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24-468: The forest is also the location of the historic Batsto Village , a former bog iron and glass manufacturing site from 1766 to 1867. The forest includes extensive hiking trails, including a section of the Batona Trail , which connects the forest to nearby Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and Bass River State Forest . It also includes over 500 miles (800 km) of unpaved roads. The rivers, including

48-730: A 32,500 acres (13,200 ha) jetport in the Pine Barrens. To preserve the land of the Wharton estate, the New Jersey government purchased the lands containing large portions of the Mullica River in 1954, which was designated Wharton State Forest on December 30, 1954. New Jersey purchased additional land in 1956, totaling 96,000 acres (39,000 ha) in its entirety, for a sum of $ 3 million. To prevent additional development, local residents and farmers worked to preserve

72-495: A controlling interest. Over the next 91 years, the Richards family built most of the structures in the village. Richards was ironmaster until he retired in 1809. He was succeeded by his son, Jesse Richards, who ran the operation until his death in 1854 and was followed in turn by his son Thomas H. Richards. In the mid-19th century, demand for iron declined and Batsto turned to glassmaking, though without lasting success. Soon Batsto

96-412: A half-interest in much of the property to Charles Read. Read, a prominent lawyer, politician, and agriculturalist, had determined to become an ironmaster on a large scale. Batsto was one of several sites he fixed upon for the erection of blast furnaces . He had surveyed the tract of land, and found that it had an abundance of bog ore which could be mined from the area's streams and rivers. Wood from

120-651: Is a popular hiking destination along the Batona Trail in the forest. The hill, topped with a 60 feet (18 m) New Jersey Forest Fire Service fire tower , provides impressive panoramic views across the Pinelands region. Batsto Village, New Jersey Batsto Village (or simply Batsto ) is a historic unincorporated community located on CR 542 within Washington Township in Burlington County , New Jersey , United States . It

144-751: Is located in Wharton State Forest in the south central Pine Barrens , and a part of the Pinelands National Reserve . It is listed on the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places , and is administered by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection 's Division of Parks & Forestry. The name is derived from the Swedish bastu , bathing place (also the Swedish word for Finnish sauna );

168-745: The Batsto-Pleasant Mills Methodist Episcopal Church, is still active as a place of worship. Apple Pie Hill Apple Pie Hill is a hill in Tabernacle Township , Burlington County , New Jersey . It is 205 feet (62 m) tall, making it one of the highest points of the New Jersey Pine Barrens . A 60-foot-tall (18 m) fire tower stands atop the summit, offering views of the surrounding Pine Barrens. The skylines of Atlantic City and Philadelphia are visible from

192-531: The Mullica, are popular destinations for recreational canoeing . The forest is named for Joseph Wharton , who purchased most of the land that now lies within the forest in the 19th century. Wharton wanted to tap the groundwater under the Pine Barrens to provide a source of clean drinking water for Philadelphia ; however, the New Jersey Legislature quashed the plan by passing a law that banned

216-690: The Pine Barrens, eventually leading to the formation of the Pinelands National Reserve in 1978. A large fire, dubbed the Mullica River Fire , broke out at the Wharton State Forest in June 2022. Within the state forest, once a residence and cranberry packing facility, Atsion Mansion has been vacant since 1882. The mansion was constructed in 1826 by Samuel Richards, Ironmaster of the Atsion Iron Furnace & Forge. It

240-671: The Saturday nearest the anniversary of his crash (second Saturday in July) at 1:00 p.m. he is honored at the monument site by local residents and representatives from the Mexican consulates in New York City and Philadelphia. The forest has ten campgrounds, ranging from family camping at Atsion Recreation Area , with showers and a guarded beach, to wilderness camping that can be reached only by hiking or canoe/kayak. Apple Pie Hill

264-529: The area's forests could be burned for charcoal for smelting the ore. The Batsto River , the Mullica (Atsion) River , and Nescochague Creek furnished water power. Immediately after his purchase from Wescoat, Read acquired additional wood and ore rights between Batsto and Atsion from John Estell, and then successfully petitioned the legislature for an act authorizing him to dam the Batsto River. By

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288-483: The basement, and the existing cedar roof were all repaired; and a new exterior sidewalk was added to a handicap ramp. The reconstruction of a western porch provided a historically accurate interpretation of the building to represent the way it was originally. The mansion is unique, in that the mansion is equipped with no electricity or indoor plumbing, allowing visitors to imagine how the Richards Family lived in

312-516: The depot plans had shifted to Long Branch and the Air Force was no longer interested in this location. The state of New Jersey purchased the Wharton properties in the late 1950s and began planning the use and development of the property, allowing the few people still living in the Village to remain; in 1989 the last house was vacated. After the property was purchased in 1958, the plans started with

336-565: The early 19th century. A monument marks the location where Mexican aviation pioneer Emilio Carranza crashed on July 12, 1928 while attempting to fly his Ryan Brougham airplane, the Mexico Excelsior, non-stop from New York to Mexico City, final leg of a historic goodwill flight to the United States. The monument, installed with funds donated by Mexican schoolchildren, depicts a falling eagle of Aztec design. Every July on

360-671: The end of 1766, he had built the Batsto Iron Works, including Batsto furnace. In 1773, John Cox bought the Iron Works, which produced cooking pots, kettles, and other household items. Batsto manufactured supplies for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War . In 1779, the Iron Works manager, Joseph Ball, bought the works and in 1784, his uncle, William Richards, bought

384-455: The export of water from the state. The state bought the vast tract from Wharton's heirs in the 1950s. In the 1800s, various bog iron and paper industries developed in the New Jersey Pine Barrens . In 1873, Philadelphia industrialist Joseph Wharton began purchasing property and abandoned towns in the Pine Barrens, eventually acquiring about 100,000 acres (40,000 ha). Wharton planned to build dams to redirect freshwater to Philadelphia, but

408-519: The first bathers were probably the Lenni Lenape Native Americans . The land in the vicinity of what would become Batsto was purchased from the proprietors of West Jersey in 1758 by the land speculator John Munrow. John Fort ran a sawmill there for several years, attempting to buy the land with the profits from milling, but failed to meet the purchase price. It was sold to Richard Wescoat in 1764. A year later, Wescoat sold

432-469: The late 1930s, the houses in Batsto were "occupied chiefly by woodcutters and other members of South Jersey's forest people." Starting in 1952, the Air Force reviewed the Batsto location for an arms depot. Included in that construction was a plan for a "trans-ocean airport" and Congress was working on authorizing $ 73,523,000 for the establishment of a combined depot and air transport service. However, by 1956,

456-428: The plan was blocked by the New Jersey legislature in 1884, with a law that blocked transporting waters outside of the state. After Joseph Wharton died in 1909, his family estate tried selling his property to New Jersey for $ 1 million, which was defeated by a referendum in 1915. For the next few decades, the Wharton estate was managed by a trust company . In the 1950s and 1960s, the federal government sought to build

480-404: The restoration of the 50-room mansion and the rebuilding of the dam for recreation on the lake. After work began the property was concurrently opened to visitors. In 1959 the historic village of Batsto became the most popular site for that year as measured by visitors relative to other state historic sites. The historic village was dedicated on May 27, 1961 at 1:30pm. In 1961, the visitor center

504-665: The top of the tower. It lies along the Batona Trail in Wharton State Forest , making it a popular hiking destination. On September 10, 2016, due to vandalism, the Department of Environmental Protection closed Apple Pie Hill to public access by erecting a fence around the tower. However, the tower is open to visitors when staff members are present and by appointment. Soils are sandy almost everywhere, with profiles that resemble classic podzol development; Atsion, Lakehurst, Lakewood, and Woodmansie are common soil series. This Burlington County, New Jersey state location article

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528-519: Was built as a summer residency and used by Richards until his death in 1842. In 1960, the building lost even more of its glory when its west porch was torn down. Under the guidelines of the State of New Jersey, area contractors Wu & Associates undertook the restoration of the site. The existing exterior stucco was removed and replaced with new material; the interior plaster, wood windows and shutter were restored; fireplace mantels, stone and wood floors in

552-571: Was in bankruptcy. In 1876, Philadelphia businessman Joseph Wharton purchased Batsto along with a substantial number of other properties in the area. He improved many of the village buildings and was involved in a number of forestry and agricultural projects, including cranberry farming and a sawmill. After his death in 1909, his properties in the Pine Barrens were managed by the Girard Trust Company in Philadelphia. By

576-531: Was started. It initially housed the office, information desk, museum and an auditorium. Today there are more than forty sites and structures, including the Batsto mansion, a sawmill, a 19th-century ore boat, a charcoal kiln, ice and milk houses, a carriage house and stable, a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, a gristmill and a general store. The Post Office is still in operation, and collectors have stamps hand-cancelled, with no zip code. The Batsto-Pleasant Mills United Methodist Church building, erected in 1808 as

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