Traveler's Forecast for the Pine Barrens

[MarkBNJ]

Wet, followed by wet, with occasional deep holes, and a 30% chance of spending the night in your truck.

Got a late start on an outing yesterday with my friends Jack and Jake. We went in south on Carranza and carried on to Friendship, then down Hawkins Bridge Rd. to the bridge, and on to 563.

Quick couple of rights and we headed up Iron Pipe and bore NW on Tuckerton/Hampton Gate Rd. headed for High Crossing. Couldn't get past the really deep lakes south of High Crossing so we turned around and tried to go south on Mines Spung to Quaker Bridge. By this time it was getting dark and we got into some really deep holes on Mines Spung; water up to the fender wells of my FJ in one spot. Eventually I got hung up trying to negotiate my way back through a tough go-around, ended up sideways with my front in the woods between two trees and my rear in the mudhole, and we had to break out the straps. Jack got me out of that one with his Taco, and all was well.

After that we tried Quaker Bridge-Sandy Ridge Rd. Again, no go. Full dark by now and more deep, long water and really wet, muddy go-arounds. Backed out and headed all the way south on Tuckerton/Hampton Gate Rd. again. Made the right on Old Bulltown-Hawkins, and then another right on Washington-Quaker Bridge Rd. I'd say that road is as bad as I've ever seen it. We crossed some moderately deep holes that were a good thirty or forty feet long. More than enough to keep the casual traveler out. I don't recall running into anything like this on that road in the past few years.

We came out at Atsion about 6:30, a good hour later than we were shooting for. Epic adventure, but I was glad when it was over.

 

[ecampbell]

Just wait until it freezes.

 

[bobpbx]

Odd Mark. This must be one of those weird situations where the "mostly" dry sunny weather over the past couple months has compacted and hardened the bottoms of those holes like a clay-fired bowl. The rains of last week probably soaked right through all else, and oddly, if those rains had come after a short season of rains (wherein the holes were already soft-primed), then you'd encounter less water.

(maybe?)

Just my theory. I think we discussed this before.

 

[Chrisr]

I was out there at Atsion Saturday afternoon. Weather couldn't have been better, but the roads were pretty bad. Went down Quaker Bridge from Atsion, and saw a guy in a pick up just like mine sitting between 2 "lakes". He said the first one was passable but wasn't to sure about the 2nd one. Another p/u coming the other way kinda made up our minds when we saw the water up to his wheel wells. I turned around and parked my truck back off the road and did a little hiking instead. I enjoyed being out there more than driving anyway.

 

[MuckSavage]

We left Atsion out Hampton Rd yesterday, took a quick stop along Stokes. Turned around back to Hampton, out to Glossy Spung to Carranza then up to Apple Pie Hill. Eventually out to Ringler thru Chatsworth onto 563. We had to squish thru water to get a table at Lake Oswego! From there we picked our way to Bear Swamp Hill so my wife could see the landing gear/fire tower base. If you stood for more than 30 seconds at the Landing Gear, the water would rise up around your feet! All in all, a great day to be out!

 

[Gibby]

The Park Service needs to get a Caterpillar D8E out and grade some roads. A little trail maintenance is needed because some of the puddles need to be named and placed on a topo map. The fan on my truck was acting like it was a propeller, a few times.

 

[MarkBNJ]

It's definitely getting pretty bad when Quaker Bridge Rd. is impassable to Washington without 4WD.

 

[Spung-Man]

I had in interesting conversation with historian Bill Leap last Saturday. As a young lad he had the privilege of exploring the Pine Barrens of Rev. Beck, the famed author of classics like Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey and Jersey Genesis: The Story of the Mullica River. During the early ‘30s Leap and his father would crisscross the Pines in a tan Pontiac with orange-spoke wheels. Later that decade the Leaps did the same in a brand new Chrysler Royal.

According to Bill, in no place were Pinelands roads impassable during the 30’s. There were very few puddles to dodge. Additionally, brush did not encroach roads, so there was little worry about paint scratch. Bill could not recount a single occasion where a car became stuck. Then again, you almost never crossed paths with another car in the ‘30s anyway.

Leap was occupied during the ‘40s so had little time for excursions, but was able to get out in the woods once again during the 50’s. Upon return he found roads had became rutted, puddled, and brush thicketed. His favorite field buggy was a Plymouth K-Car, which he claimed “swam” over the boggy spots on the road between Pleasant Mills church and Atsion.

In the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, Father Beck was hired to lead caravan trips into the Pines for the Audubon Wildlife Society, which Bill ran. Trips were kept quiet. Only Society members knew where and when to meet up, either through word of mouth or by reading the AWS Weekly Visitor. With Beck’s passing in 1965 (heart attack), Bill took over the role of Pinelands tour guide. He remains a remarkable champion of the Pines.

Check out Leap’s special West Jersey collection at Richard Stockton College:

http://intraweb.stockton.edu/eyos/page.cfm?siteID=69&pageID=410​

S-M

 

[MuckSavage]

Spung-Man....Would this be the same Mr Leap that lived in Runnemede in the 70's? Owner of a sign shop?

 

[Spung-Man]

That be the Leapster.

 

[Gibby]

S-M, any explaination for the lack of encroachment along the roads? Was the land clear because of the industries of the era, such as logging? I have noticed in early aerial photos that the pines appear less dense with more of the forest floor visible.

 

[MarkBNJ]

It's interesting that the transition in road conditions took place between the 30's and 50's. I'm inclined to think the popularity of 4WD trucks has something to do with it, and I would bet there were a lot of surplus Jeeps and other vehicles available after the war. Just an unsubstantiated musing, of course. Might be something else entirely.

 

[MuckSavage]

That be the Leapster.

Interesting. I grew up around the corner from him. I'm glad he's still around.

 

[Spung-Man]

Gibby,

There are two candidates to consider to account for the thin vegetation. First, forest fire management practices were starting to have an effect on brush regeneration. Second, centuries of forest exploitation (lumber, cordwood, charcoal. naval stores) had reached its zenith by the ‘30s. You are right, the 1931 aerial photomosaics that Ben graciously formatted for this site provide an excellent snapshot of nineteenth century forest degradation. I have an account of a fistfight breaking out in Newtonville over stumps the WPA had extracted during Route 54 corridor construction (c.1935). It appears that at times firewood was scarce in the Pines.

BTW, love the Trenton Old Stock avatar, even if they were responsible for Champale...

 

[Gibby]

Spung-Man, many thanks, as always, for you wisdom. Champale, being brewed, was a horrible smell that lingered in the south Trenton air. I can recall smelling it as far down as the marina when we were daredevils jumping off of the old Hog Island cranes. If it tasted as bad as that...

 

[Jerseyman]

Champale, being brewed, was a horrible smell that lingered in the south Trenton air. I can recall smelling it as far down as the marina when we were daredevils jumping off of the old Hog Island cranes. If it tasted as bad as that...

Gibby:

While I am not attempting a hostile takeover of this thread, the mentions of the Champale plant, which I passed everyday back in the 1970s when I worked in Trenton, led me to scan this image from 1900:

The “old Hog Island” cranes, as you call them, date to the construction of the Trenton Marine Terminal during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Dedication of the facility occurred in 1932:

The Trenton Marine Terminal unfortunately became the East Coast shipping center for scrap metal going to Japan during the 1930s:

Of course, Japan returned much of that scrap metal to us during the 1940s Pacific War!

I have planning documents from the late 1950s and early 1960s when there were serious thoughts of revitalizing the Trenton Marine Terminal, but it all came to naught as this port facility was just too far upriver. Express Marine tugs occasionally still tie up there after dropping a coal barge at the PSE&G Mercer Generating Station on Duck Island.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Gibby]

Amazing Jerseyman! I enjoy pictures of the old buildings and businesses, when they were in their prime. There is little left, as time and progress has taken it's toll. The road in front of the brewery must be Lalor Street. I saw a glass negative of the brewery and I believe that the picket fence runs right to the bank of the Delaware River, which was looked much higher and steeper before the tunnel was built through this area. Great photographs. (The road by the brewery could very well be Lamberton Street. The bottling plant is to the right and along the river is my guess.)

 

[Jerseyman]

Amazing Jerseyman! I enjoy pictures of the old buildings and businesses, when they were in their prime. There is little left, as time and progress has taken it's toll. The road in front of the brewery must be Lalor Street. I saw a glass negative of the brewery and I believe that the picket fence runs right to the bank of the Delaware River, which was looked much higher and steeper before the tunnel was built through this area. Great photographs. (The road by the brewery could very well be Lamberton Street. The bottling plant is to the right and along the river is my guess.)

Geez, Gibby—I am certainly glad you mentioned the picket fence! I quickly realized that I had scanned the wrong brewery off the page. Take another look at my message above and you will see the correct brewing facility now depicted.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[Gibby]

I like the lettering in the roofing. It is barely discernible in your first posted picture.

 

[Jerseyman]

I like the lettering in the roofing. It is barely discernible in your first posted picture.

On the roof of the building to the left of Lamberton Street, the lettering reads “Bottling Department.” The lettering on the wall of the main plant reads “Trenton Hygeia Ice Company,” which is the first plant to occupy this corner.

Best regards,
Jerseyman