Allaire Village
Allaire Village | |
Location | 3 mi. SE of Farmingdale on CR 524, Farmingdale, New Jersey |
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Coordinates | 40°9′31″N 74°7′44″W / 40.15861°N 74.12889°W |
Area | 330 acres (130 ha) |
Built | 1750 |
NRHP reference No. | 74001174[1] |
NJRHP No. | [2] |
Added to NRHP | January 11, 1974 |
Allaire Village is a
History
Allaire Village is the history of a particular geological formation and the man who was drawn to it because of his business needs. Throughout the course of his ownership, James Peter Allaire created a thriving community centered around the bog iron industry, with his company known as Howell Works, which was just one of his business concerns. Allaire owned a marine steam engineering plant in New York City, the Allaire Iron Works, a steam packet line and various steamships that, together, gave him the resources to control his business from the raw materials to the finished product. When building up the community, he constructed the largest furnace in the US at the time for the iron ore.[6] The Historic Allaire Village that remains today reflects the ideals of James P, Allaire and of the industrial era that flourished between the end of the War of 1812 and the years just before the American Civil War.
The rise and fall of Allaire's business enterprises encompasses the period from 1822 to 1855, commonly referred to as the
During the War of 1812, an
What initially interested Allaire in the property now known as Historic Allaire Village was the presence of significant quantities of
Bog ore is a renewable resource when mined and utilized with care. It is produced when rain water leaches out
Restoration
Deserted in 1846, the property occasionally saw residents.[14] Newspaper accounts report that a few of the houses were occupied[14] and one cottage briefly restored as the "Delisle Inn";[15] but most buildings sat largely unused. The property passed through family members until 1901 when it was purchased by Arthur Brisbane. Arthur Brisbane used a couple of the buildings for residences until the late 1920s.[16]
Starting about 1900, the village was used as a backdrop for silent movies. Most notable of the films using the backdrop was
In 1941, Mrs. Phoebe C. Brisbane (Arthur Brisbane's Widow) deeded the property to the state for development into a recreational park as a memorial to her husband.[3] The state of New Jersey allowed the war department to build a mock "German Town" on the property during World War II for training of troops at Fort Monmouth.[6] Due to lack of restoration funds, the state of New Jersey made a 25-year lease to a non-profit called the "Deserted Village of Allaire" to allow them to start restoration in the mid 1950s.[22] The initial 11-member board of trustees consisted of one member who was actually a descendant of James Allaire; Edwin B. Allaire was a member of the board in 1957.[7]
Attempts to raise funds for restoration stated about 1952.[23] The buildings and property sat idle till restoration funds became available in 1957.[24] At that point, the property had again become overrun with vegetation and buildings were in dis-repair. The Blacksmith shop and the General Store were the initial focus of the restoration. Following that, the stables and bakery were restored. The Stables were restored with the focus to become a riding academy. The Allaire Village was Dedicated as a State Park in June 1957[25] and officially reopened by Governor Robert B. Meyner on May 24, 1958.[26] The museum was established through the efforts of the New Jersey State Federation of Woman's Clubs in 1958.[27] Although the restoration of the Village is not yet complete, the buildings that remain, the interpretive programs based on a multitude of available primary records, and even the landscape make Allaire Village a rare resource. Through them, visitors are able to experience and better understand the forces that shaped New Jersey's industrial power in the early 19th century.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places - Monmouth County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection - Historic Preservation Office. October 25, 2010. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 2, 2007. Retrieved November 28, 2010.
- ^ a b Honig, Milton; 1958, Ghost Town Opens at a Jersey Park, May 25, 1958, Page 68
- ^ Deserted Village at Allaire Recreates 19th Century Industrial Community, Joe King, The Independent, March 7, 1973, Page 8
- ^ Freudenheim, Betty, 1990, "Crafts - A Fair that's Full of Style", New York Times, July 8, 1980
- ^ a b c d Agar, Ruth, March 17, 1960, "Silent Streets of a Deserted Village Return to Life", Freehold Transcript, Page 21
- ^ a b "Old Monmouth County Village Returning to Life", The New York Times, June 4, 1966, Page 25
- ^ James Peter Allaire Archived August 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine - official Allaire Village website.
- ^ Demonstrations Slated at Allaire, Amy Spiezio, The Independent, July 20, 1994, page 13
- ^ Concert Sunday, The Matawan Journal, August 10, 1972, Page 3
- ^ Square Dance Set for Sunday, Matawan Journal, September 14, 1972, Page 7
- ^ Scenic Tour, Matawan Journal, September 10, 1936, page 13
- ^ Allaire Village, Inc.
- ^ a b New York Times, "Hal Allaire, Village Owner, Is Dead", October 19, 1901, Page 3
- ^ New York Times, "Brisbane Buys Deserted Village", March 2, 1907, Page 2
- ^ Zuckerman, George - A deserted Village, Allaire, Nears Age 150 - June 11, 1972
- ^ Sitkus, Hance Morton, 2002, Images of America - Allaire, page 42
- ^ Asbury Park Press, "Shore Leaders of Scout Campaign", June 2, 1930, Page 3
- ^ a b New York Times, "Brisbane Camp Gift Aids Jersey Scouts", September 5, 1928, Page 25
- ^ Frommel, Dorothy, Asbury Park Press, "The Girl Scouts Troop 1"m May 19, 1930, Page 12
- ^ Wolverton, David - 2003 - Monmouth Council Boy Scouts, page 25, Arcadia Publishing
- ^ The New York Times, "Ghost Town Opens at a Jersey Park", May 25, 1958, Page 68
- ^ State Aid Asked to Restore Allaire, The Matawan Journal, May 29, 1952, Page 8
- ^ Sitkus, Hance Morton - 2002 - Allaire - page 79 - Arcadia Publishing
- ^ "Dedicate 1277 Acre Allaire Tract as State Park", Freehold Transcript, June 6, 1957, Page 20
- ^ "Jersey Will Open Deserted Village", New York Times, May 4, 1958, Page 28
- ^ The Deserted Village, Asbury Park Press, June 5, 1958, Page 4
External links
- Official website
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NJ-28, "The Deserted Village, Allaire", 3 measured drawings, 7 data pages
- HABS No. NJ-28-E, "The Deserted Village, Bakery", 1 photo, 4 measured drawings
- HABS No. NJ-28-J, "The Deserted Village, Blacksmith Shop", 2 measured drawings
- HABS No. NJ-28-A, "The Deserted Village, Blast Furnace", 3 photos, 1 measured drawing
- HABS No. NJ-28-H, "The Deserted Village, Carpenter Shop", 3 measured drawings
- HABS No. NJ-28-B, "The Deserted Village, Church", 1 photo, 3 measured drawings
- HABS No. NJ-28-C, "The Deserted Village, Double House", 1 photo, 2 measured drawings
- HABS No. NJ-28-F, "The Deserted Village, Enameling House", 1 photo, 2 measured drawings