Strange place on Sooy Place Rd

Boyd

Boyd

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Today I took a walk on a section of the Batona trail I hadn't been on before. Coming out of the Lebanon state forest it crosses Rt 72 and goes down Sooy Place Rd a bit, then down some little sand roads. Notice the grid of roads by the "x" on this Topozone map:

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&n=4412473&e=539386&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

They are mostly overgrown now. Was this some sort of town/development that never caught on? There is a strange junkyard of sorts there, with a bunch of old cars and some beat up trailers. It looked like people might be living in some of them so I didn't trespass. Anybody know what the story is there?
 
G

Gerania

Explorer
May 18, 2004
280
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Marlton
I noticed that a while back when there was a discussion on this board about houses on the nearby lake. Jeff knew something about the houses or area. I remember thinking just the same thing, that it looked like a failed development plan. There's another further east on Rt. 72, mostly opposite side of the road if I remember correctly. It was near 539 or 532. Guy put up a map.

Gillian
 
Teegate

Teegate

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There is a homes(s) right there across from the cell tower. What the area was going to be at one time is something I don't know. It could be as Gillian said part of the master plan of Woodland Township. The tax map I posted shows that all of that area was set up for development. Maybe Onehand knows.

Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Boyd,

I was able to talk today to two people who filled me in somewhat on this location.

First, the man is affectionally called "Dirty Dave" by the locals. I asked why and they just shrugged and said that is what everyone knows him by. He does collect junk which is all over the property. Then the conversation became serious.

On 1/20/04 his trailer caught on fire from a wood burning stove that was placed improperly. The Lebanon Lakes fire company was summoned and they were able to put the fire out saving one of the rooms of the trailer. I was told that he was there and watched the fire being put out. As apparently is customary, the fire personal went through the remaining room and were shocked to find that there was a dresser in there stocked full with a massive amount of firearm shells. If the fire had continued a little longer....well I think you can understand their concern.

So if anyone is in that area, I would recommend to not trespass.


Changing subjects, the person I was talking with lives close to this location. While discussing this we were looking over Google Maps, and he zoomed in on his house. He noticed that some work he had done on his property was not shown, so he guesses the map is at least 2 years old.

Also, I had never driven all the way down Panama road that is nearby, so he pointed out some interesting things concerning that area. This is the Chatsworth trash transfer station.

http://maps.google.com/?ll=39.827069,-74.580334&spn=0.005553,0.008615&t=k

And he also pointed out that if you look closely at the intersection just above the trash transfer station, you can see White Horse Road going to the left from that intersection. It is the small thin road. Panama road goes to the right. But if you follow Panama road NE up to the "Spanish House", you can see White Horse Road start back up again. It is the small road heading NE in this map.

http://maps.google.com/?t=k&ll=39.839658,-74.55819&spn=0.005552,0.008615&t=k

Guy
 
Boyd

Boyd

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TeeGate said:
the fire personal went through the remaining room and were shocked to find that there was a dresser in there stocked full with a massive amount of firearm shells.
Click to expand...

Whew, glad I didn't wander into Dirty Dave's compound! :eek:

I've been down Panama/Whitehorse/Anderson Rd a number of times, it's an interesting drive there next to the fields. You come out on 532 near where the Batona Trail crosses on its way to Apple Pie Hill. I believe it actually goes down White Horse Rd to the intersection you mentioned (or somewhere near there) - been awhile since I hiked that part.
 
woodjin

woodjin

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Nov 8, 2004
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Near Mt. Misery
I've driven via 4x4 and motorcycle the length of white horse rd from sooy place rd. to 532 near moores meadow. You can grab white horse rd right there at sooy place rd/563 intersection. It looks like it is someones driveway but it is not. It runs behind the houses along 563. It is wet and lots of whoop-de-dos. along this route there are a bunch of trails leading west into some pretty heavy woods (now owned by the nj conservation foundation I believe). It then interects with panama rd but if you follow panama beyond the fields, you can pick up white horse again (returning to dirt). It runs along a high fence for a while and is very narrow and sometimes muddy. Again it seems less like a rd. and it feels like you are tresspassing but I don't think that is the case as it is a public access rd. Eventually you see a few houses on the right. Old houses, one has a sign is front that says Paisley (one of the few still remaining from the Paisley project) and they are often selling stuff along the roadside, although I can't imagine many using this road. You then meet route 532. A right hand turn brings you to moores meadow rd a little further down.

I took this road 'cause it showed up on the map. If you didn't know better you would think you were trespassing. At times the road is nothing more than a sandy, muddy trail. Very cool though!!

Also, I used to take my motorcycle behind Patty's custard ojn route 72, down a trail to sooy place road, then hop onto the white horse rd. about 8 years ago or more I had my motorcycle at pattys and the owner I guess (Patty?) came out and insisted that I ride through this trail that started on his property. He insisted with the claim that it was one of the best dirt bike trails in the barrens. He was right, it was good, lots of trails back in there, more than you might think. but I havn't gone back that way since Pattys has been sold. I assume my permission went away with the sale. I remember one time I went down that trail and I was about to cross a deep water crossing when a snapping turtle stuck his head out and went under again. I couldn't see him in the muddy water afterwards. fearful I would run him over if I went through I turned back. I think that was my last trip down that trail.

Jeff
 
woodjin

woodjin

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Nov 8, 2004
4,358
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Near Mt. Misery
It has been my experience that if you ever run into someone with a name like Dirty Dave, that you should never ask them why they are called Dirty Dave.

Maybe with all those shells he thinks he is Dirty Harry's long lost cousin.

Jeff
 
S

suresue592003

Explorer
Apr 4, 2004
372
1
Browns Mills, NJ
I know the people who live in Paisley. They are oldtimers and true pineys. My father used to work with the "daddy of them all" for years, up at Birches Cranberry Company. As for the field with the high fence, if that is the blueberry field...the guy who owns it lives in Shamong. I am best friends with his girlfriend. Her daughter lives in the trailer on that property. Hopefully, I will learn more about this "dirty" guy. LOL
 
O

onehand

Explorer
Apr 11, 2005
374
1
potter co. pa.
i was told by a long term tabernacle resident that during the 2nd ww sooey place rd was closed off at both ends because of some sort of military fascility along the road

true or not ?
 
Boyd

Boyd

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Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
OK, now here's another question... about another strange place on another Sooy Road! Today I drove down this road, starting at Rt 72. The place in question should appear in about the middle of this image; note that Sooy road jogs around it:

http://maps.google.com/maps?t=k&hl=en&ll=39.821878,-74.447007&spn=0.014832,0.028968&t=h

This is a really strange high-tech installation in a big open area. I didn't see any sign indicating what it was, but it's all fenced off. There's are pipes, sensors, all kinds of strange stuff strung all over there. Looks pretty new. I couldn't figure it out - might be an experiment, a hydroponic farm, a toxic waste reclaimation site, a natural gas field???

Anybody know what this is? BTW, I was surprised to learn that this is the same Sooy Rd that runs into Penn State Forest, and it was quite passable in my VW all the way to Lost Lane. Seems like I tried that years ago and couldn't get through.
 
BEHR655

BEHR655

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Feb 19, 2003
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Badfish740

Explorer
Feb 19, 2005
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Copperhead Road
Boyd said:
This is a really strange high-tech installation in a big open area. I didn't see any sign indicating what it was, but it's all fenced off. There's are pipes, sensors, all kinds of strange stuff strung all over there. Looks pretty new. I couldn't figure it out - might be an experiment, a hydroponic farm, a toxic waste reclaimation site, a natural gas field???
Click to expand...

Sounds like one of the many places my grandfather talked about in the pines where "The night hunting is good because the deer glow in the dark." :D
 
Boyd

Boyd

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Ben's Branch, Stephen Creek
Badfish740 said:
"The night hunting is good because the deer glow in the dark."
Click to expand...

Heh, and Guy probably wouldn't need to bring a flashlight since he visited that spot in the 70's :)

Thanks, that's definitely the place. Quite an impressive amount of equipment there.
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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Boyd said:
Heh, and Guy probably wouldn't need to bring a flashlight since he visited that spot in the 70's :)
Click to expand...

Good one Boyd :)

As I have mentioned before, the place had an unbearable smell to it in the summer, and after a short while there you had to leave. The chemicals were at ground level in some area's and thick like glue. I had promised before to find the one photo I have of that, and never did. I will look and see if I have it scanned from the slide.

Guy
 
T

TrailOtter

Explorer
Nov 24, 2007
101
0
Boyd said:
Today I took a walk on a section of the Batona trail I hadn't been on before. Coming out of the Lebanon state forest it crosses Rt 72 and goes down Sooy Place Rd a bit, then down some little sand roads. Notice the grid of roads by the "x" on this Topozone map:

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&n=4412473&e=539386&s=50&size=l&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

They are mostly overgrown now. Was this some sort of town/development that never caught on? There is a strange junkyard of sorts there, with a bunch of old cars and some beat up trailers. It looked like people might be living in some of them so I didn't trespass. Anybody know what the story is there?
Click to expand...


I was through this area today on the Batona Trail - wondered about it myself. Only three "streets" were visible of those on the grid. Was hard to tell where the others ran and most likely have overgrown through the years. I agree the grid system does appear development like......
 
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