Andrew Rider owned a large cranberry farm in the Pinelands in the early 20th century.
It was known in the community that he paid his workers in cash after seven weeks of work in the bogs.
In 1916, about a quarter-mile away from Atsion Village, he was readying to disburse the funds that he had withdrawn from a bank in Hammonton when a band of eight men, a few of whom were dressed as women, jumped out of the woods wielding guns.
“The group of men started shooting,” said tour guide Barbara Solem. “Everybody in the car was shot.”
Andrew’s brother, Henry, was shot in the neck and ultimately bled to death.
The car then was able to flee from the crime scene and reach safety.
The would-be robbers had arrived in town in a vehicle with an out-of-state license plate, which was unusual for the time period. A member of the community luckily penned the plate number due to the oddity of the car being there, which eventually led to all suspects being caught by authorities.
When the state acquired Wharton Tract in 1954 off of present-day Route 206 in Shamong Township, there was graffiti throughout Atsion Mansion in Atsion Village.
One drawing remains: a car that appears to be racing away from a scene.
The graffiti is dated 1923; just years after the sensational murder shook the community.
“For some reason, when they (the state) did the restoration, they thought it was interesting and they decided to leave it,” said Solem, who gives tours as a volunteer and is also a local author.
The state restored the outside of the mansion shortly after purchasing the tract for $3 million, but the inside remained shut for more than 50 years.
“They did eventually do the restoration,” she said. “There was tremendous damage inside of the house.”
In the last few years, tours were only offered intermittently.
The cost of the restoration reached $1.3 million.
Recently, the mansion began opening for free tours on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. The mansion is located at 744 Route 206, eight miles north of Hammonton and across the street from Atsion Lake.
The tour experience is vastly different than a visit to nearby Batsto Village in Hammonton, Solem said.
“We’re working very closely with Batsto. This is a different kind of experience,” she said.
Batsto Mansion is “furnished beautifully,” she said, whereas Atsion Mansion is more of an architectural tour.
“It’s a little funkier here,” she laughed, “but it’s still interesting and we hope that people will come to both places.”
The state Department of Environmental Protection agrees with Solem.
“Atsion Mansion offers visitors a chance to take a step back in time to a very interesting point in New Jersey’s history,” said Rob Auermuller, superintendent of Wharton State Forest, in a statement. “It is one of many sites at the park that I encourage all visitors to experience.”
The tours help to maintain the historic sites in the state, said DEP assistant commissioner of natural and historic resources Richard Boornazian in the statement.
“Expanded opportunities to visit Atsion Mansion and then to experience Batsto Village in Wharton State Forest provide a unique and enjoyable educational experience for New Jersey residents and visitors from other states,” he said. “This also fits perfectly into Gov. Christie’s vision of a Sustainable Parks Plan, which seeks to augment programs, offerings, and amenities at our state parks, to draw more visitors and enhance revenues while maintaining the integrity of our parks and historic sites.’’
For visitors who want to view the other remaining village structures in the village area, Solem said maps are available.
The Atsion Park Office, where reservations for large groups can be made, is in the old village store.
“This was the center of the community for people,” she explained.
Atsion Village historically was a company town, no matter for what industry the occupants were working.
“This is a whole village that was established over 250 years ago,” she said.
The mansion was built in 1826 when the village was experiencing its greatest prosperity.
“This is the time when 120 men worked in the iron furnace and 600 to 700 people were sustained by the iron works,” she said.
The town consisted of the mansion, several dwellings for workers, the company store, church, sawmill, gristmill and blacksmith shop.
The mansion was built in the Greek Revival style and was said to resemble the store.
Even on one of the hottest days of the year, the air in the mansion was cool.
“The house has a north-south exposure,” Solem said. “That was done purposely to allow for maximum sunlight as well as ventilation.”
There is no furniture in the 14-room mansion due to the lack of electricity, heat and air conditioning.
Many of the fireplaces were torn off of the walls during the restoration, though some could be remounted.
A color analysis was also done. Today, the colors on the walls match the ones that the inhabitants of times past used to see.
The tour winds through the house, stopping in each room other than the servants’ rooms on the third floor, while Solem tells many known details about its extensive history.
In the future, more tour times may be possible if Atsion is able to train more volunteer guides.
“We are really glad that it is open to the public,” Solem said.
For more information, call the Atsion Park Office at (609) 268–0444.
