Batsto Village, New Jersey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Batsto Village, New Jersey
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Old post Office in Batsto Village
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 Batsto Village, New Jersey
Location in Burlington County, New Jersey
Batsto Village, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Batsto Village, New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  New Jersey |
| County | Burlington |
| Township | Washington |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 874539 |
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Batsto Village
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| Location | 10 mi. E of Hammonton on CR 542, Batsto, New Jersey |
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| Area | 1,200 acres (490 ha) |
| Built | 1687 |
| Architect | Joseph Wharton |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000495 |
| Added to NRHP | September 10, 1971 |
Batsto Village, often called just Batsto, is a special historic place in New Jersey. It's an old community located in Washington Township, within Burlington County. You can find it along CR 542.
Batsto is nestled inside Wharton State Forest, deep in the Pine Barrens. This area is also part of the Pinelands National Reserve. Batsto Village is so important that it's listed on both the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection helps manage and protect it.
The name "Batsto" comes from the Swedish word bastu, which means "bathing place." The first people to bathe here were likely the Lenni Lenape Native Americans.
Contents
The Story of Batsto Village
Batsto Village has a long and interesting history, starting way back in the 1700s. It began as a place where people made iron.
Early Days and Iron Works
In 1758, a man named John Munrow bought the land where Batsto is now. Later, in 1764, Richard Wescoat bought it. A year after that, Charles Read bought half of the property from Wescoat.
Charles Read was a smart lawyer and politician. He wanted to build large iron factories. He found that the Batsto area had lots of "bog ore," which is iron ore found in streams and rivers. The nearby forests provided wood for charcoal, needed to melt the ore. The Batsto River and other waterways gave them the power they needed.
By 1766, Read had built the Batsto Iron Works. This included the Batsto furnace, where they melted the iron.
Making Supplies for the Revolution
In 1773, John Cox bought the Iron Works. They made useful items like cooking pots and kettles. During the American Revolutionary War, Batsto played a big role. The Iron Works produced important supplies for the Continental Army, helping the American soldiers.
The Richards Family Era
In 1779, Joseph Ball, who managed the Iron Works, bought the business. Then, in 1784, his uncle, William Richards, took over most of the company. The Richards family owned Batsto for the next 91 years. During this time, they built many of the buildings you see in the village today.
William Richards was the "ironmaster" (the person in charge of the iron works) until 1809. His son, Jesse Richards, took over and ran the operation until he died in 1854. Jesse's son, Thomas H. Richards, then continued the family business.
In the mid-1800s, people didn't need as much iron anymore. Batsto tried making glass instead, but it wasn't very successful. Eventually, the company went bankrupt.
Joseph Wharton's Vision
In 1876, a businessman from Philadelphia named Joseph Wharton bought Batsto. He also bought many other properties in the area. Wharton made many improvements to the village buildings. He also started new projects like cranberry farming and a sawmill.
After Joseph Wharton passed away in 1909, his properties were managed by a company in Philadelphia.
Batsto Becomes a Historic Site
By the late 1930s, only a few people, mostly woodcutters, lived in Batsto's houses.
Saving Batsto for the Future
In the 1950s, the state of New Jersey bought the Wharton properties, including Batsto Village. They wanted to preserve the area and open it to the public. The few people still living in the village were allowed to stay until 1989, when the last house was finally empty.
After the state bought the property in 1958, they began restoring the large 50-room mansion. They also rebuilt the dam to create a lake for recreation. As work continued, the village was opened for visitors. In 1959, Batsto became the most popular historic site in the state! The historic village was officially dedicated on May 27, 1961.
In 1961, a visitor center was built. It had offices, an information desk, a museum, and an auditorium.
What You Can See Today
Today, Batsto Village has more than forty historic buildings and sites. You can explore the Batsto mansion, a sawmill, and an old 19th-century ore boat. There's also a charcoal kiln, ice and milk houses, and a carriage house with stables. You can see a blacksmith shop, a wheelwright shop, a gristmill, and a general store.
The Post Office in Batsto is still open! Many collectors visit to get stamps hand-cancelled without a zip code. The Batsto-Pleasant Mills United Methodist Church, built in 1808, is still used for worship today.
