Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey [Paperback]

Henry Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1983

"Villages have disappeared even from the maps, the vestiges described by Beck having been obliterated by the bulldozer or the attrition of time. Only this book remains, a labor of love, to tell their stories." --Chicago Tribune Long regarded as folklife classics, Henry Charlton Beck's books are vivid re-creations of the back roads, small towns, and legends that give New Jersey its special character. Rutgers University Press is pleased to make these important books available again in newly designed editions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (October 1, 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813510163
• ISBN-13: 978-0813510163
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,185,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love the Pine Barrens,..., November 15, 2001

By 

Jeffrey W. Behm "Jeff B." (Belle Mead, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey (Paperback)

Need a brief escape from the modern world? Want to know what life was like a hundred years ago in Southern NJ? This is the book for you. Mr. Beck wrote in a beautiful, yet folksy style about the people and places that once existed in what we now call the Pine Barrens. After reading this, I am anxious to go back and look for some of these places myself.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic on the local history of southern NJ, October 26, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey (Paperback)

Henry Charton Beck spent much of his spare time in the 1930s traipsing around the rural areas of New Jersey searching out local history and lore. He wrote about what he learned in newspaper articles and then in full-length books. This book is the first in a series, published in 1936 (always in print since then, but never revised).

Beck is concerned with the tiny settlements that grew and died mainly in the Pine Barrens, a huge, sparsely settled area that stretches across a good portion of southern NJ. Beginning with Ongs Hat, he tells about 37 different places, one per chapter. The chapters are short, and all the places were visited by Beck, with much of his narrative told through his own eyes. Many of the places are still identified on larger topo maps (there are no maps in the book, unfortunately); very few of these places were ever large enough to support a post office and were merely placenames. Photos grace the book, though what is depicted in them has long disappeared for the most part. Also missing, though it would be very helpful, is an index.

Beck's style has the effect of drawing the reader out into the field to see what he's seen. I've been to quite a few of the places mentioned in the book and have enjoyed having the book along with me. Being almost 70 years old, the book is somewhat outdated (some isolated areas he writes about outside of the Pine Barren reserve are filled with housing developments and strip malls now), but it's still a great book on the local history of southern NJ of long ago.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, July 21, 2001

By 

Kenneth J. Meluso (Sparta, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forgotten Towns of Southern New Jersey (Paperback)

Beware that once you read this book, you'll be hooked on trying to find these towns.

An excellent reference for those looking to disover the history of Southern New Jersey.