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For the past two days I have posted pictures from Batsto Village in New Jersey. Batso Village was first started by the Lenape Indians and then had three other owners. The last owner was Joseph Wharton who died in 1909. The Girard Estate managed the Village and the Wharton Forest which was bought by the state of New Jersey in 1954.
Batsto Village is the site of a former iron & glass making industrial center. It reflects the agricultural & commercial enterprises that existed at the site in the late 19th century.
During the Revolutionary War Batsto became an important supplier to the Continental Army supplying them with munitions, camp kettles, iron fastenings & fittings for artillery caissons, wagons & ships.
From 1784 until 1876 Batsto was owned by the Richards family and they opened up the Genral Store and a Post Office. After the demise of the iron industry Batsto became known for it's production of window glass but by 1867 even glass manufacturing declined & Batsto fell into receivership.
In 1876 Joseph Wharton purchased Batsto. Wharton made considerable changes to the Village landscape. He built the saw mill and underground silo and he enlarged the mansion (picture to come later in this series) and transformed its appearance to reflect the Italianate style of architecture. He also cleared vast areas of land to cultivate crops, including cranberries. The the end of the nineteenth century Batsto had become a "gentleman's farm." the Village today still pretty much looks like it did during this period.