Vanderbilt Mill

[amf]

Not in the pines, but still south jersey. My wife came across an old postcard reading "Vanderbilt Mill, near Auburn NJ". The card had a Daretown PO cancellation, and was bought in Woodstown. I have worked in that area for many years, and never come across a reference to Vanderbilt Mill, & have turned up nothing in my usual search locations. Wondering if anyone here may have info.

amf

 

[dogg57]

This was on Ebay I guess this is the one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NJ-AUBURN-VANDERBILTS-MILL-TOWN-VIEW-VERY-EARLY-T89819-/150625599739

 

[Teegate]

I just called my mom since she grew up right near there and she has never heard of it. She did say that right nearby there use to be an airport she would fly out of with people she knew and they would cropdust and sightsee. One of my relatives lives right in that town but I really don't know them that much to ask.

Guy

 

[amf]

Well, I may have answered my question. The postcard is the one my wife found. We did come across an obscure reference on a Rootsweb genealogy site for Salem County that made reference to an 1813 deed for a tract that included Vanderbilts Mill, also known as Stretch's Mill. This was on Oldmans Creek in the vicinity of Oliphant's Mill in Gloucester County. I've come across a lot of old mill sites in the area, but never this one.

amf

 

[manumuskin]

wonder if the foundations are still there?

 

[manumuskin]

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/NJSALEM/2004-03/1079298766
porches mill shows on the topo mapo

39.70021° N 75.33082° W

 

[manumuskin]

http://binged.it/w6Ndxo

I bet it sat about where this house is.Possibly this house may rest on the old foundation?Can't tell.
if the picture was taken at noon then the side of the house your looking at is facing northwest so the mill is oriented ne/sw.This house in the middle of this birds eye view (the one south of the road,sw of intersection and se of pond) is also oriented in this direction or actually ese by wnw which is close enough.I am going to try google sightseeing and see if I can make out the foundations.

 

[manumuskin]

more evidence.In historical aerials there is a square building visible there in 1940,1931 is too poor to see.Then all signs of a building disappear till 2002 when the present house is plainly visible.

 

[manumuskin]

If you google sightsee this house on the western side of it there appears to be a stone foundation with plaster over it but the photo is so poor it is hard to tell.If so this is obviously an old foundation.The house does not look new so maybe it was just hidden by trees in the historical aerials?This is the most obvious location for the mill.Downstream from the dam and on the right bank since the left bank appears to be swamp from Oldmans Creek merging with the mill stream.

 

[manumuskin]

actually on the topo there appears to be an outbuilding west of the house,I cannot make out any appearance of one on any photo,there is a cra parked there in sightseeing. on second look I do see it,it is a little garage,the house must be on the mill location.

 

[Jerseyman]

http://binged.it/w6Ndxo

I bet it sat about where this house is.Possibly this house may rest on the old foundation?Can't tell.
if the picture was taken at noon then the side of the house your looking at is facing northwest so the mill is oriented ne/sw.This house in the middle of this birds eye view (the one south of the road,sw of intersection and se of pond) is also oriented in this direction or actually ese by wnw which is close enough.I am going to try google sightseeing and see if I can make out the foundations.

Al:

As the old saying goes, “you’re in the right church, but the wrong pew.” If you look at the map below, the mill you have identified is Oliphant’s Mill (delineated with the purple arrow). The mill depicted on the post card is actually located where the red arrow points on the map below:



This a detail from the Woolwich Township plate from the 1876 Everts & Stewart Combination Atlas Map of Salem and Gloucester Counties New Jersey.

The Vanderbilt mill dates to at least 1812 and had a number of owners, including John Pancoast, Christian Knisell, Thomas Davenport, Benjamin Dutcher, Thomas Porch, and John Vanderbilt. Over the years of its operation, various owners reconstructed the mill in an effort to maintain the building and to adapt to changing milling technology.

Best regards,
Jerseyman

 

[manumuskin]

okay,but there does appear to bve a mill where that house sits.The link I posted seemed to say vanderbilts,porches,stretc and oliphants mill were all the same place


Val,
That property is located in Woolwich Twp., Gloucester Co., NJ, at the
intersecton of King's Highway (CR. 605) and Oliphants Mill Rd. You can view
a map on www.mapquest.com by entering Oliphants Mill Rd, and zip code 08085
in the search boxes. Six boxes will come up for this search; the upper left
one clearly shows Porches Mill. Open this map by clicking the link below it.
As I understand by reading the messages on the list, it was also called
Oliphant's Mill, Porches Mill, Morgan's Mill and Foster's Mill at different
times in history.
Some of these roads have different names, depending on which map you're
looking at. Whigs Lane Rd. is in Pilesgrove Twp., Salem Co., NJ and is
listed on mapquest as Auburn Rd. on one side of King's Highway and Point
Airy Rd. on the other. Another map I looked at has it listed as Whigs Lane
Rd. on both sides of King's Highway. Zoom out one click on the map and
you'll see them at the bottom. Follow Point Airy Rd. to the right and it
turns into Whigs Lane Rd. Whigs Lane Rd. is CR 660 on some maps.
Harrisonville is in South Harrison Twp, Gloucester Co., NJ , about 3.5
miles south of Porches Mill, very close to the Salem County border, south of
RT. 45.
I'm not researching any of these surnames ........ just trying to help
others when I can.

Hope this helps,
Joe

 

[manumuskin]

There appears to be an old house where the mill sat,the house has been there since at least 31.can't see anything but the driveway from the road.The millpond is gone.There may be ruins along the swamp edge but you'd be in the yard of the house.Lot of developement all around the mill but the house there now and the one across the street appear to have been there awhile.

 

[ecampbell]

Odd, there was an Oliphants Mill in Medford, NJ.
http://www.medfordnj.com/medford-mills.php

 

[Jerseyman]

Odd, there was an Oliphants Mill in Medford, NJ.
http://www.medfordnj.com/medford-mills.php

Ed:

The Oliphant family was known to be millers, among other occupations. While the image included in the website you reference shows the sawmill, here is a view of Oliphant’s gristmill in Medford Township:

Best regards,
Jerseyman