Atsion was once a thriving iron community. Atsion also had life as a "planned community", and as the "Atsion Farm" of Joseph Wharton. Reminders of Atsion’s past are visible on the east side of US 206. This town is located in a State Forest, as the others are, in NJ's Pine Barrens. There is a U.S. highway going through the middle of it. There are some people living there in modern homes. On some dirt roads in the area you may need 4-wheel drive because of soft sand. Atsion is now a part of Wharton State Forest. It was a part of the New Jersey’s purchase of the Wharton Tract in the mid 1950"s.
Some of these reminders are existing structures such as the mansion (currently under rehab), the general store also known as Etheredge's Store (now a ranger station), a barn, a one-room school house, a church (still in use), a cemetery (also still used), a barn and a few structures whose primary purpose is unknown to me. These unknown structures are barely standing. I especially like the railroad which runs right through the town. The tracks can be found running perpendicular to Quaker Bridge (where Grace Bible Baptist Church is located)
About 50 yards south of Atsion Lake, there was another cemetery. Today, if you look carefully you can find a few marker stones remaining. A primary source (I found as many diverse sources I could find, including this fabulous primary source named Doug Entwistle, who provided some invaluable information.) wrote me and said about this graveyard, "The only other cemetery that I remember was located about 50 yards into the woods just south of the lake. There used to be a dirt road just beyond the lake that went back to the area of the new visitors center and lake swimming access. Before the state aquired the propery we used to swim just off Rt. 206 and back near the new beach. There were 2 grave stones. I don't know if the state moved the graves or left them there. I doubt that they are still accessible today."
As far as industry goes, you have to look really hard to find any remnants of the iron ore production, paper mill and cotton mill businesses which once flourished. There are stones, pieces of foundations, etc around the area where these factories once stood. I was able to find a few artifacts on a recent survey of the area.
I was able to ascertain that the southern boundary of Atsion is marked on Rt. 206 by a sign marking the boundary of Burlington County and Atlantic County. I am still clueless about the northern boundary.
In a letter, Doug told me the last pig iron furnace was located on the east side of Rt. 206 next to the lake's floodgates. His grandfather (Howard Vaughn) said it burned down early in the last century. He was not sure that his memory serves him on this but when he was a boy, it was no longer standing in his memory.
With regards to the immediate area near and about the gun club (across from Grace Church), Doug wrote, "The Gloucester gun club building used to be a private residence. The last known family that lived in that building was Sam Giberson, his wife and family. Upon vacating the house they moved south about a mile on Rt. 206 to a house on property now occupied by an auto salvage yard. The other small house you describe was occupied in the 1930s by my uncle, aunt and their children. There names were George and Reba Hyland. Later and I believe the last occupants were John Greco, his wife and children. They later moved to a house just off Rt. 206 on Rt. 541."
I also found this information on the web (after an extensive literature review) from which I learned even more specific information about the existing structures in the immediate area of the ranger station. "REMAINS: The ironmaster's mansion (1826), the company store (1827) (now a ranger station), the poured-concrete horse barn, a couple of houses, the cotton mill, the school, the church (still in use), railroad tracks and a cemetery that I have not yet found."
Also, another fellow, Barry Caselli wrote (on this WEBSITE), "I believe there was a post office when the town was still "alive"." I found that to be of particular interest. I am still trying to find pictures and catalog these various type of civic structures one would expect to find in a small town or community.
If you are really into ghost towns and are curious about Atsion, you absolutely must click HERE and go to this website to read a primary source (Doug Entwistle) account about this town. It is a pretty amazing read.
Wikipedia wrote this, "Atsion was the site of an iron forge making bog iron in American Revolutionary times, and produced war material for the American side. After the war, the area produced iron stoves, and a grist mill, saw mills and a paper mill were added. Still later, cotton and peanuts were grown. The state bought Atsion for Wharton State Forest in 1954."
And finally, I was able to find this slide show/video on youtube.com which was taken several years ago and shows structures I did not have the opportunity to photograph either because they were demolished, burned or I just could not discover them. It is worth viewing if you have an interest in Atsion. Please click HERE.
I will continue to investigate Atsion with the hopes of discovering even more little known facts about this town and post these new discoveries on this waymark. Stay tuned!