around Hampton Gate.

View attachment 18776

Can you post a wider map of the area for a better idea of where it was?

 

[Teegate]

I will hold off on posting anything until I can look into this more.

 

[stiltzkin]

If Boyd would just add those 1776 I/R aerials to his site we'd have this all figured out by now

 

[Teegate]

I went back today and measured the one remaining wall. It is 31 feet long. And from the closest wall to the stream or river it is 100 feet. It the building was 31 x 31 the closest wall would be 70 feet from the river.

I also found this terracotta cap or whatever. This may date the ruins and maybe not. It appears to be 8 sided, maybe 6, and it is about 12 inches across if it was complete. I am going to go back one day and bring it home for better measuring and then return it.


I am in the process of contacting individuals to ask for help in determining what I found. I have some time off in the future and will hopefully be able to learn more then when I have more time.

Anyway, here is the terracotta.

 

[Teegate]

I like to believe I have found the stone shown in this map posted previously as well.

The map above says the stone is on the edge of the water course on the opposite side of the stream from Elliot Newman's house. For various reasons I believe the stream has changed course and the stone is now in the stream. This photo shows the bottom portion of the stone in the ground and the top portion broken off and laying next to it. The shape matched when I put them together. It may be years before I can come to a firm conclusion if the Elliot Newman house was the Hampton Gate Hotel or not. In any event, me finding the stone where I believe now the map depicts makes me think I am correct.

 

[stiltzkin]

Did you ever find out anything further about the piece of terracotta you found in your previous post?

 

[Teegate]

Did you ever find out anything further about the piece of terracotta you found in your previous post?

Nothing that is definative.

 

[jokerman]

I tended to think that the "Gate" referenced a dam gate but that is not based on anything other than my hunch.