Hiking Through History: Historic Allaire Village

In the coming weeks and months I will be writing a series called "Hiking Through History". I will be visiting sites of historic significance around New Jersey and beyond, taking photographs and presenting them here along with a narrative. The first stop on the tour is Historic Village at Allaire in Wall Township, New Jersey. The village dates back to the early 19th Century when James P. Allaire established Howell Iron Works, a bog iron furnace and a self-sufficient village around it. The village operates today as a "living history museum" demonstrating how life was when the village and iron works were operational.

I decided to try to re-create the era with a black & white image of the Chapel. If you are looking for a special place to hold your wedding ceremony, check out the Chapel at Allaire Village.

The long building above housed the Carpenter Shop.

We move on the the Bakery, shown in the image above. There are large brick ovens where they still bake. I was fortunate to be at the village one day when they were doing demonstrations and watched the bakers - it gets quite hot in the bakery.

The last two images are the Blast Furnace. This is quite an impressive structure and the only non-operational part of the village.

This is just a taste of what is waiting for you at Allaire Village and I encourage you to explore it for yourself. For more information, check out The History Village at Allaire where you can learn more about the village and get a list of upcoming events. You can also visit the Allaire State Park website for information about the entire park, including the trails and Pine Creek Railroad.

You can follow Allaire Village on Twitter - @AllaireVillage. The account is owned by The Historic Village at Allaire and is separate from the other websites.

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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God's Square Mile - Ocean Grove, New Jersey

"God's Square Mile" is a name given to Ocean Grove, New Jersey and it is one of my favorite places on the Jersey Shore.

"Ocean Grove was founded in 1869 as an outgrowth of the camp meeting movement in the United States, when a group of Methodist clergymen, led by William B. Osborn and Ellwood H. Stokes, formed the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association to develop and operate a summer camp meeting site on the New Jersey seashore. By the early 20th century, the popular Christian meeting ground became known as the "Queen of Religious Resorts." The community's land is still owned by the camp meeting association and leased to individual homeowners and businesses. Ocean Grove remains the longest-active camp meeting site in the United States." (from Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Grove,_New_Jersey)

My earliest memories of Ocean Grove are from the 1960's and the big iron gate at the entrance to Main Avenue. The gate was locked on Sunday due to the prohibition of cars (in earlier days horse-drawn carriages) and this ban remained in place until a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in 1979 - the prohibition was permanently lifted in June of that year but the beaches are closed on Sunday until 12:30 PM when church services end.

There are many things to see and do in Ocean Grove but my favorite activities are simple - I like to walk around or simply sit on the boardwalk and watch. I watch to waves crash on the beach, seagulls searching for their next meal, surfers, fisherman, etc... I think my favorite time of day to be there is sunrise and it is typically my destination when I decide to venture out in the pre-dawn hours to shoot.

If you are more adventurous there are plenty of shops to explore and beautiful Victorian architecture to see. Many of the old homes are now being used as a bed & breakfast so you can spend a few days (or more) and take a leisurely stroll to the beach to experience your own sunrise. There are a wide variety of restaurants and a couple ice cream parlors that you absolutely must go to when you are in town.

I will leave you with a few more of my favorite Ocean Grove images.

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

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