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Batsto Houses Feature Building In The Pines
The mansion probably is the successor of a homesite created by William Richards in 1784. Though the structure one can visit today bears little resemblance to the smaller, rougher residence of the Richards family, it still enhances an appreciation for the isolation and loneliness of the village around the time of the American Revolution. Because the weather of that period was appreciably colder in winter and hotter in summer, the mansion provided a particularly welcome aspect to the family and their visitors and guests. Then, as today, it was surrounded by a wide porch or "umbra," a shady protecting place in which "inside" and "outside" met despite sun, rain, wind or snow. Inside, the older part of the house featured the high ceilings that made life in the country comfortable. After the Wharton purchase in 1876, the house was enlarged and its appearance changed to the then-popular Italianate architectural style. A four-story, square tower, for example, was added. Interestingly, in a region always living in fear of forest fire, the tower contained a large water cistern with standpipe water distribution throughout the rest of the house. Nearby, on the banks of the Batsto River, visitors still can see the hydraulic ram used to pump water into this cistern and another in the piggery building. Gravity supplied the necessary supplementary water pressure in case of need or fire. Adjacent to the service end of the mansion are the ice and milk houses. Combined with a common center wall, these were built over a large pit in which cold air naturally "pooled" to keep dairy products and other foods needing refrigeration fresh in pre-technology days. Ice itself was cut in large blocks and slid from Batsto Lake to the ice side of the cool house. It was layered in sawdust, of which the village had a large supply, for insulation. While some ice would last year-round in theory, in actual practice one could still plan on cooling the lemonade at least through July if the summer proved hot. Wood, of course, was plentiful in large sizes for the stoves and fireplaces, and split kindlings for starting the fires. It was stored, split and stacked in a woodhouse next to the ice house, also adjacent to the mansion. Batsto Village and its "executive mansion" would have been pretty much self-sufficient at any point in its operative history. Of course, that would imply the presence of barns and stables for the horses, cattle and carriages, as well as for their fodder and summer feed. These buildings have been preserved and are generally interpreted as they would have appeared during the John Wharton era. Visitors generally wonder at the presence of a second towered building here in the village. This is the piggery, recently restored and opened, where hogs were slaughtered and processed. The tower contains a large water tank over the "hog scalder," a cauldron in which carcasses were dipped to remove bristles. Because both horses and mules were utilized for work and transport at the village, the Richards families, later the Whartons, maintained active blacksmith, sawmill and wheelwright shop operations. Many of the timbers and shingles, tools, hardware, hinges, latches and locks first used when the village was active, and then recreated during its restoration, were made in these shops. Nearby the gristmill stands the corn crib, an airy structure with overhanging roof and ventilated sides to prevent the stored corn from mildewing. When corn was needed for meal, it was brought into the upper part of the gristmill by a belt-driven system, then shelled for grinding on the wheels below. The gristmill itself is still in operation on occasion, processing wheat, corn and other grains. These were stored and sold in the general store to residents of the village and neighbors. Sale of products from the village was conducted in the general store building adjacent to the mansion. One wonders if Messrs Richards and Wharton hoped by proximity to maintain control of the store operations. A typical "company store," the one at Batsto Village sold groceries, clothing, hardware and other sundries to residents. The initial section of the building brought workers still in their laboring clothes too close to the mansion, so ultimately the operating area was moved to the lower floor on the opposite side of the present building. Meanwhile, in 1852 an adjacent post office was created. It is still in operation; mail is hand canceled, and because the function is historically significant, no zip code is required by the USPS. Just west of the mansion, right where the waters of Batsto Lake pour into the river, is the site of the works where a variety of types of glass were made. The Batsto operation made window glazing, and globes for street lamps. Across the way is the site of the iron furnace and other buildings involved in the production of ore and cast-iron products. The major difference between visiting the restoration today and in its historic period would be noise. An iron furnace was put "into blast" sometime in April of the year, and the loud constant roaring continued day and night, seven days per week, until the following January or February when ice halted the flow of water to the turbine wheel. No place in the village, even in the mansion itself, would be proof against the noise, smell, grit and smoke of the furnace's operation. Today, neither the glass nor iron works buildings exist. On the opposite side of the Batsto River from the mansion lies a collection of diminutive frame dwellings. They are as they appeared when workers lived in the village. Some are single dwellings with three rooms downstairs and two up. The duplex houses had two rooms downstairs and one upstairs, plus an attic. Workers during the Wharton era were paid the then-generous rate of $34 per month; rental of a single dwelling was but $2 a month. Cooking was done in a lean-to shed behind the cottage, and water was supplied by pumps either between houses or in back. Residents of the village attended the Batsto-Pleasant Mills Methodist Church nearby; built in 1808, the building still is in use, and several Richards' family members are buried in the cemetery adjoining the church.
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HAMMONTON, N.J. -- Nearly three-dozen actual historic buildings and sites at the Batsto Village Restoration and nearby Atsion Lake offer a stunningly intimate look at life in the Pine Barrens from the 1760s to the 1850s. They can be visited in almost any weather, at almost any season.