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The Lost Industries of the Pine Barrens... Re-Discovered.
While the Pine Barrens is known for its gruesome tales of theJersey Devil, its endless recreational possibilities and its immense bounty of natural beauty, its rich, cultural history is often overlooked. The lost industries of the Pine Barrens is just one aspect of the Pine Barrens that has yet to be discovered and explored by its frequent visitors, not to mention the everyday passer-by. One cannot fully experience the Pine Barrens without knowing its long-forgotten history. The shadows of its past can be found lurking behind every curve of its pine needled paths. Let us explore this lost time of industry and colonial settlement; herein, lay the treasures of southern New Jersey.
Natural Resources of the Pine Barrens While the Pine Barrens is often labeled sterile and infertile, it does contain a great amount of natural resources. Fresh water, for instance, is a staple resource of the Pine Barrens. A 17-trillion gallon aquifer, noted as being some of the purest water in the country, resides in the very heart of the Pine Barrens. Beautiful sands and clay can be found on an everyday hike down its paths. Its trees and bog iron, the two resources that stood at the forefront of the Pine Barren's industrial history, proved highly successful for Southern Jersey economy and growth. Because of these very resources, the Pine Barrens was named the nation's first National Reserve, the Pinelands National Reserve, in 1978, not to mention a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve in 1983. The Pine Barrens is "controlled by an independent state/federal agency called the Pinelands Commission," in order to keep track of land development in the region. With such a great wealth of resources, industry was inevitable. Throughout the 1700's, 1800's and 1900's many industries rose and fell as the colonists' exhausted many of the natural resources that had brought them wealth and stability. The Pine Barren's Most Prominent Industries Bog Iron The colonists' found a gold mine when they discovered bog iron in the Pine Barrens. Bog Iron is an "impure iron deposit that is developed in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions." Extracted from bogs, streams and waterways, bog iron was worked into furnaces throughout southern New Jersey. Batsto, Farrago, Atsion and Hanover furnaces were just a few of the local Bog Iron companies. While these companies did manufacture everyday items, the bog iron produced in this area was vital to colonial troops during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Unfortunately, these bog iron industries fell in the mid 1800's.A less expensive iron was found in Pittsburgh, Pa., where iron ore and anthracite coal was easily accessible and, as a result, sold at a lower price and produced at a better quality. The Pine Barren's Forests The bog iron industry, like most of the industries that sprung up from the Pine Barrens, had relied heavily on the Pine Barren's forests, using timber to keep the fires going in the furnaces, morphing and shaping the hot metals. The forests were one resource that was more plentiful than any of the other natural resources found in the Pine Barrens. They were cleared for timber, making them a major producer of wealth for southern New Jersey. Lumber harvesting, timber mills, saw mills and charcoaling followed soon after, building up towns around their locations. An economy was building even greater for the colonists in this way. Ship building was another industry that came about from timber being shipped to the Southern Jersey shores. However, like the bog iron industry, these industries did not last forever. The colonists' exploitation of the forests soon brought about their economy's destruction. Cranberries/Blueberries The alteration of the land caused by the bog iron industry, left ideal conditions for cultivating cranberries. For example, the very site of the old Hanover Iron Furnace was converted into a successful cranberry farm by Colonel James A. Fenwick. Plentiful sandy marshes, the superb quality of freshwater, not to mention the quantity that exists in the Pine Barrens region, created ideal conditions for cranberry harvesting. Cranberry harvesting was so successful that, in the 1700's, legislation was passed in the Pine Barrens banning the early picking of cranberries. The early cranberry crop that these farmers produced was sold as a fresh fruit product. Like cranberries, blueberry cultivation was highly successful in the Pine Barrens. The first cultivated blueberries developed in the Pine Barrens in 1916, developed by Elizabeth White of Whitesbog village. This village is, today, a historical landmark. The Pine Barren's Less Prominent Industries The Pine Barren's bog iron, forests and berries were not the only industries to develop in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. For instance, glass making and coal mining turned a pretty profit. Cattle-raising and clay mining were also quite successful in their own rights. A number of gristmills, mills for grinding grains, also sprung up throughout the region. Whaling, while it may not have occurred within the Pine Barrens, did produce great wealth throughout southern New Jersey. Cape May was one of the most notable ports. However, this industry proved as fatal to the environment and ecology of southern New Jersey as the lumber industry. The natural health of the southern Jersey coast and ocean life was greatly affected by the whaling industry, endangering the whale populations in this area immensely. The Pine Barren's Current Industry The exploitation of the Pine barrens and the oceans of south jersey, through the processes of whaling, lumber harvesting and the bog iron industry, in their prime, made the region economically stable, helped develop numerous villages throughout the area and created ideal conditions, especially in the case of the bog iron industry, for the cultivation of blueberries and cranberries. These industries, as they fell in success, left behind a variety of ghost towns that can still be found throughout the Pine Barrens. The successes of the current industries that thrive in this region are a direct result of the agriculture that still continues to thrive within the Pine Barrens region. Cranberries New Jersey's cranberry crop has practically become the Pine Barren's most valuable resource for industry. New Jersey is the third largest producer of cranberries in the U.S., second only to Massachusetts and Wisconsin. New Jersey has 3,600 acres of cranberry crop. While the early cranberry crops were sold as fresh fruit products, as mentioned above, today's cranberry crop is utilized for processed juices and cranberry products. Only a miniscule amount of the crop is still sold as fresh fruit. Eco-Tourism Eco-Tourism, the study of pine barren's plants and ecosystems, brings many nature lovers into the region. The unique species of plants found throughout the area are the main attractions of this new industry. Edwin B. Forsythe's National Wildlife Refuge also attracts a great amount of onlookers and animal lovers. The very beauty of the Pine Barren's landscape and the creatures that inhabit it intrigue many a traveler into the forests of the Pine region. Pinelands Recreation Pinelands recreation, such as kayaking and sailing, camping and hiking, attract a large number of nature enthusiasts year after year. Bass River State Forest is just one of the many areas where boundless opportunities for recreation exist. Another recreational and highly education attraction that resides in this area is the Pygmy Forests. Forests, fully grown, standing a mere 5 feet, can be visited and explored. Their growth stunted as a result of low nutrient content found in the soil and a high frequency of forest fires, the Pygmy forests are ideal for the nature enthusiast who has a taste for the strange oddities of nature. These wooded miniature replicas of the great Pines do not waste their energy growing up. Instead, they stay small to save energy. Some of the trees which call the Pygmy Forests home are as follows: Pitch Pine Pinus rigida, Scrub Oak Quercus ilicifolia and Blackjack Oak Quercus marilandica. Several shrub species which also grow in the "full grown" Pine Barrens reside in the Pygmy Pine Plains as well; they include such species as high bush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum and huckleberries Gaylussacia spp. Places of Interest and Historic Significance to Visit The Pine Barren's cultural attractions that can still be visited today are listed below. Experience the Pine Barrens in a brand new way and visit these locations. The culture of the region gains life through our continued experience of all it has to offer, past and present.
The Historic Whitesbog Village Bibliography: http://caxton.stockton.edu/PoorWill/stories/storyReader$37 http://www.usgennet.org/usa/nj/county/atlantic/Pinelands/pinelands.htm http://www.batsovillage.org/history.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Barrens
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