Ruins of the Estellville Glassworks

Not far from Atlantic City, New Jersey, are the remains of the nineteenth-century Estellville Glassworks, which was in operation from about 1826 to 1877. These buildings are unusual among New Jersey glassworks in using local sandstone with brick arches. Visited on a balmy Autumn day.

Sandstone ruins of glass factory
Ruins of the Pot House.
Sandstone ruins of Glass Factory
Ruins of the Pot House, where the clay crucibles, or pots, were made.
Sandstone and brick ruins of Glass Factory
Ruins of the Melting Furnace.

Jacob’s Creek Trail

This is a short hike mostly along the floodplain of Jacob’s Creek in Hopewell Township, New Jersey, managed by the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space. It was just damp and leaf-covered today, but the creek can flow powerfully through here after a rainstorm.

Remnant of stone wall that may have been used to dam Jacob’s Creek for ice harvesting.
Overgrown section of stone wall.
Maybe where some of the stone was quarried to build that dam.
Jacob’s Creek from the bridge.

More Bogs, More Barrens

At the Cranberry Bogs along Mt. Misery trail. Source: TCM

Fall colors are appearing in the Pine Barrens. I rode about 10 miles on parts of the Mt. Misery trail and Glass House Road in Brendan Byrne State Forest, which provide a mix of paved roads, wide graded sand roads, and single track closely hemmed by bushes and trees. I must have been the first visitor that morning, because I was constantly riding through webs spanning the trail and when I stopped for a bit, there were at least three spiders still hanging on to the front of my bike.

The RadMini alongside the bogs. Source: TCM
Sand road along cranberry bog
Riding through the cranberry bogs in Brendan Byrne State Forest. Source: TCM
cranberry bog
Another view of the bogs. Source: TCM

Near the end of the ride, the Reeves cranberry bogs provided a peerless photographic opportunity. The bogs were created by William H. Reeves at the beginning of the twentieth century and remained in operation for at least half a century.

The roads around the bogs had some soft sand. The RadMini did not seem to have a problem with it, but I did almost wipe out plowing through a turn a little too fast.

Sand road blocked by water
Time to turn around. Source: TCM