Deserted Village of Allaire - Allaire, NJ
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 40° 09.719 W 074° 07.924
18T E 573911 N 4446097
Historic Allaire Village, a booming industrial town of the 1800's, abandoned by 1900, now restored and offers live demonstrations of period trades.
Waymark Code: WM5K84
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 01/17/2009
Views: 9
"Right on this road is the DESERTED VILLAGE OF ALLAIRE, m. (open). Today this is Camp Burton, a gift to the Boy Scouts of America by Arthur Brisbane, whose grave is on his former estate nearby. Old whitewashed brick buildings are scattered in a grove of magnificent sycamores, with woodland paths. There is an old millpond, a little white church, and one old iron furnace still intact, suggesting the busy community of a century ago. Allaire, or Monmouth Furnace as it was first called, was taken over by James Allaire, owner of Allaire Works in New York City. The pipes for the first waterworks in New York City, the air chambers for Robert Fulton's Clermont, and large quantities of pots, kettles, and stoves were cast here...
--- New Jersey: A Guide to its Present and Past, 1939"
In the 1800s, it was found that the iron ore in the central Jersey bogs was strong enough and plentiful enough to manufacture much needed cannonballs and other iron products. James Allaire, a manufacturer of marine engines in New York purchased the property in 1822 to process the ores needed for manufacturing. Due to the long hours of strenuous work, the employees brought their families to the site of the company. This brought a need for other industries to offer services. So, soon enough, a village emerged, with a mill to make flour, a bakery to make the bread, an inn to make guests and travelers comfortable, a general store for groceries and a chapel for spiritual health. Employees worked at extracting the ore from the creek, sending it through the blast furnace and into the iron works. So, a mini city, based around the industry.
The men would work the iron, their payment would be offset by the company for their lodging. The rest of their pay would be spent in the company's general strore, the comapny's bakery, the company's carpenters, etc... Great business.
Later in the 1800s, a stronger iron was found in Pennsylvania, and the iron bogs in Jersey were abandoned. By 1850, Allaire had become a ghost town.
There have been great restorations made to the remaining buildings, and there is still alot of resotrations in progress.
This is a great day trip for those interested in civil war period and 19th century history. People dressed in period garb offer demonstrations of 19th century living, offering a glimpse back in time. Occassionaly, local enthusiasts put on Civil War reenactments in the park. Give yourself the day to visit...there is much to see and learn.