Atsion Lake - Atsion (Shamong Twp.), NJ
N 39° 44.450 W 074° 43.700
18S E 523276 N 4399028
Lake Atsion is a lake in Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens, in Burlington County, NJ. The lake is part of the Mullica River. The lake offers boating, hiking, fishing, swimming and camping facilities, and cross-country skiing in the Winter.
Waymark Code: WM5D6R
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 12/21/2008
Views: 6
"ATSION, 124.2 (50 alt., 150 pop.), named for Atsionk Indians, has a few worn buildings along the banks of the Mullica River. A dam at the highway forms Atsion Lake (R), the millpond of an early bog-iron works. Below its spillway are the ruins of the Atsion Furnace, built in 1776, and a large stone and stucco mill building that in turn manufactured iron, paper, and cotton. A large, deserted house of square design (L), with wide porticos and iron pillars embossed at the base with the furnace brand "A," is the Samuel Richards Mansion, home of an eighteenth-century iron master. The general store (L) close to the highway. A plain stuccoed building without an identifying signboard it resembles a small chapel with its small belfry and austere architectural lines, although a haymow door on the second floor does not conform to church design." --- New Jersey, a Guide to Its Present and Past, 1939; page 471-472
Just off Route 206 in Shamong Township, Atsion Lake was created in 1766 by Charles Read, to provide the water power necessary for bog iron producing. The lake provided the necessary water power and cooling for the iron producing. The State of New Jersey purchased the lake and surrounding lands in 1954, opening a great recreational park on this site.