Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey

by Henry Charlton Beck

Composed, for the most part, from sketches that were published in the Courier-Post newspapers of Camden, New Jersey, Beck provides us with a series of stories of towns too tiny or uncertain for today's maps.  Together, these sketches help to create a more complete picture of the history of New Jersey.  A connecting skein of untold or little known wartime history--the Revolution, the War of 1812, and the conflict of North against South--runs through most of the sketches.  Many of the sketches concern the pine towns and their people, "the pineys" who lived in the Jersey pine barrens.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Book Club

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1935

Reviews

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading/skimming as a south jersey resident interested in local history that you never knew before. The writing can be a bit dry and jump all over the place, but i let it slide as it was written in the 1930s. I loved the detailed stories about specific people, hearing about people long forgotten to time and the local legends that fade away. The pines and fires swallow up the past, but its super interesting to imagine what life would have been like here 150-200 years ago.

[CGZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, five stars because it holds a special connection to me. I really enjoyed the stories, they remind me of where I come from. I visited a couple of the sites, but sadly there's little to be found. Some have been swallowed up by urban sprawl, housing developments. Some are just deep woods now. You can find the occasional depression in the ground in an old rotted building foundation, some broken glass, mangled bits of rust that used to be metal objects. But it's a great read.

[Penelope Gladwell]

Research for my next novel. A fun trek through the Pine Barrens in the 1930s with the author.
His language and ethnic biases are dated, but the stories of people, industry, and legends are quite enjoyable.

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some chapters were entertaining, some were informative. An interesting look back at what certain parts of South Jersey used to be like, from a white man's perspective in the 1930s so not everything reads well today.

[Connor Eberhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in NJ all my life, I only learned facts here and there about the history of our great state. So it was awesome to read deeper into the history of my home! This book has many interesting stories that will give you a better understanding and appreciation of NJ.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun “skim” of places that once existed but no more - kinda hard to imagine but fun to try

[Rissa Pappas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a New Jersey classic. Worth a read for anyone who hails from South Jersey. The writing is wonderful and the stories are entertaining.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who explores the Pines needs to read this book. Beck is "the man" when it comes to history of our South Jersey playground. I picked this book up a decade or so ago. I read some sections back then and along the way, but apparently never made it all the way through. When I sat down recently to make it through my eyes rebelled. Off to Amazon to get the digital version so I can actually see the text. :)

All the little towns that are and once were in the Pinelands are examined. The folklore and history of these places is shared with good humor with the reader.

Beck was a newspaper man who explored this area and wrote for a Camden paper in the mid- to late-1930s.

In addition, there is a second edition (More Forgotten Towns) of this popular anthology of articles. I read that long ago.

[Rainbowjay]

Good Book

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history, well written. I travel through much of the areas listed and was happy to read of towns and people long gone. Well worth my time!

[Chris Chaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book concerning the towns mentioned, cannot wait to read Beck's other books.