National Park Service: Southern New Jersey and the Delaware Bay (Chapter 5)

Sandmining has been and continues to be a prominent industry in South Jersey. Beginning in the eighteenth century, the area's sand was well known for it fine-grained consistency, which was ideal for making glass. "It was the presence of this type of sand in South Jersey that brought the first glass-manufacturing plant into the county. . . ." [66] Although some sandmining took place in Salem and Cape May counties, most occurred—and continues to—in Cumberland County around Millville (Fig. 78-79), Dividing Creek, Cedarville, Manumuskin, Dorchester, and Vineland.

Figure 78. South Jersey sand, here horse and wagon has played an important role in South Jersey glass manufacturing since the late 18th century. Wettstein, ca. 1900.

Figure 79. Sand "pitts," or sand mines, such as this one operated by Samuel Hilliard, are still found in Cumberland County in the Maurice River area. Atlas, 1876.

Perhaps one of the most prominent sandmining companies was the Crystal Sand Company in Cedarville. Captain Henry S. Garrison, an inventor of sand-related machinery and a promotor and manager of sand properties, began his career as a sand digger for his father in Salem County. Later Garrison purchased land in Cedarville and organized the Garrison Sand Company. As glass interests increased in Bridgeton so did the need for another sandmine. Garrison merged with the Crystal Sand Company and soon had branches on the Maurice River and in Vineland. [67] Crystal Sand closed in 1917.

The Bridgeton Dollar Weekly in 1886 explained the procedures used by Garrison to mine sand. If no problems were encountered in a sand pit, then the workers would begin digging by hand. Once the sand was excavated, the load was transported to the wash house and emptied into a cleaning trough, where it was washed by water piped in by a ten-horse power steam engine. The sand was then sifted and rewashed to separate it from soluble loam. The sand was washed twice more, then carried upward via elevators and dumped into railroad cars. Up to 50 tons of sand could be washed daily with this procedure. [68] Problems occurred, however, if a natural stream was hit and the pit filed with water. To continue working, the workers had to drain the pit by digging a ditch, one of which was approximately 1,500' long and 32' wide.

The Cape May Sand Plant operated on Sunset Boulevard at the entrance to Cape May Point for many years until closing in the 1920s. The company, run by George and Betty Patinee, was noted for uncontaminated sand whose grains were uniform in size. Workers dug the sand offshore, hauled it away for delivery, then awaited the next tide to replenish their supply. In 1941 Harbison-Walker Refractories, a division of Dresser Industries, built a Magnesite Plant on part of the old sand-plant property. Here magnesite, which is used to make fire bricks, was extracted from the sea water. The plant closed in 1983. [69]

Several sandmining companies continue to operate in southern Cumberland County, including the Morie Company in Mauricetown, Ricci Brothers Sandmining Company near Port Norris, and WHIBCO Inc. in Leesburg. Today, however, much of the industry relies on new technology, computers that can measure grains as small as 0.0021 mm. The sand also becomes an ingredient for products other than glass: microprocessors, oven ware, roofing gravel, and water filters. [70]

Commerce

In the nineteenth century, South Jersey towns were home to a range of businesses and professionals; even small villages had the requisite general store (Fig. 80), as well as physicians, hotels, dry goods merchants, blacksmiths, confectioners, carpenters, wheelwrights, boot makers and sellers, cabinet makers, carriage makers, tailors, weavers, tanners, and bricklayers. The Bridgeton and Salem Directory (1877), for instance, reports that Dividing Creek had a physician, butcher, livery stable, wheelwright, two blacksmiths, two carpenters, and three stores; Dorchester had a physician, blacksmith, confectionery, and three stores. [71] According to Boyd's Directory (1899-1900), Hancock's Bridge advertised two lumber firms, a poultry and cattle dealer, three carpenters, two canneries, a plasterer and contractor, flour mill and gristmill, meat market, and blacksmith (Fig. 81). [72]

Figure 80. During the 19th century almost every town in South Jersey had general stores such as this one in Millville. Wettstein, late 19th century.

Figure 81. Peterson's Black Smith shop in Millville made horse shoes and axes. Wettstein, ca. 1900.

One of the most elegant commercial buildings in Bridgeton is the Cumberland National Bank, built in 1886 at Laurel and Commerce streets (Fig. 82) by the design team Hazelhurst & Huckel. Architects Edward P. Hazelhurst (1853-1915) and Samuel W. Huckel Jr. (1858-1917) designed a plethora of buildings—especially in the New Jersey-Philadelphia area—from 1881 until 1900, after which they practiced separately. Hazelhurst had worked in the Philadelphia offices of Frank Furness and T.P. Chandler, and he went on to design a range of institutional building types as well as numerous houses. Huckel is credited with the pair's church designs; his award of the commission to remodel New York's Grand Central Station in 1900 ended the partnership. [73]

Figure 82. Hazelhurst & Huckel of Philadelphia designed the present Cumberland National Bank building, erected in 1886.

The Industrial Directory of New Jersey (1909) touted many possibilities for South Jersey's small towns. Dorchester, with excellent railroad service, was an ideal site for manufacturing because goods could be shipped by land or water. The town also offered a public school, high school, and a Methodist Episcopal church. Similarly, Green Creek in Cape May County was suitable for a cannery of vegetables, oysters, or clams. The Atlantic City and West Jersey Railroad was two-and-one half miles from town and the land was relatively inexpensive; a school, two churches, and a labor supply were already in place. [74]

Developed towns such as Quinton boasted two canneries and a glassworks on Alloways Creek, which afforded easy shipping. Moreover, there was a local building and loan association with 100 stockholders and assets of $38,604, two schools, and two churches. "The town, considering its size, is a manufacturing place of some importance, and the people would be pleased to have these interests extended, particularly in the direction of industries employing female labor." [75]

Many towns such as this lost their appeal as manufacturing centers after the railroad was closed in the mid twentieth century; modern industrial facilities were then built closer to New York and Philadelphia. The exception is Millville, which continues to support two glass makers: Foster Forbes, a division of American Glass, and Wheaton Industries. Today, some residents work for the Salem Nuclear Power Plant, South Jersey Gas Company, Atlantic City Electric, and New Jersey Bell, as well as the state government, South Jersey Hospital System, and DuPont Inc. at Carney's Point. Farming—dairy and truck—sustains Cumberland and Salem county residents. Additional work is found at the Millville and Cape May airports, seaside resorts, sandmining companies, and other concerns.

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