South Jersey Industrial History

[aleahey]

Hey all-

Long time lurker here. I am a graduate student at Drexel University in Philadelphia, working on a degree in Science, Technology and Society. It is, in essence, a degree in the history of science and technology. I have been tossing around a few ideas in my head about how I can incorporate my interest for the Pinelands in to a paper I will be writing that may form the basis of a master's thesis in the future.

The thought I have had is that I would like to explore the transitions between industries in the Pinelands. From glass manufacturing, to iron ore, logging and the cranberry industry. My interest is in the outside influences that necessitated the move from each industry to the next. Further, I think an examination of how factory/furnace towns morphed as the particular industry swelled and contracted would be a worthwhile avenue to investigate.

Basically, I am wondering a couple of things. First, does anyone know of any articles written that would be a must-read for this type of endeavor? Second, any comments on the overall idea would be greatly appreciated.

I am in the preliminary research stage, but will surely keep everyone posted with my findings and what direction I ultimately end up heading in.

Thanks for your time!

(P.S. I posted this in general because I didn't really know where else it might fit, slag heap? )

 

[Teegate]

Hey all-


. First, does anyone know of any articles written that would be a must-read for this type of endeavor?

I believe one former member of this site wrote a thesis on the terra cotta industry in the pines, but I believe he mentioned there was limited information on that subject. Since your idea is much broader you should be able to come up with enough substance to complete it. I think you may be delving much deeper into the pines than the average poster here would be able to help you with. In any event, I wish you well and feel free to ask more questions if you feel the need.

Guy

 

[Boyd]

I've got a book I found at an antique store that looks self-published (64 pages that look xeroxed, printed one-side only with a plastic spine binding). The cover says

THE JERSEY PINE BARRENS

The 1987 Fall Tour
of
THE SOCIETY FOR INDUSTRIAL ARCHEOLOGY

September 10-13, 1987
Mt. Misery, NJ

The forward is signed by Thorwald Torgersen

It contains chapters about industries in a number of areas in the pines and beyond. I don't know where you might find copies of this... maybe a library? Looks like the Society may still exist. A very quick Google search found this: http://www.siahq.org/tours/falltours.html

 

[aleahey]

Thanks for the replies TeeGate & Boyd!

I do hope that I have chosen a broad enough topic so as to find sufficient materials. I came across: http://westjersey.org/sjh/sjh_chap_7.htm

Which gives some insight in to the reasons for the fall of the bog iron industry (other than just depletion):

The younger Richards presided over the prosperous community [Batsto] until the middle of the 19th century, when the substitution of coke for charcoal in the smelting process, and the consequent rise of the iron and steel industry in Pennsylvania, sounded the death knell of ironmaking from bog ore in the Jersey Pines.

Without citations it is a bit tough to determine if that is just an assertion made by the author or if the two were really causal/correlated. I will try to do some digging.

Hey Boyd, if you don't mind, do you think you could give me a verbatim sentence out of the booklet when and if you have time to do so? That might help me track an edition that might be online!

Thanks so much, both of you!

 

[Boyd]

Not sure exactly what you want there. The information I provided is everything that's printed on the cover - verbatim. Why not just contact the society at the link I gave? That would probably be your best bet to find a copy.

 

[MarkBNJ]

Thanks for the replies TeeGate & Boyd!

I do hope that I have chosen a broad enough topic so as to find sufficient materials. I came across: http://westjersey.org/sjh/sjh_chap_7.htm

Which gives some insight in to the reasons for the fall of the bog iron industry (other than just depletion):



Without citations it is a bit tough to determine if that is just an assertion made by the author or if the two were really causal/correlated. I will try to do some digging.

Hey Boyd, if you don't mind, do you think you could give me a verbatim sentence out of the booklet when and if you have time to do so? That might help me track an edition that might be online!

Thanks so much, both of you!

I don't think there's much question about the causality. There are a number of respected works that agree on the basic forces at play. See "Vanishing Iron Works of the Ramapos" by Ransom if you can find a copy, or "Family Empire in Jersey Iron" by Pierce for more of a pine barrens slant. There are some folks here with real expertise who can no-doubt suggest better resources for an academic engaged in research.

Certainly depletion of ore and of fuel had an impact, by making it ever more expensive to make iron in NJ, but I think the clearly dominant factor was the discovery of coal in Pennsylvania, and the availability of better grades of ore in the upper midwest as rail lines reached that region. New Jersey bog ore was very low in iron content, and charcoal only made a reasonable fuel as long as there was no alternative. As the fortunes of their iron works declined succeeding generations of the industrial families turned to paper, glass, and lumber as alternative means of exploiting the pines for profit.

The pines, of course, have outlasted them all .

Good luck with your project!

 

[Spung-Man]

some examples

Andrew,

Sorry for the tardy reply but there are a number of resources that may be of interest. In Jerseyman's absence, who could probably do the thread more justice, I will make a couple suggestions. Briefly, the following are some examples of the rich array of literature on South Jersey cultural resources:

• Berger, J., and Sinton, J.W., 1985: Water, Earth, and Fire: Land Use and Environmental Planning in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press. 228 pp.
• Braddock-Rogers, K., 1930: The bog ore industry in South Jersey prior to 1845. Journal of Chemical Education. 7, 7: 1493-1519.
• Braddock-Rogers, K., 1931: Fragments of early industries in South Jersey. Journal of Chemical Education. 8, 10: 1915–1929.
• Brown, A.H., 1879: The Character and Employments of the Early Settlers of the Sea-Coast of New Jersey. Prepared at the Request of the New Jersey Historical Society, and Read at their Meeting in the City of Newark, May 15th, 1879. Newark, NJ: Newark Daily Advertiser. 37 pp.
• Moonsammy, R.Z., Cohen, D.S., and Williams, L.E., (eds.), 1987: Pinelands Folklife. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 234 pp.
• Mounier, R.A., 1982: Survey of Cultural Resources of the Historic Era in the Watersheds of the Great Egg Harbor and Tuckahoe Rivers. Office of Green Acres, Office of Cultural and Environmental Services, Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. 190 pp.
• Nickles, A., n.d. An Historic Trip Up the Great Egg Harbor River. MS thesis, Glassboro State College, Glassboro, NJ, 182 pp.
• Sinton, J.W. (ed.)., 1978: Natural and Cultural Resources of the New Jersey Pine Barrens: Inputs and Research Needs for Planning. Proceedings and Papers of the First Research Conference on the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Atlantic City, N.J., May 22-23, 1978. Pomona, NJ: Stockton State College. 365 pp. (also 2nd and 3rd volumes).
• Wilson, H.F., 1953: The Jersey Shore: A Social and Economic History of the Counties of Atlantic, Cape May, Monmouth and Ocean (2 vols.). New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co. 1055 pp. A third but separate volume contains family and personal history.
• Weiss, H.B., and Weiss, G.M., 1965: Some Early Industries of New Jersey. Trenton, NJ: New Jersey Agricultural Society. 70 pp. (and many other monographs in this magnificent series).
• Weygandt, C., 1940: Down Jersey: Folks and Their Jobs, Pine Barrens, Salt Marsh and Sea Islands. New York: D. Appleton-Century. 352 pp.

Best of luck. It appears you are on a great track! It’s about time that Pinelands cultural dynamics are revisited.

Spung-Man

 

[aleahey]

Andrew,

Sorry for the tardy reply but there are a number of resources that may be of interest. In Jerseyman's absence, who could probably do the thread more justice, I will make a couple suggestions. Briefly, the following are some examples of the rich array of literature on South Jersey cultural resources:

Thanks so much Spung-Man! This is exactly what I was looking for! Sorry I took so long to reply and thank you, I expected to get an email notification when the thread was updated. Woops!

Thanks again, I will keep you (and everyone) posted with my progress! =)

Thank you all

 

[Teegate]

I expected to get an email notification when the thread was updated. Woops!

You must not have made that choice when you signed up. So at the very top of the page above the banner click on the "Settings" link and go to the "Default Thread Subscription Mode" and change it to "Instantly, Using Email."


Guy