Cranberry Bogs at Whitesbog Village
~ Inspired by Carolyn @
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Whitesbog Village is an early 20th century company town and agricultural community. In the early 1900’s, Whitesbog was the largest cranberry farm in New Jersey. Its founder, Joseph J. White, was a nationally recognized leader in the cranberry industry. In 1916, Elizabeth C. White collaborated with Dr. Frederick A. Coville of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and successfully developed the first cultivated blueberry here at Whitesbog.
The story of Whitesbog begins with the former Hanover Iron Furnace (now Fort Dix). The production of iron was a dynamic and important industry in the Pines, but ultimately the most destructive. The process of dredging the land and diverting water had a devastating effect on the land. Ironically, it was the physical conditions produced by the iron industry that set the stage for cranberry cultivation. The American cranberry grows naturally and extensively in swampy areas of the North American temperate zone. The cranberry thrived in the disturbed strip-mined conditions in the Pinelands. Realizing the potential market for this crop, an enterprising James A. Fenwick purchased a 490-acre tract, which included the site of the former canal and canal pond that fed Hanover Furnace during its operation.
Fenwick proceeded to cultivate the land for cranberries. By the 1860s, Fenwick’s efforts proved to be successful and the cranberry boom began. Land that was thought to be worthless was suddenly found capable of producing 30 to 60 barrels of cranberries worth about $10 each in American markets and $20 in Europe.
Fenwick’s son-in-law, Joseph J. White, was himself an up and coming cranberry farmer. In the winter of 1869-1870, J.J. White, together with his wife Mary, produced a booklet entitled “Cranberry Culture” which quickly became a classic agricultural guide. After James Fenwick’s death in 1882 Joseph White assumed the management of the cranberry operation and called it Whitesbog. He was assisted by his eldest daughter, Elizabeth Coleman White, who began her career there in 1893.
For more info:
www.whitesbog.org 