With the dog days of summer now here, many parents have run out of interesting or educational ways to fill their children’s time. Atsion Mansion, located just south of Tabernacle, is offering one solution as it is once again opening its doors for tours Saturdays throughout the summer.
The property, which started as vacation home, turned eyesore, is now a historical attraction just on the edge of Wharton State Forest.
Joyce Lamb of Medford Lakes is a volunteer with the state Division of Parks and Forestry and one of Atsion’s tour guides.
“There is so much history in this area that people don’t even realize. So many people don’t even know what they are passing through on their way to the beaches,” Lamb said. “Atsion Mansion is a part of that history.”
The mansion was built in 1826 as a summer home for Samuel Richards, a prominent iron maker from Philadelphia. Richards was the operator of the Atsion furnace along the Mullica River. After Richards died in 1842, the property was passed down through his family, and eventually sold to another Philadelphia merchant, Maurice Raleigh. The Raleigh family was the last to use the mansion as a residence. When Joseph Wharton purchased the property in 1892, he used the mansion for his cranberry production.
The state acquired the property in 1955 and for decades let the mansion and grounds fall into disrepair. Boarded windows, vandalism and overgrowth led residents to question why the building was even left standing.
“A lot of the local community wondered about it,” Lamb said.
Finally, a $1.2 million renovation project was passed for the historic property. A restoration of mansion’s interior was completed in 2007, only to later be undone by a roof collapse in 2010 due to heavy snow.
Today, the mansion appears as it did in 1826. As such, it does not contain plumbing, electricity or heat other than fireplaces. That limits touring season to strictly the summer. Tours of the property began last summer but were not met with much fanfare.
“I feel that a lot of people don’t even know that it is open and available to be toured. Making people aware has definitely been a challenge,” Lamb said. “Last summer was slow but this year has been busier. We had a tour group of 49 people come through a few weeks ago.”
The home, unfurnished, is offered as an architectural tour, reflecting on the Greek Revival style of the building.
Atsion is located at 744 Route 206. Tours can be taken at 1 and 2 p.m. Reservations are required for large groups and can be made by calling the Atsion Forest Office at (609) 268–0444.
