The Stone Hills

relayer

relayer

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Feb 6, 2007
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www.westjerseyhistory.org
I was sorting through some old emails and came on this in a note from Ed Fox.

If you pick up George Flemming's book Brotherton and turn to pages 181 and 182, you will find the following in a discussion about Hampton Gate:
"The [Hampton] Gate Tavern was at the base of a series of hills known in the early deeds as "the stone hills." These hills are unique in the otherwise flat terrain of the surrounding area. One can still see the large depression in the hills caused by mining them for building stone."

Has anyone been to/seen these hills or their remains?

relayer
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Yes. They are on Carranza road at the curve where the Wharton state forest starts. There is trail leading up the hill right to the top. The state property line is right along there, and there is private property at the base. The hill is state property but you must be careful roaming around.

I will post photo's soon.

Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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The biggest stones in the pines are located there, about the same size as the ones near Great Adventure at Lahaway.



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And even though this photo does not show it properly, the steepest drop in the pines is also there.



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The map you asked to be rescanned shows the hotel’s location at the base of the hill. The hill is located here with the private property being the white area.

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39.80126&lon=-74.67814&s=48&size=l&u=4&datum=nad27&layer=DRG



Exploring in that area for property markers I was able to find an old iron rail that was hammered in the ground as a property corner. It may be a very old train rail.



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Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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It does not have large stones, but right in that area on private property there is another semi steep hill. I got permission to roam the property looking for property stones and took this photo.

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Guy
 
Boyd

Boyd

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That's interesting stuff Guy - great pictures (as always). IIRC, there's a house on Carranza Rd not far from there which has a huge stone next to the mailbox/driveway.
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Boyd said:
That's interesting stuff Guy - great pictures (as always). IIRC, there's a house on Carranza Rd not far from there which has a huge stone next to the mailbox/driveway.
Click to expand...

They most likely put it there to protect the mailbox from wayward cars :) I will look the next time I head that way.

Guy
 
wolfspider05

wolfspider05

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Nov 12, 2004
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Does the gated road that led to Hampton Furnace from Hampton Gate still exist? Im sure the gate itself is long gone. I've read that the Hampton Gate Tavern was a stone structure, is there anything left of it at the base of the hills? A cellar hole maybe? I've been looking at old maps and there are alot of inconsistencies about the exact location.
 
Teegate

Teegate

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The 1858 map that I posted the link for shows where it was located. You would have to search around the area and see if anything is still there.

Guy
 
Teegate

Teegate

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Most of them are abandoned. Any that are in operation I would say are other interests. One member on this site should know that answer. Maybe they will respond.

Guy
 
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jokerman

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May 29, 2003
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There is nothing left of the tavern except the clearing and driveway. I think I found where the gate was and it is observable by a pile of bricks. It could be something else though.
 
wolfspider05

wolfspider05

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jokerman said:
There is nothing left of the tavern except the clearing and driveway. I think I found where the gate was and it is observable by a pile of bricks. It could be something else though.
Click to expand...

I went into the briers yesterday afternoon to look in the area that the 1858 map shows the Tavern as being, I only did a quick scan of the area, nothing thorough. Where about is the clearing and driveway? Private property? I hiked the trail towards Hampton Furnace for a few hundred yards and found alot of old cut lumber and old wooden skids laying around.
 
Teegate

Teegate

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wolfspider05 said:
I went into the briers yesterday afternoon to look in the area that the 1858 map shows the Tavern as being, I only did a quick scan of the area, nothing thorough. Where about is the clearing and driveway? Private property? I hiked the trail towards Hampton Furnace for a few hundred yards and found alot of old cut lumber and old wooden skids laying around.
Click to expand...

We must take into consideration that when they drew the roads on that map they did not put every turn in the road on it, and in fact they made most of the winding roads dead straight. I am thinking that they did this also with the road from Hampton Gate to Hampton Furnace in the area in question. So with that said, I went with distances from features shown on the map.

I walked in the road just before the bridge on the right heading toward Carranza. In just a very short distance there is an area that looks like many locations in the pines that at one time had dwellings. There are old bricks and stone there, and as I mentioned a possible foundation under the leaves. Take the 1858 map with you as I did and walk toward the stone hill and compare the distances from the hill to you, and the stream to you, and it becomes apparent that this could be the place.



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http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.80...376,-74.672871&spn=0.005968,0.015063&t=k&om=1


The house could not be as close to the stream as the 1858 map shows. That is lowlands there. But where I found bricks is on the very start of the rise to the stone hill as the topo map above shows. High enough to maybe keep it from flooding out. And if there was a gate there, it sure would be convenient to have a house right there to have easy access to it. Of course that all depends if history is correct and there really was a gate.

As for the tavern, the 1858 map shows it directly across the road from the road to Hampton Furnace, and it shows it much closer to the road. I was in the thick of the briers laying down completely flat trying to see through them, and saw nothing. It is really dense and difficult to even move. I would not say I did a thorough search.

If anyone comes up with anything, or looks over the ruins I found, post back with your thoughts.


Guy
 
wolfspider05

wolfspider05

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Nov 12, 2004
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Great information and insight as usual Guy.

If that is the gate or Flemens, it makes sense. As soon as I walked in right off the trail you see the small mound to the left with old red bricks and stone. I will make it out there agian soon, and push through them briers and see if I see anything. Yesterday, I walked down the plow line near the briers and managed to stand on a old fallen tree, still cant see anything besides briers, and they are THICK.

Watch out for ticks, they are out and about, I went down to the old Wells family bogs near Buckingham today, I had about 6 on me within the first half hour. Great day to be out though.
 
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