One mother of an ore pond and something else?

[woodjin]

Awesome stuff, Jeff. A great mystery indeed. I am eager to get back there when the bugs die off and the foliage clears up. One thing to consider is that the spot along the river where you found the slag could have been sumberged for some time under the lake that once served lower forge. Just to put some perspective on the timeline we are dealing with. How close were the timbers to the slag? How closer were the pits? Also, did you perchance grab a piece of slag as a souvenir?

I have not seen a map depicting the forge pond for lower forge, but I would be surprised if it extented that far upstream. The timber in the water was about 15-20 feet upstream from the slag. The pits were on the western shore directly across from the slag, and then one slightly upstream, and one slightly down stream. But in close proximity. I didn't collect a souvenir.

I want to follow the cord road to the batsto to see if there is any evidence of a landing there.

Jeff

 

[pinelandpaddler]

I have not seen a map depicting the forge pond for lower forge, but I would be surprised if it extented that far upstream.

How far up Springer's Brook was the slag and stuff? You can answer thsi via pm if you prefer. Some of these old ponds stretched miles upstream, flooding the floodplain. New Pond on the Mullica, for example, spanned from just below the confluence of the Mechescatuxin and the Atsion creeks all the way upstream beyond Constable's bridge.

The timber in the water was about 15-20 feet upstream from the slag. The pits were on the western shore directly across from the slag, and then one slightly upstream, and one slightly down stream. But in close proximity.

This is cool. I suspect an operation here.

 

[woodjin]

How far up Springer's Brook was the slag and stuff? You can answer thsi via pm if you prefer. Some of these old ponds stretched miles upstream, flooding the floodplain. New Pond on the Mullica, for example, spanned from just below the confluence of the Mechescatuxin and the Atsion creeks all the way upstream beyond Constable's bridge.



This is cool. I suspect an operation here.

this fall, or winter we'll check it out.

 

[Ben Ruset]

Andy, I moved your question to this thread:

http://forums.njpinebarrens.com/showthread.php?t=5623

 

[bobpbx]

this fall, or winter we'll check it out.

Jeff will be "leading" his first PBX trip?

Say yes.

 

[pinelandpaddler]

I'll say it for him. Yes.

 

[woodjin]

Jeff will be "leading" his first PBX trip?

Say yes.

That would be impossible...I've already lead one. Have we forgotten "The low down on Lower Mill"? What about the "blue hole of mount misery" or the "mutha", well, okay, those last two wern't official trips, but Lower Mill was.

Anyway, yes I will gladly lead a trip to the ore bog of mystery that will not be soon forgotten.

Jeff

 

[bobpbx]

That would be impossible...I've already lead one. Have we forgotten "The low down on Lower Mill"? What about the "blue hole of mount misery" or the "mutha", well, okay, those last two wern't official trips, but Lower Mill was.

Anyway, yes I will gladly lead a trip to the ore bog of mystery that will not be soon forgotten.

Jeff

You are quite right my friend. My mistake. That Lower Mill was a good trip with a novel ending.

 

[woodjin]

An update on an old thread I posted. I took the kayak up the batsto to see if I could find the landing where the iron ore would have been loaded onto barges. I belive it was Jerseyman who suggested searching for this landing.

I found a reference (in a canoeing book) to wooden structures in the batsto right where they would have logically loaded from the ore pond.

I put in at lower forge and headed on up. It took me an hour and 40 minutes going upstream and occasionally stopping to fish. There was not a closer put in. Cardinal flowers were abundant just upstream from lower forge.

A well hidden duck blind

When I finally arrived at my destination, i was let down by the reported wooden structures. I don't believe they are old enough to be remains of the iron harvesting at the time. I don't know what they are.

In this photo you can see additional wooden structure behind the posts in the foreground.

Nails

Does anyone disagree with me that this structure seems too modern?

Below (downstream of) this structure was some thing. As you might recall, I had found a corduroy road out by the ore pond. I believe this is the end of that road and the most likely landing/loading spot.

Same spot, looking toward the batsto

the batsto in this stretch is much wider than normal and there is a possibility that there was a land bridge, or several here at one time. Please excuse my freakishly long dirty toes in the bottom of the picture.

Here is a remote sandy beach along the batsto

and here is a shell casing I found at the "un-bridge"

Jeff

 

[Teegate]

That may have been a duck blind on something similar.

Glad you got out and about Jeff! Thanks.

Guy

 

[LARGO]

Jeff,
I have to go with you on the "too new" thought. Agreed.
The trip though, awesome. That is an unusually wide area for there and darned if that isn't a fine view. Lucky man. Nice beach too. I really can never set aside the time to get up that way now near as I'd like to. Many moons back did a junket with some buddies as a yoot. Haven't been back since.
Nice beach indeed. You had a good runabout and thanks for bringing it back. (Dude, my barefooted nickname is "monkeytoe" so no biggie on the long grimey digits, I can use mine like fingers)

g.

 

[Jerseyman]

Jeff:

A very nice report, to be sure. If I understand your captions correctly, you have your kayak pulled up into a small swale at the end of the corduroy road. It is possible that a Durham boat pulled into that very same swale for loading the ore brought over the corduroy road by cart or wagon. How far upstream from the end of the road did you find the pilings? I agree it is the remains of a more recent structure, but often successive generations would continue to use landing locations long after the original purpose had disappeared. Thanks for your due diligence in finding and documenting this site!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[woodjin]

Jeff,
I have to go with you on the "too new" thought. Agreed.
The trip though, awesome. That is an unusually wide area for there and darned if that isn't a fine view. Lucky man. Nice beach too. I really can never set aside the time to get up that way now near as I'd like to. Many moons back did a junket with some buddies as a yoot. Haven't been back since.
Nice beach indeed. You had a good runabout and thanks for bringing it back. (Dude, my barefooted nickname is "monkeytoe" so no biggie on the long grimey digits, I can use mine like fingers)

g.

Thanks George. I think my band just found it's name..."Monkey Toe"!

 

[woodjin]

Jeff:

A very nice report, to be sure. If I understand your captions correctly, you have your kayak pulled up into a small swale at the end of the corduroy road. It is possible that a Durham boat pulled into that very same swale for loading the ore brought over the corduroy road by cart or wagon. How far upstream from the end of the road did you find the pilings? I agree it is the remains of a more recent structure, but often successive generations would continue to use landing locations long after the original purpose had disappeared. Thanks for your due diligence in finding and documenting this site!

Best regards,
Jerseyman

The wooden structure is not very far upstream from where the corduroy road meets the river, however, I failed to mention that the wooden structure is on the wrong side of the river. I tried to see what was on the ore pond side of the river oppisite the structure but it was too junked up with debrie and vegetation to make anything out.

That area where the corduroy road meets the batsto seems to have been used as a rest stop for canoeists (but kept very clean). I could not find any other evidence there, including looking in the water, but there was alot of silt and it was very deep in there. The series of wide spots in this area of the river seems slightly unnatural. I plan to revisit by land in the fall or winter to explore further.

BTW: I have heard references to an "unknown mill" between Hampton furnance and Lower forge. I am wondering if the mill was located along the springer branch with the evidence I found in the original post, in close proximity to the batsto.

Jeff

 

[pinelandpaddler]

Jeff, the wooden structure(s) may be what Robert Parnes was referring to on pg. 65 of Paddling the Jersey Pine Barrens:

"Two small crumbling wooden docks attest to former activity." I recall seeing these dock remains on the western side of the stream.

There are some more dock ruins (as well as what might be bridge pilings) not far upstream from Lower Forge.

 

[woodjin]

Jeff, the wooden structure(s) may be what Robert Parnes was referring to on pg. 65 of Paddling the Jersey Pine Barrens:

"Two small crumbling wooden docks attest to former activity." I recall seeing these dock remains on the western side of the stream.

There are some more dock ruins (as well as what might be bridge pilings) not far upstream from Lower Forge.

It was Robert Parnes whom I was referring to in my earlier post. This structure was on the eastern side however. The structures you saw might have been further upstream. Hmmmm... We'll figure this out.

Jeff