Gabe:
The “Tunking Mill,” which reportedly takes its name from the sound it made, was probably the stamping mill and forge associated with Hampton Furnace. Boyer notes the earliest mention found of Hampton Furnace appeared in a 1795 deed between Clayton Earl and William Lane and John W. Godfrey, both of Philadelphia for a consideration of £4,000. The conveyance included “…all that Certain Furnace called Hampton Furance and also in all that Certain Sawmill known by the name of ‘Unknown Mill,’ together with a one-quarter interest in the “Skit Mill” and parcels of land attached….” The furnace passed to successive owners until Joseph Doran paid a tax on “…4900 of land and a forge with six fires” in 1812. Writing in his 1834 gazetteer, Gordon notes, “The Hampton Furnace and Forge at the head of Batsto River is now in ruins.” Boyer also states, “Mr. A.J. Rider, the present (1928) owner of a considerable part of the Hampton Furnace Tract, states that the forge and furnace were some distance apart and located on two different streams.”
The Tabernacle Township historical pamphlet, published in 1989, indicates the moniker as the “Tonging Mill” instead of the “Tunking Mill.” Then again, perhaps the Tabernacle Township Historical Society placed the marker in the wrong location, but I think I have identified the mill itself. Historical mapping suggests the forge and stamping mill stood further down the Batsto.
Best regards,
Jerseyman