Owens Hill, Woodmansie Sand Company, and other places...

Teegate

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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All,

This morning my brother, Jessica, and I, visited the Chew Cemetery on Chew road that has been in discussion on this site, so I will post about that visit there. We then headed over to route 72 so that we could climb the lofty heights of Owens Hill near Woodmansie. We entered off of 72 not far from the JCRR bridge at N 39° 50.30.3 W 74° 28.41.6

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&n=4410315.0001151&e=544623.000000002&datum=nad83

There were quite a few puddles frozen over and since we had my bothers 4x4 we continued through them crashing through the ice which was about a half inch thick. We soon came upon the remains of a massive building that I had never visited before. It was 230 feet long and about as half as that wide, with a cement floor. It is only about 300 or so yards from route 72 at N 39° 50.39.5 W 74° 28.24.1

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&am...25&size=s&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2916.jpg

Does anyone have any idea what this was?


Just a few hundred feet from there is the largest collection of bottles and china that I have ever seen in the pines. There are also clam and oyster shells mixed in with them, but unfortunately everything is mostly broken. But there are piles of old bottles that are not. Someone has dug a very large hole right in the middle of one of many piles, and has not reached clear dirt. There has to be millions of plates and bottles that have been deposited there. Many of the china say "Made in China" on the bottom of them, but Jessica found one that was made in Ravenswood W. Va. It is located at N 39° 50.39.8 W 74° 28.19.0

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2918.jpg

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2919.jpg

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2920.jpg

From there we walked the mile and a half past Owens Hill to the lake formed by the sand company at Woodmansie. With the temperatures below freezing, the puddles in the road frozen over, and on our way there I noticed Atsion Lake was mostly frozen over, this lake had absolutely no ice on it at all. I can only assume that since the water most likely was from the aquifer, it was warmer and did not freeze. It was really strange to be on a lake that was not frozen this morning. Odd! We were at N 39° 51.30.1 W 74° 27.50.5

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2921.jpg

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2923.jpg

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/12202003/IMG_2924.jpg

From there we backtracked and ascended Owens Hill. It reminded me somewhat of Jenima Mount but not as picturesque. We walked the summit and on the other side there is a step drop to what looked like a sandy area below. On my way down the hill I quickly realized that the pine needles were covering a thick layer of mud and after sliding ten feet I was able to catch myself before ending up flat in the mud, but not without adding ten pounds of mud to my sneakers, pants, and my camera bag.

Owens Hill is located at N 39° 51.15.9 W 74° 27.55.9

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&am...50&size=s&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

Guy
 
BEHR655

BEHR655

Piney
Feb 19, 2003
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Very interesting Guy. I have been to that ruin but do not know what it was. I've never seen the bottle and ceramic area that is in your photos but there is another area near by that has a lot of broken dishes. The area looks like a party spot and the dishes may have come from the spot you found. Where is the spot you found in relation to the ruins? Is Owen's Hill worth a trip to?

Steve
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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The bottles are just across the road from the ruins, maybe 100 yards away or less. There is nothing at Owens Hill but I like to visit "high spots" so it is a must see for me. If you haven't been to the Woodmansie lake you must go there, and then that is an excuse to go to Owens. We were going to walk around the lake on the road that goes around it, but my wife was cooking a spaghetti lunch and I was getting hungry so we left. I will be going back again to that area, because there is definitely more to see. Jessica wants to explore the china again, and my brother wants to walk the rest of the lake.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/owens.jpg

Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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The biggest pile is, but you can see it from the road, and all of the others are right there along the road. When you see them, just look east for the large pile. Most of the intact bottles are next to the large hole. Aparently the person who dug the hole just piled the bottles there and never took them.

Guy
 
bobpbx

bobpbx

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Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
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Pines; Bamber area
Guy,

I'm almost positive the big building and holes are an abandonded pig farm. When I was in my teens, a friend and I grew a couple rare (to this area) plants on the sides of one of the holes. We would hitchike down from Presidential Lakes and check on them once in a while. I stopped going after a while since I was getting paranoid, he did the harvest and smoked the benefits 8)

I have a theory about the bottles and china. Suppose where the guy picked up the slop for the pigs was a restaurant. The owner said, "say, take my garbage too!"

Bob
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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BobM said:
Guy,

I'm almost positive the big building and holes are an abandonded pig farm. When I was in my teens, a friend and I grew a couple rare (to this area) plants on the sides of one of the holes. We would hitchike down from Presidential Lakes and check on them once in a while. I stopped going after a while since I was getting paranoid, he did the harvest and smoked the benefits 8)

I have a theory about the bottles and china. Suppose where the guy picked up the slop for the pigs was a restaurant. The owner said, "say, take my garbage too!"

Bob
Click to expand...

Bob,

So that is why you are into plants! Reliving your younger days without the side effects, such as the munchies, and the law! :grin:


That theory sounds quite good since it was a pig farm. Thanks Bob.

Guy
 
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