Pieces Of Hampton Park History
- Thread starter Teegate
- Start date
Gibby,
I visited the location of the guy wire. While looking around the area I saw a corner of this sticking out of the ground about 50 to 100 feet away. I am pretty confident these items we found were used to support a pole along the road for the phone lines to Hampton Park.
I have been right there many times looking for a property stone. Their property line runs right along that road near it.
I left the above item right at the base of the tree with the cable. You can check it out the next time you pass by. I suspect if we spend some time we may find other hooks in trees along the road.
Guy
I visited the location of the guy wire. While looking around the area I saw a corner of this sticking out of the ground about 50 to 100 feet away. I am pretty confident these items we found were used to support a pole along the road for the phone lines to Hampton Park.
I have been right there many times looking for a property stone. Their property line runs right along that road near it.
I left the above item right at the base of the tree with the cable. You can check it out the next time you pass by. I suspect if we spend some time we may find other hooks in trees along the road.
Guy
Teegate, that is a cool item to find. I need to go through my pictures from when I hiked several old railroads up in north Jersey ( Sussex, Warren and the Cut-off). There are still intact telephone poles with wires, insulators and such along those lines, and I have many photographs of them. I could more than likely match the items both you and I have found.
I'll stop by there next time I am out. How close was my Oregon compared to your Oregon? Several feet?
I'll stop by there next time I am out. How close was my Oregon compared to your Oregon? Several feet?
Spot on Gibby!
I actually believe I have seen that before and may even have photo's of it. Jessica and I spent an hour at that spot and the general area around there looking for a stone. However, I can't find them which puts doubts in my mind.
Guy
I actually believe I have seen that before and may even have photo's of it. Jessica and I spent an hour at that spot and the general area around there looking for a stone. However, I can't find them which puts doubts in my mind.
Guy
oh wow! I had not checked your profile,I guess you are a ways from Belleplain.Your in a very bad area for dark skies,worse then my area.I know a great area in pa but a good three hours from you.
Al
Teegate, the bracket you found is called a Bell-type tandem transposition bracket. It mounts on an arm.
http://www.the-electric-orphanage.org/insulators-hardware-other-items-of-interest/
http://www.the-electric-orphanage.org/insulators-hardware-other-items-of-interest/
http://www.roughandtumble.org
The Otto motor is a real relic. This link is a great museum that will rebuild and display such works of art and engineering. I was up there just last weekend for the summer steam up.
The Otto motor is a real relic. This link is a great museum that will rebuild and display such works of art and engineering. I was up there just last weekend for the summer steam up.
I am extremely late with my question pertaining to this entire strip of area. I even ran the thought by Jerseyman during one of our discussions.. What do you guys think the odds are one of these mill locations was at some point in time the sawmill that Bodine also operated?
Update to this thread. If you go to my first post you can see the Otto engine that was used for the elevator at the packing house at Hampton Park until the Goodrich family was forced by the state to leave. The engine eventually became the possession of their son Daryl, and in his garage is where it resided until it was sold soon after I visited it. That engine is now running and you can see in this video the first run of it since around 1964.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7c771wqkhtv24gp/AAA41nGIuwjQe7SI00pejcKVa?dl=0&preview=IMG_5943.MOV
At a show in PA.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7c771wqkhtv24gp/AAA41nGIuwjQe7SI00pejcKVa?dl=0&preview=IMG_5966.MOV
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7c771wqkhtv24gp/AAA41nGIuwjQe7SI00pejcKVa?dl=0&preview=IMG_5943.MOV
At a show in PA.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7c771wqkhtv24gp/AAA41nGIuwjQe7SI00pejcKVa?dl=0&preview=IMG_5966.MOV
I am fascinated with "hit and miss" engines. I drag my wife kicking and screaming through the working display at the Batsto Country Living festival every year.
The antique engines are my favorite display at the Gloucester County fair each year. And the least favorite of my wife and kid, I'm sure. I love the manual drip oilers and the huge flywheels. If you're interested they normally have them set up and running throughout the fair weekend. It's in Mullica Hill in late July.
Just wanted to add a little addendum to this thread. As I've mentioned before in the forum I have been documenting the history of Hampton from the iron era through the cranberry era in the world's slowest fashion. Someday I'll actually finish the whole thing, but "time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping, into the future". 
In the meantime, I did finish one thing: I had an interest in understanding how Hampton was repossessed from the Claybergers and Goodrichs and I now have that answer to share. With skills I acquired from several of you here, I was able to find and obtain the court case from 1964. I read and summarized it below. If anyone is interested and as masochistic as I am and wants to read the case for yourself, I can provide.
The Final Chapter: State Acquisition of the Hampton Furnace Tract (1963–1964)
In the early 1960's, Robert A. Roe, was the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development. Roe was a central figure in New Jersey's environmental policy in the 1960s and a strong proponent of public land acquisition. One of his major contributions was advancing the newly created Green Acres Program, launched in 1961. This program sought to preserve open space for public recreation and environmental protection in response to growing urbanization and population pressures.
Under Roe's leadership, the Green Acres initiative aggressively pursued parcels across the state deemed to be of ecological, scenic, or recreational importance. The Pine Barrens, with its vast tracts of undeveloped wilderness and unique biodiversity, became a focal point of this campaign. The Hampton Park/Furnace area, with its historical ties and relatively unspoiled landscape, were considered an ideal candidate for inclusion in New Jersey's growing collection of public lands.
Robert A. Roe
By US Government Printing Office - Congressional Pictorial Directory, 102nd US Congress, p. 84, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25482225
On August 2, 1963, the State of New Jersey, acting through Commissioner Roe, filed a civil complaint (Docket No. L-25912-62) in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County. This began the formal condemnation proceedings to acquire two tracts of land totaling over 300 acres via eminent domain. The legal authority for this action was provided under N.J.S.A. 13:8A-1 et seq., enabling the state to acquire land for park, recreation, and conservation purposes, and N.J.S.A. 13:1B-3(g), which authorized the commissioner to initiate legal proceedings to carry out the department's objectives.
In addition to the landowners, the complaint named the Township of Shamong, Burlington County, and the State of New Jersey as defendants to account for any liens or legal claims. Shamong Township confirmed in its formal response, filed on September 3, 1963, that it held tax liens on the property and intended to assert its interest during the proceedings.
The Order to Show Cause was issued on August 13, 1963, requiring all named parties to appear in court. By mid-August, service had been acknowledged by all defendants, including the Claybergers, Goodriches, Shamong Township, Burlington County, and the State of New Jersey.
On September 20, 1963, the court appointed three commissioners, John S. Conroy, 3rd, Philip M. Gallagher, and Robert T. Edgar, to appraise the property and determine appropriate compensation. A public hearing was held on October 24, 1963, at the Burlington County Court House in Mount Holly. The commissioners viewed the land, heard from interested parties, and then issued a report on November 12, 1963, valuing the property at $97,200. The commissioners were paid $350 each for the work they performed on the case.
Procedural and administrative matters continued into early 1964. In January, the court approved an amendment correcting the township designation of the second tract to Tabernacle. Soon after, the parties reached a settlement. On March 4, 1964, a final Judgment in Condemnation was entered, confirming that the State of New Jersey would acquire the Hampton Furnace property for $87,500, slightly below the commissioners’ appraisal. The funds were paid to the Claybergers, Goodriches, and their legal representatives at Bleakley, Stockwell & Zink, with no additional court costs or legal fees awarded. (State of New Jersey vs. Charles B. Clayberger, Grace Clayberger, Elsie W Goodrich, Robert R. Goodrich, Township of Shamong, County of Burlington, 1964)
As a result, after an industrial legacy spanning 200 years, the Hampton Park/ Furnace lands became public property. This event marked both the end of an era as an industrial site and a pivotal moment in the state's commitment to conservation. The acquisition aligned with Robert Roe's broader vision to safeguard New Jersey's natural and historic resources, and incorporated Hampton within the growing system of protected lands, which eventually became Wharton State Forest.
In the meantime, I did finish one thing: I had an interest in understanding how Hampton was repossessed from the Claybergers and Goodrichs and I now have that answer to share. With skills I acquired from several of you here, I was able to find and obtain the court case from 1964. I read and summarized it below. If anyone is interested and as masochistic as I am and wants to read the case for yourself, I can provide. The Final Chapter: State Acquisition of the Hampton Furnace Tract (1963–1964)
In the early 1960's, Robert A. Roe, was the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Conservation and Economic Development. Roe was a central figure in New Jersey's environmental policy in the 1960s and a strong proponent of public land acquisition. One of his major contributions was advancing the newly created Green Acres Program, launched in 1961. This program sought to preserve open space for public recreation and environmental protection in response to growing urbanization and population pressures.
Under Roe's leadership, the Green Acres initiative aggressively pursued parcels across the state deemed to be of ecological, scenic, or recreational importance. The Pine Barrens, with its vast tracts of undeveloped wilderness and unique biodiversity, became a focal point of this campaign. The Hampton Park/Furnace area, with its historical ties and relatively unspoiled landscape, were considered an ideal candidate for inclusion in New Jersey's growing collection of public lands.
Robert A. Roe
By US Government Printing Office - Congressional Pictorial Directory, 102nd US Congress, p. 84, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25482225
On August 2, 1963, the State of New Jersey, acting through Commissioner Roe, filed a civil complaint (Docket No. L-25912-62) in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Burlington County. This began the formal condemnation proceedings to acquire two tracts of land totaling over 300 acres via eminent domain. The legal authority for this action was provided under N.J.S.A. 13:8A-1 et seq., enabling the state to acquire land for park, recreation, and conservation purposes, and N.J.S.A. 13:1B-3(g), which authorized the commissioner to initiate legal proceedings to carry out the department's objectives.
In addition to the landowners, the complaint named the Township of Shamong, Burlington County, and the State of New Jersey as defendants to account for any liens or legal claims. Shamong Township confirmed in its formal response, filed on September 3, 1963, that it held tax liens on the property and intended to assert its interest during the proceedings.
The Order to Show Cause was issued on August 13, 1963, requiring all named parties to appear in court. By mid-August, service had been acknowledged by all defendants, including the Claybergers, Goodriches, Shamong Township, Burlington County, and the State of New Jersey.
On September 20, 1963, the court appointed three commissioners, John S. Conroy, 3rd, Philip M. Gallagher, and Robert T. Edgar, to appraise the property and determine appropriate compensation. A public hearing was held on October 24, 1963, at the Burlington County Court House in Mount Holly. The commissioners viewed the land, heard from interested parties, and then issued a report on November 12, 1963, valuing the property at $97,200. The commissioners were paid $350 each for the work they performed on the case.
Procedural and administrative matters continued into early 1964. In January, the court approved an amendment correcting the township designation of the second tract to Tabernacle. Soon after, the parties reached a settlement. On March 4, 1964, a final Judgment in Condemnation was entered, confirming that the State of New Jersey would acquire the Hampton Furnace property for $87,500, slightly below the commissioners’ appraisal. The funds were paid to the Claybergers, Goodriches, and their legal representatives at Bleakley, Stockwell & Zink, with no additional court costs or legal fees awarded. (State of New Jersey vs. Charles B. Clayberger, Grace Clayberger, Elsie W Goodrich, Robert R. Goodrich, Township of Shamong, County of Burlington, 1964)
As a result, after an industrial legacy spanning 200 years, the Hampton Park/ Furnace lands became public property. This event marked both the end of an era as an industrial site and a pivotal moment in the state's commitment to conservation. The acquisition aligned with Robert Roe's broader vision to safeguard New Jersey's natural and historic resources, and incorporated Hampton within the growing system of protected lands, which eventually became Wharton State Forest.
Let’s think about this. What was the point when today the state is trying to keep us off of it.