Ghost Towns: And Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens

By Barbara Solem-Stull

The Pine Barrens of New Jersey contain more ghost towns, some say, than the entire American West. In Ghost Towns and Other Quirky Places in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Barbara Solem-Stull tells the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 093754860X
• ISBN13: 9780937548608
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Plexus Publishing, Inc.
• Length: 350 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

THE book on Pine Barrens ghost towns

This book replaces all previous books as THE authoritative guide to locating ghost towns in the Pine Barrens of NJ. Not only does Solem-Stull give you a brief history of vanished towns, she also tells you in detail how to visit each site in person. This is not an easy task regarding certain ghosts buried deep in the barrens, but she's not scared off by remoteness and assumes the traveler will come prepared for the sandy terrain and other dangers (she lays out some of these dangers in the opening chapter). Each of the subsequent 9 chapters covers a specific location in the Pines: the Atsion area, the Old Tuckerton Stage Road which cuts a near arrow-straight line across the midsection of the Pine Barrens, Harrisville and Martha, the Chatsworth area, the Lebanon State Forrest area, and the Mullica River area are some of them. Specific lost towns within these areas are then described and accompanied by driving directions (and maps in some cases) on how to get to them. Numerous photographs, many taken as late as 2003 are included (this is very helpful because some things change quickly in the Pines and previous guide books [most of the best are at least 30 years old] were becoming sorely outdated). A good bibliography follows each chapter, and there's a thorough index as well. For anyone interested in exploring lost towns there's an infectious quality about this book that makes you want to get out in the woods as soon as possible. I have been to most, but not all, of the places Solem-Stull describes; a certain lack of confidence in where I was heading and a definite lack of specific information shied me away from those places I haven't seen yet. But no longer, not with this book in hand. Too bad there's snow on the ground as I write this or I'd probably be headed out right now.