With temperatures rising and the sun shining, residents can finally end their winter hibernation and enjoy the spring weather hiking, camping or exploring the area’s historic landmarks.
Atsion
Atsion Mansion was built in 1826 as the summer home for Samuel Richards. The house is located on Route 206 across from Atsion Lake, both state-owned destinations and eight miles from Hammonton.
The mansion was renovated in 2012 and has since reopened for free tours. Richards, a prominent iron maker from Philadelphia, spent summers in the house by the lake. He 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 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.
Finally, a $1.2 million renovation project was passed for the historic property. A restoration of the 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 back in 1826.
All tours are free. Sign up at the Atsion office or call (609) 268–0444.
Across Route 206 is Atsion Lake, available for sunbathing and swimming if a trip to the Shore is out of the question.
Mark your calendar for Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day, when lifeguards are on duty.
The area is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Swimming is only permitted when lifeguards are on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, call (609) 268–0444 or visit www.state.nj.us/dep.
Experience Atsion overnight with the sounds of the pines or to learn how to camp close to home as camping is also available.
The facility offers 50 tent and trailer sites with fire rings and picnic tables. Potable water, flush toilets and showers are within walking distance.
Please call ahead for campfire regulations. The trailer sanitary station and campsites are open from April 1 through Oct. 31.
Online reservations can be made seven days a week online at ReserveAmerica.
To make a reservation through the call center, please contact ReserveAmerica at 1-(855) 607–3075 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from April 1 through Oct. 31.
The state requires residents to provide a fee of $20 per night and non-residents of $25 per night.
Hike the Pinelands
Explore local portions of the Pine Barrens and experience forgotten towns on the BATONA trail.
The BATONA (Back To Nature) trail, maintained by the Batona Hiking Club, is a 50-mile trail connecting Wharton, Brendan T. Byrne and Bass River State forests.
According to BATONA’s website, the club schedules hikes every weekend, rain or shine. Participants include adults of all ages who share an interest in outdoor activities.
According to the state DEP, the trail passes through some of South Jersey’s forgotten towns such as Martha, Lower Forge and Four Mile. The trail is marked with pink blazers and there are several roads that intersect it, making it easier to plan hikes of varying length.
For more information on BATONA or to map a hike, visit www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/docs/batona14web.pdf.
Carranza Memorial
BATONA trail passes through the Carranza Memorial in Tabernacle.
The location honors Captain Emilio Carranza, a pilot who crashed his plane after losing control in a storm over the Pine Barrens on a journey from New York City to Mexico City.
Carranza is often considered the Charles Lindbergh of Mexico.
“When the crash occurred, (American Legion) Mt. Holly Post 11 was instrumental in finding the body and bringing it out,” Lawrence Gladfelter, commander for Post 11 explained during the annual memorial service held each July. “They also stood guard at the courthouse in Mt. Holly.”
The location is spotlighted in the Weird N.J. series, dedicated to local legends and oddities in the Garden State.
The monument is located on Carranza Road in Wharton State Forest.
Weird encounters at the memorial from Weird N.J. can be found at ressida.websitewelcome.com/~weirdnj/index.php?task=view&option=com_content&id=31&Itemid=26.
For more information on Post 11 and the annual memorial, visit post11.org/Carranza.
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