Allaire State Park - Your Passport to Adventure - Wall Township, NJ
N 40° 09.715 W 074° 07.920
18T E 573917 N 4446089
Allaire State Park is probably best known for its historic 19th-century ironmaking town, Allaire Village, and its antique steam trains on the Pine Creek Railroad. The stamp can be found at the welcome center.
Waymark Code: WM6K6X
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 06/13/2009
Views: 9
Passport Program Information
The NJ Parks and Forests Service came out with a passport book for collecting stamps for visiting a select sampling of our states parks, forests and historic sites. Many fine places did not make the list but many beautiful and culturally important sites did make the list so I suppose it all evens out in the end. The passport book is divided into 3 sections, north, central and south Jersey. This stamp and Allaire State Park represent the first listing for Central New Jersey. If it was not for the release of a puzzle cache a few years ago and my obsession at the time for first to finds, I would never have visited all 24 sites of central and southern NJ. The puzzle cache is called Passport To Adventure (Central Jersey Challenge) and can be found HERE. The stamp and the passport books are free. To find out more about our fabulous passport program please visit HERE.
Allaire State Park Information
Allaire Village was a bog iron producing community of over 400 people. They lived with their families on the Howell Works premises in brick row homes built by Allaire -- more than 60 structures overall, including factory buildings.
Located within the confines of beautiful Allaire State Park, this historic village had its beginnings as Williamsbridge Forge, a name found in records as early as 1793. Benjamin Howell of Philadelphia leased the property in the early 1800's and invited New York brass founder, James P. Allaire, to visit the site with a view to improving it. Within one year Allaire purchased the property, naming it the Howell Works. Howell Works prospered until around 1850, when financial reversals and competition from areas west caused its demise.
During the early 1900's a newspaperman acquired the property, allowing it to be used as a Boy Scout camp. Later, in 1941, Allaire Village was deeded to the State of New Jersey for park purposes. Today it is run as a living history museum, funded largely by private contributions.
The posted coordinates are exact and are for the entrance which will take you to the counter where you can receive your stamp and also ask for a stamp book, one not being in your possession.
