Hampton Furnace became an obsession for me we spent our first day in the barrens trying to get to it and one of our last days hiking on foot roughing it. As a psychic you have to sometimes go with what your heart tells you and it paid off. I did find some Jersey Devil evidence near here in addition to reading a report a second mutilation found near the furnace two months after we visited here. 

The furnace was originally founded by Clayton Earl and was opened in about 1795 and closed in 1850. The furnace was built where the Mullica and Batsto rivers meet. I took a photo to show you this hope I got that information right but anyhow its location was convenient for forging. 

Their was another forget in the area called the Dover Forge which was destroyed by a fire. Joseph Austin Jr. moved to Hampton to continue his work and remained there till about 1828. Back then they had a gated road but its long gone. They called this gate Hampton Gate. There was also a tavern at the gate which was a stone structure. Nobody has found it yet if they have they have kept it on a low down. 

I have read that an old map shows the tavern and gate across from the Furnace some people have found some stone bricks nearby so its very possible it existed. Maps were hand drawn so distances were not put into them to scale. 

It was more then just a forge though there was said to be people residing here till the 1950s where people were cranberrying. David Kell was in charge of the bogs in the mid 1930s so the area was well in use  Rumor has it that harvesting was done of cranberries up to the 1970s.

The history of the area is still very unknown some say the furnace was built in 1795. When it died in the mid 1800s so did all the rest of them when PA produced higher quality iron by using anthracite coal. The cranberry industry across from the forge lasted longer then the anything in this area. AJ Rider from the Rider University Fame and partner Charles Wilkinson may have started growing here around 1875. 

Iin 1929 Rider died and the bogs were managed by the Wilkinson family who bought out his interest. There was an article in the 40's about how Ralph Clayberger and Wilkinson's son in law and his children were trying to bring some of the bogs back to life after a disease ravaged the plants. The place then was called Hampton Park and was hosted in the American Cranberry Growers association annual summer convention in the late 50's.  

The iron works were out of commission but a few slab piles. The packing house was one of the nicest ones in the southern NJ. Much of the wood is said to have come from buildings that were erected in Philadelphia for the centennial celebration. In the later 40's there were only supposed to have been two other dwelling structures near Hampton Furnace one for the overseer of the bogs and one for the owners who frequented to the place on the weekends. Only foundations of those remain. 

The state eventually had Clayberger sell this parcel of land. He was not very happy about that and the packing house burned to the ground. Back when the state took over they found a furnace wheel in the raceway near the packing house. It was to heavy to lift out of the muddy waters and the workers gave up leaving it there. 

Today not much remains there is so many ways to get into Hampton in our case many various roads were out with water up to 4 feet deep. We did find an area about 2 to 3 miles away so we back packed it in. Along that journey there were sections of woods completely logged I believe that Hampton's furnace loggers had cut down parts of woods in this area to use in forging. 

I also believe that this is a huge Jersey Devil area I keep reading about mutilations that have taken place back here of deer. I also noticed during our hike that there is a very bridges in the area of two very common streams which the Jersey Devil follows.  The area is very secluded their is a railroad bed in the area that goes for miles in a ravine, there is roads no truck can go down, there are trails that are over grown etc

In 1957 a forest fire broke out and a mysterious unknown carcass was found this is a fact you can look it up on public records. The remains found were bones, fur, feathers and claws. Those that seen it said that it did not match any animal known to the barrens. Back then people thought the Jersey Devil was dead and maybe so but maybe then again there is more then one ahhhh and so the legend still continues!

© By

Lord Rick