Historic Batsto Village
Batsto Village is a historic site located in the serene pinelands of New Jersey in what is now part of Wharton State Forest. Batsto was orignially founded by ironmaster Charles Read in 1766. The location provided all the necessary natural resources for the production of iron. There was an abundance of bog ore, wood to fuel the furnace, and the Batsto River, which provided power and transportation for manufacturing. Batsto Iron Works changed ownership several times during its early years, in 1773 and 1779, but it continued to manufacture various household items "such as cooking pots and kettles."[1] During this period Batsto Iron Works also played an important role in supplying the Continental Army with "cannons, munitions, camp kettles, and [various types of] iron fittings."[2]
Pictured below are some of the Batsto Village Houses.
From 1784-1876, the Richards family owned and operated Batsto Village. Important products manufactured during this period included "cast iron water pipes and firebacks (iron plates used to line the back of [fireplaces])."[3] Around the mid-1800s iron production was on the decline in New Jersey and the Richards family found it necessary to transform the Iron Works into a glass manufacturing center.“ In 1846 Batsto began to produce glass for window panes and street lights.” The glass business eventually shut down in 1867, and in 1874 much of the village was destroyed by a tragic fire. Many of the buildings still standing to this day were built by the Richards family.[4]
In 1876 Batsto Village was acquired by Joseph Wharton. Wharton, “a pioneer in forestry and conservation”, purchased tens of thousands of acres of land in New Jersey. Wharton improved and expanded the village adding the sawmill that is currently standing. After Wharton’s death in 1909, production in Batsto Village ceased and village residents had to find work elsewhere.[5] The State of New Jersey purchased the property in 1954 and today Batsto Village is part of Wharton State Forest.[6]
Pictured below is the Batsto Sawmill.
1. [http://www.batstovillage.org/history.htm] ↩
2. [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batsto_teaching_resource.pdf, p.13] ↩
3. [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batsto_teaching_resource.pdf, p.13-14] ↩
4. [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batsto_teaching_resource.pdf, p.13-14] ↩
5. [http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batsto_teaching_resource.pdf, p.14-15] ↩
6. [http://www.batstovillage.org/history.htm] ↩