This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of paddling the river with none other than Uncle Budd Wilson. Budd is a retired archaeologist who helped excavate important industrial sites at Batsto. His knowledge of the area is extensive, and his passion for local history is unmatched. We each hopped in a kayak and paddled around the Forks area for a few hours.
Our first stop was Higbee's (or Higabee's) Landing, where charcoal (and perhaps Batsto iron products) were shipped out. Still visible are the impressive remains of the wharf (I forgot to get a picture of that). Tons of ballast stones rest under water. The gentleman who presently owns the property told me that if one digs about a foot into his yard, one will discover a thick layer of blackened soil and charcoal. Cool stuff.
Next up was Batsto Landing, one of the major ports used by the iron village for close to 100 years. Here is Budd examining the shore:
Along the shore one can find evidence of the activity that once took place here: Ballast, oyster shells, limestone, magnetite (imported iron ore) and pieces of bricks. Here is Budd holding up a brick fragment and explaining how one can tell that it was hand-made:
Also lying along the shore was this fragment of a Batsto-produced iron stove:
Next we visited two other landings that have not been identified, although we have reason to believe that one of them may very well be the enigmatic "Gardiner's Landing" that appears on topomaps. It was low tide, and the river was only a foot deep where once ships navigated the river and tied up to the docks. Budd and I discussed the bewildering fact that the river has since significantly filled in with sediment.
Budd was delighted to be out on spots on the river that he hadn't visited in 25 years. He paddled against the current for a couple hours and was smiling the whole time. I have brought many youngin's out kayaking against the current, and often they would be whining within 10 minutes. Not Budd!
In the map in Beck's Jersey Genesis, "Johnny's Ditch" is marked as being in the area. This ditch is likely a canal that was dug out in order to provide a short-cut for the barges going to and from Batsto. It has largely filled in with silt since those former days of river activity. Here is Budd kayaking by what we believe to have been Johnny's Ditch:
For quite some time, I had been looking forward to getting Budd out there with me, and I was delighted to finally do so.
Our first stop was Higbee's (or Higabee's) Landing, where charcoal (and perhaps Batsto iron products) were shipped out. Still visible are the impressive remains of the wharf (I forgot to get a picture of that). Tons of ballast stones rest under water. The gentleman who presently owns the property told me that if one digs about a foot into his yard, one will discover a thick layer of blackened soil and charcoal. Cool stuff.
Next up was Batsto Landing, one of the major ports used by the iron village for close to 100 years. Here is Budd examining the shore:
Along the shore one can find evidence of the activity that once took place here: Ballast, oyster shells, limestone, magnetite (imported iron ore) and pieces of bricks. Here is Budd holding up a brick fragment and explaining how one can tell that it was hand-made:
Also lying along the shore was this fragment of a Batsto-produced iron stove:
Next we visited two other landings that have not been identified, although we have reason to believe that one of them may very well be the enigmatic "Gardiner's Landing" that appears on topomaps. It was low tide, and the river was only a foot deep where once ships navigated the river and tied up to the docks. Budd and I discussed the bewildering fact that the river has since significantly filled in with sediment.
Budd was delighted to be out on spots on the river that he hadn't visited in 25 years. He paddled against the current for a couple hours and was smiling the whole time. I have brought many youngin's out kayaking against the current, and often they would be whining within 10 minutes. Not Budd!
In the map in Beck's Jersey Genesis, "Johnny's Ditch" is marked as being in the area. This ditch is likely a canal that was dug out in order to provide a short-cut for the barges going to and from Batsto. It has largely filled in with silt since those former days of river activity. Here is Budd kayaking by what we believe to have been Johnny's Ditch:
For quite some time, I had been looking forward to getting Budd out there with me, and I was delighted to finally do so.
Thanks for the photo's.
